- Parvaneh Pessian
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- May 26, 2012 - 4:30 AM
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Whitby mayor's trip to France ruffles feathers on council
Members should have been informed prior to the trip, deputy mayor argues
Whitby mayor's trip to France ruffles feathers on
council. WHITBY -- Mayor Pat Perkins says she wasn't attempting to
conceal from council details of her trip to France in March for an international
real estate trade show. The mayor was part of a local delegation that attended
the event to help draw foreign investors to Durham. May 22, 2012. Metroland
file photo
The only thing I'd argue with is that I should have known and
indeed, council should have not only been aware but should have had some input.
Councillor Joe Drumm
Regional Councillor and Deputy Mayor Joe Drumm brought up the matter at a May 7 meeting, citing his concern with the lack of communication to council members prior to the trip in March. He said he was "deeply hurt and embarrassed" after hearing from a resident at a coffee shop that the mayor was in France, and not from the head of council herself.
"I've spent 35 years on this council and for someone to come and say to me, 'You're a fine deputy mayor, you don't know what the hell's going on', really hurt me," said Coun. Drumm.
"I had no problem with her going," said Coun. Drumm, in an interview with This Week, following the meeting.
"The only thing I'd argue with is that I should have known and indeed, council should have not only been aware but should have had some input."
Coun. Drumm filled in for Mayor Perkins at a March 5 council meeting while she was in France for an international real estate trade show. This year's event, held from March 6 to 9, attracted nearly 20,000 participants, including more than 4,000 real estate investors.
The mayor said she had phoned Coun. Drumm on March 4 -- the night before the council meeting she would be absent from -- to ask him to fill in for her. It was a brief exchange during which he consented without inquiring into why she would be away, she said.
"It was a very quick conversation, really, so he didn't ask (and) I didn't tell him ... there was no intent to not speak of it; it just was not part of the discussion."
Mayor Perkins said she was confused at the implication that she was trying to conceal details of a trip that was so widely attended by representatives from across the province. The local delegation at the event included Regional Chairman Roger Anderson, Kathy Weiss, the Region's director of economic development and tourism, and Cindy Symons-Milroy, director of economic development for the City of Oshawa.
"There was no secret about it; look at all the people that were there," said Mayor Perkins, adding she was simply doing her job to help boost economic growth in Whitby and informed council about the results of the trip via e-mail, upon her return.
"You don't miss opportunities like that if you can avoid it ... economic development is high on our list and the foreign direct investment strategy that everybody's going into right now is (what) we're all focusing (on)."
There is no legislation or policy in place that requires the mayor to advise members of council on her schedule, according to Town of Whitby Clerk Debi Wilcox. About $8,000 in travel and accommodation expenses for the trip was paid out of the Town's economic development and marketing budget. Registration for the mayor was covered by the event organizers.
"It should be noted the attendance by the mayor provided the Town with access to special sessions that we otherwise would not have had access to," said Ms. Wilcox.
Whitby's commissioner of community and marketing services, Peter LeBel, who accompanied the mayor to France, said the Town is currently following up with an investment lead from the event.
"We were there for the purpose of marketing the municipality, as was the Province there to market the province, for investment attraction purposes," he said.
Mr. LeBel said the mayor's presence at the event played a key role in securing the lead, which he declined to comment further on.
"There were meetings that included investors and developers that if you weren't a head of council, you had no opportunity to be there, so that was very, very important."
Reporter Parvaneh Pessian covers the town of Whitby for Metroland Media Group's Durham Region Division
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