By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: Integrity Group report does not paint a pretty picture of the mayor’s leadership style

Apr 12, 2024 | 12:30 PM

THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE MOST UPSET with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson for leaking an unredacted copy of a confidential investigation report are his supporters.

The report certainly does not paint a pretty picture of his leadership.

The third-party investigation was launched last spring after four separate city hall employees came forward with complaints that the mayor harassed and bullied them on the job.

Two of those employees are CAO David Trawin and his deputy, Byron McCorkell, who is now acting in Trawin’s stead while the latter is away on leave.

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The investigator found the complainants credible and found most of the mayor’s actions, as described, breached council’s own Code of Conduct.

It’s clear from reading the report that the mayor’s default response to city employees who don’t immediately bend to his whims is lashing out — including threatening their jobs.

While it’s true that the CAO is the only position mayor and council can directly fire, constantly holding that over the CAO’s head is no way to contribute to a functioning workplace.

It is not leadership.

The report makes clear that the mayor expects city hall employees to respect his position while he plainly has no respect for theirs.

It’s also clear that Hamer-Jackson’s understanding of the limits of the powers of his office has been off the mark from the beginning.

A mayor who can persuade the rest of council to follow his vision can get a lot done. A mayor who can’t persuade a single councillor to follow his vision will find that vision going completely unfulfilled.

That lack of progress on his own vision has got to be frustrating for Hamer-Jackson.

Combine that with his ongoing realizations about the limits of his powers and it’s much more understandable why he’s flailing away as he is — “thriving on chaos,” as Councillor O’Reilly said a few weeks ago.

Whether it should be public or not, this report has connected a lot of dots between the past and recent developments, including Hamer-Jackson’s short-lived suspension of McCorkell and mayor and council being locked out of certain areas in city facilities.

It paints a pretty clear picture — one that even the mayor’s supporters can’t ignore.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.