The Town of Newmarket's Rob Ford Moment

Ward 5 Candidate John Heckbert is sounding the alarm about Joe Sponga and a possible infraction of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (MCIA). 

There is only punishment for someone who is found guilty of the MCIA - removal from office and the seat being declared vacant.  In addition, a judge may also order the offender to be barred from running again for up to 7 years.  The case law for this is written by Justice Hacklund in the Rob Ford case which you can read here:  http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2012/11/26/rob_ford_out_text_of_judges_decision.html

Back in 2011, Joe Sponga sat on a committee that doled out a grant to Europa Travel on Main St.  The reason that Joe is so well liked on Main St.is because he has been offering free money (courtesy of the taxpayers) to Main St. businesses for expenses that businesses elsewhere pay out of pocket.  This free money adds up quite quickly and is certainly was a fat target to budget hawk, Maddie Di Muccio to cut the program (and likely the graft) out altogether. 

A few months after receiving the grant, it seems that Europa Travel gave Joe Sponga a job.  It may be difficult to determine that the job came directly as a result of the grant but the optics certainly don't look good. 

There have been other times that Joe has tip toed the line on the MCIA too. 

For instance, we know that Joe receives money from the Farmer's Market to wrap his vehicle promoting the Market.  I also recall Joe speaking in Council against levying any user fees against the out of town farmers who run their business on taxpayer owned park land. 

And Joe is not the only Council member to have issues with conflict of interests. 

Ward 4 Councillor Tom Hempen was the deciding vote in favour of the controversial soccer loan but he did not declare that his business advertises through a sponsorship of a NSC team. 

Regional Councillor John Taylor runs a charity out of the town office even registering the charity's address as 395 Mulock Avenue and having his assistant sell golf tournament tickets during her working hours from her desk. 

And most audaciously is Mayor Van Bynen and his Belinda's Place charity activities.  The mayor's actions in abusing his position to assist with Belinda's Place fundraising not only cross the line, but clearly Van Bynen has lost all sight of where the line even is. 

The MCIA does not give special dispensation for raising money for charity.  Rob Ford's case was about charity too.  The fact is, if you break the law by using your office to gain a pecuniary interest for yourself of an entity that you are a director of, then you are forced out of office. 

What we need is a citizen to make a complaint in General Division Court to have these people answer the challenge of impropriety under the MCIA.  I expect that if all four win, that challenge may happen sooner than later. 

After all, Paul Magder succeeded for a time in getting Rob Ford tossed from office (Ford was reinstated on a technicality).  Surely if the election goes the wrong way, we still have the power of the courts to get these rotters out of office.