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Mayor’s chain of office mysteriously returned

December 21, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

The curious case surrounding the disappearance of Orangeville’s municipal chain of office appears to be over, with Town staff confirming the mayoral bling was anonymously returned last Friday (Dec. 14). 

It has been an interesting few weeks at Town Hall. The inauguration of a new council and unveiling of a refurbished council chamber have been somewhat overshadowed by the mystery surrounding the previously missing piece of municipal jewellery. Town Clerk Susan Greatrix informed the Citizen earlier in December that the chain of office had been missing for months, with neither Town staff, nor former mayor Jeremy Williams, seemingly having any idea where it was. 

While questions remain over where the chain has been for the past few months, its whereabouts were clear as of press time – “it’s in a secure location within Town Hall”, says Sheila Duncan, Orangeville’s manager of communications. 

It was revealed that a cardboard box containing the chain of office was left on a staff member’s front porch sometime between 9 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 7 a.m. on Dec. 14. When asked by the Citizen, Ms. Duncan declined to disclose the identity of the staff member. 

The chain’s return came less than 24 hours after the Orangeville Police Service had been called in to investigate. 

“We were in the preliminary stages of investigating this property-related occurrence when the chain of office was located. Two staff members were officially interviewed,” said OPS Cst. Scott Davis. “With the return of the chain of office we are no longer actively investigating this complaint. However, it remains open in the event that further information is received.”

He added, “To date, there remains no evidence to support the commission of a criminal offence.”

When what, if any, changes would be implemented at Town Hall to ensure the chain of office doesn’t disappear again, Ms. Duncan stated staff “will review procedures in the near future”. 

One person who seemed particularly pleased to see the chain of office returned was Mayor Sandy Brown. He was seen proudly sporting the municipal bling at several events last weekend.

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