Council Fight Over WFCU Audit Goes Public
Story by Adelle Loiselle, Blackburn News
For months, Windsor city councillors have refrained from using names and have chosen their words carefully when it comes to trouble in the city’s Auditor General’s office, the delayed audit into the WFCU Centre, and the public comments of one fellow councillor. That has changed.
At the city’s inaugural Executive Committee meeting, councillors have decided to recommend the hiring of auditing firm KPMG to finish the audit left incomplete when the city’s lead auditor, Angela Berry, suddenly left her job. She’s accusing the city of workplace harassment in a lawsuit alleging mobbing and intimidation. In a letter to council, KPMG says it will try to complete the audit by June 15th. The city has budgeted $80,000 for the contract.
Councillor Alan Halberstadt has been very critical of the way the audit has been handled, alleging at one point in his blog http://www.alanhalberstadt.com it would never see the light of day. He’s also suggested Berry was investigating tips to a whistleblower hotline, suggestions that were later denied by Audit Committee chair Max Zalev. He voted against the hiring of Auditor General Bill Carter back in February, saying the work should be done in house. Monday night, he was the lone vote against hiring KPMG.
Councillor Drew Dilkens is accusing Halberstadt of misleading the public over the affair and says KPMG wouldn’t even be needed if Halberstadt hadn’t spoken to the media and blogged about an in-camera discussion about the Auditor General’s position, a charge Halberstadt denied. “What else could I say when somebody asks me why I voted in a certain way and that’s what I said.”
Dilkens responded “If you pulled the newspaper, sir, you’d know that what you’re saying is a bunch of sh*t.” Dilkens later apologized for the remark.
Mayor Eddie Francis responded to the debate saying he couldn’t wait for the audit to see the light of day. “I’ve been the only person that has been subjected to slander, subjected to innuendo and subjected to rumours in regards to family and everything else. For some it’s become sport for some to try to take on politicians and try to muddy the waters and it’s only a red herring. It’s not a red herring if it’s your name.”
http://canadasrock.ca/2011/05/council-fight-over-wfcu-audit-goes-public/
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