Closed Meetings

Last week's news story on  court proceedings  on  Conflict of Interest charges against the former Mayor  brought back  bad memories of the previous Council term.  From the outset they began. Like a floodgate opened.
An early  meeting was called  to discuss  what the new Mayor  considered  an invasion of her privacy and subject to litigation. 
Under the Municipal Act, the imperative is the public's  business shall be conducted in public.
Exceptions are precise and  specific .
Litigation between the town and other parties: real estate negotiations on behalf of the town;privacy of  an individual is the third.
Elected officials  are not private. They are public .
At the time of the election, the town solicitor was on  leave. An interim  solicitor was retained when needed . 
In  this instance,  need had not apparently been determined. 
The scene. like many others, is etched clearly in my memory. 
We used the Councillor's lounge for in-camera meetings. The Mayor occupied a couch..
A visual  image of  domination and control had already been adopted.
A  gaping  red shiny handbag at her feet. A file folder crammed so full, two arms were needed to hold it. A bunch of keys, twice as big as her fist and an impression of  white legs and red vinyl high heeled  shoes. A mouth crammed with food  sometimes  completed the picture.
Council were informed telephones in the Councillors' room had been monitored during the previous term. The position  was her privacy had been invaded.  That was cause for litigation for damages against  her predecessor and she had "no intention of spending my money" to pursue the matter. 
To cut a long story short, the new Council voted, eight to one,  to authorize  legal  counsel to be retained.
The municipal clerk was present. He had two years to serve  before retirement. He offered no advice. 
Two years and at least two solicitors later. I can't be sure.in a legal conference, again behind closed doors,  the matter was finalized.
There was no case to answer.Taking the matter to court would not result in  damages being awarded, The solicitor was surprised to discover Council  members had not been privy to various  communications on the issue.
It was the former Mayor's practice to read to Council excerpts  from letters only she  had apparently  received. Copies were  not circulated.
Thinking back,  the purpose of the final conference seems clear. The solicitor  was being  leaned upon heavily for different advice. 
Present at the meeting were the CAO,  town solicitor returned from leave and the municipal clerk,
As I recall , advice to Council from staff  was in the form of support for the outside solicitor present for the conference.  
It was  decided there was no merit in pursuing  legal action against the  former Mayor's predecessor.
How much  was expended ?  Heaven knows. How many lawyers? At that time, at least two..Switching  lawyers became a familiar pattern over the years  If one  failed to deliver the desired objective. they were not used again. 
The Council of the day had five new members . 
All of  the Morris slate had not been elected, Just enough to create  obligation and a  majority.
Lawyers, and public resources   were not the only tools used to wreak vengeance against anyone who dared to oppose.
After his defeat, town hall staff had posed for a  photo with the outgoing Mayor.
We  immediately heard of  the repercussion.
Staff  it seems ,were informed individually: 
"If you work for the town,you work for me  Be careful who you choose as friends. There's a list"
 I  have  made the point; the Municipal Act  is not  intended to cover for  politicians plots against opponents at public expense.
It is unthinkable.
Hundreds of thousands of  tax dollars were expended .Staff were eventually complicit in obscuring the numbers .
All of it  was cloaked in secrecy.
It had never happened before. 
The current Council has passed a bylaw making  it impossible ever to happen again. 
At the time though ,during that one and only term, everyone, particularly staff, knew their  fate if they dared cross the dreadful duo's determination  to wreak  terrible vengeance on their foes; real and imagined.
It started before the ink was dry on Certification of the 2006 election.
The slide continued downhill all the way until  litigation  again at town expense was processed  against town residents during the  2010 election.
It's 2012 and we are not done yet.