Mayor Peter Chirico says the public’s trust in him has been put into question and has asked the Integrity Commissioner to open a full investigation into his expenses.
“I have nothing to hide, and I have done nothing wrong,” he says.
Chirico says during annual reviews of his city-issued expense card the finance department felt about $6,000 in expenses in 2023 and about $10,000 in 2024 should not have been claimed as city expenses.
He says the 2023 charges included larger items like golf memberships and Battalion season tickets.
Chirico says in previous private sector roles conducting business in those settings was ‘common and effective’.
He also says some smaller expenses were made absentmindedly, including tobacco products and dog food.
Chirico says each month expenses are reviewed, marked for personal items, signed and then approved by the CAO.
He also says he paid all of the money back, without argument.
“I’m embarrassed by all of this,” he says. “This is a very humbling experience for me. I don’t like it any more than any of you would like this. Did I make a mistake? Yes, I made a mistake, but I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He says he wants to re-earn people’s trust.
“I think by doing an independent review of it that is the way to be able to clear my name, say this is what happened, and we’ll deal with the results as they come forward,” Chirico says. “But I’m confident what those results will be.”
There’s no specific timeline for the Integrity Commissioner to issue his report.
