Windsor petition urges auditor probe
Province’s AG asked to intervene
By Brian Cross, The Windsor Star February 10, 2012
WINDSOR, Ont. — Activist Paul Synnott has launched a petition calling on council to ask Ontario’s auditor general to sort out Windsor’s failed efforts to have its own auditor general.
“To me, it may not make political sense, but it certainly makes common sense to have the auditor general of Ontario help us with this,” said Synnott. “Even the mayor and city councillors should admit we need help with this situation.”
It’s been four years since council voted to create an auditor general to serve as the city’s independent financial watchdog. But for three years, while a candidate was sought, the job sat vacant. Last March, the lead auditor in the department, Angela Berry went on leave, accusing council and administrators of creating a toxic workplace.
Todd Langlois was finally hired as auditor general in April, but was fired last week. He subsequently stated he’d been prevented from doing his job by “pervasive resistance” from above, an accusation that was denied by city officials and councillors.
In launching the petition, Synnott said he’s not implying there’s corruption at city hall. “But obviously we have a fatally flawed process…. We need an intervention.”
He suggested the Ontario AG could evaluate the work already done by Langlois and his staff and recommend how the office should be set up and run in the future.
But it’s a role that falls outside of Ontario AG Jim Mc-Carter’s mandate. He told The Star Thursday that he’s had similar “special requests” from other municipalities in the past, but had to turn them down. Province legislation says he can consider special requests only from a standing committee of the legislature, a provincial cabinet minister or the premier.
Synnott’s petition can be signed online at ipetitions. com/petition/wagereview. He also has friends circulating hard copies through the city.
“My goal is to reach at least 1,000 before I present it to council,” he said.
He’s opposed to outsourcing the AG role to a private accounting firm, something council is moving toward. “What concerns me is it threatens the independence of the office,” said Synnott. If the reason for outsourcing is to save money, you can achieve the same thing by cutting the office’s $580,000 annual budget, he said. “Reduce it to $350,000 or whatever they choose, and tell the AG we’ll increase your budget as you find savings and efficiencies in the city.”
But Mayor Eddie Francis said getting a professional firm to do the AG job is about more than saving money. “Council believes it would be a more efficient way to deliver more value, quicker, more comprehensive audits,” said the mayor, who hopes council will soon approve issuing a request for proposals from outside firms.
Synnott doesn’t believe an outside firm can fill the role of a taxpayers’ champion, like former Canadian AG Sheila Fraser. But Francis said Windsor has 11 taxpayer champions sitting around the council table.
“If we go to the grocery store, if we go to fill up with gasoline, if we go to pick up our kids, people hold us to a standard every single day,” he said.
He said audits in recent years were initiated with a “black cloud, conspiracy theory” suspicion that something was fishy. But every one – including audits of the 400 building and the WFCU Centre construction projects – showed everything was above board.
Francis said it’s Synnott’s right to collect signatures and present a petition, but he doesn’t favour calling in the Ontario AG. “It’s in our best interest to get the RFP out, get the auditors and get it going,” he said. “To spend another six or seven months, or 18 months, auditing the auditors … doesn’t do justice to what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
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