“Actions have consequences.”
Those words from Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield during a special meeting of council Thursday evening on deciding a penalty for breaches of the code of conduct by Councillor Sara Inch.
The Acting Integrity Commissioner’s report says based on evidence, Inch breached a couple of articles of the Code of Conduct in the way she treated Horsfield.
It goes on to say, “Email comments about the complainant’s age and pregnancy were insulting, discriminatory on the basis of age and sex, and amounted to harassment.”
The report also says social media posts violated the Code of Conduct.
“I want to express my sincere apologies to each member of this council and to our community,” Inch says. “My words and actions, although not intended to cause harm, have fallen short of standards we expect from our public representatives.”
However, as she continued her statement, Mayor Peter Chirico twice interjected, calling for a point of order, reminding Inch to keep her remarks to the issue before council, specifically on deciding a penalty.
The first point of order came when Inch started to discuss being subjected to harassment herself.
The second came after Inch suggested she and the Deputy Mayor share the more than $36,000 cost of the Acting Integrity Commissioner’s report.
“If the cost of the report is such a factor, then a 90-day pay suspension is in order to recoup some of the costs of her actions,” Horsfield said in her statement.
Council then voted to suspend Inch’s pay for 90 days, effective Oct. 13.
The other option could’ve been a reprimand.
