Springwater Township Coun. Danielle Alexander tried to make her position crystal clear: she wasn’t objecting to the findings of a recent integrity commissioner’s report, she just objected to the cost.
At last night’s council meeting, Alexander presented a notice of motion that directed the township clerk to seek invitational proposals for the services of an integrity commissioner and that those proposals be presented at the Oct. 16 council meeting for consideration.
“I want to make very clear my intent with this motion,” Alexander said. “I did feel that for the $27,000 that the township paid for the last report that was presented to us by Mr. Swayze, for two and a half pages of content, and when he came to the meeting he was unable to answer many of the direct questions to him, I feel it’s just completely ridiculous.
“The motion is just regarding what we paid for,” she added.
Alexander said she didn’t believe the township received value for the work performed and again told council that a child could have authored it.
“It was, I believe I said it before, I felt it was something my daughter could have written,” Alexander said.
At the June 19 meeting of council, Robert Swayze, the township’s integrity commissioner, delivered his report on three complaints his office had received — two against Coun. Phil Fisher, brought by fellow Coun. Brad Thompson and Springwater Public Library board chair Adrian Graham, and one against Mayor Jennifer Coughlin, which was initiated by Fisher.
The report was especially critical of Fisher, who Swayze said engaged in “petty politics.”
A majority of council voted to receive the integrity commissioner's report for information only. Alexander, Fisher and Deputy Mayor George Cabral voted against receiving it.
At that meeting, Fisher told Swayze, who billed the township a little more than 109 hours of work, or approximately $30,000, he had done “a huge and costly disservice” to council.
He reiterated that sentiment Wednesday night.
“Regardless of what the report was about or what the content was, the taxpayer was taken for a ride,” said Fisher, while supporting Alexander’s motion.
Thompson agreed, but for different reasons.
“The real cost to the township is allowing the behaviour that was identified in the report to continue,” the councillor said. “This motion and vote gives us an opportunity to send a clear message to right a wrong.
“I won’t be supporting this motion,” Thompson added.
Coughlin said she was concerned with how township residents would react if they thought the municipality was looking to replace Swayze.
“I do have concerns about the optics of this,” Coughlin said. “The changeover from our previous (integrity commissioner) to Mr. Swayze was after a report was received by council that council didn’t agree with or didn’t like the findings.
“A year ago, we, as a council, voted to extend (Swayze’s) contract," the mayor added. “If we’re suggesting it’s not based on one finding, not a lot has happened since that time.”
Swayze was originally hired in 2020 after the council of the day decided to release its integrity commissioner at the time, Principles Integrity. Swayze was one of two providers who responded to the township's request for proposal (RFP) at the time.
Coughlin was against Alexander's motion initially.
“If it was to terminate Mr. Swayze, I would have a much harder issue with it,” she said. “We went with Mr. Swayze because he was the least expensive at the time. This is literally just looking to see if there’s someone cheaper out there.”
According to township documents, Swayze’s contract with Springwater includes:
- Hourly rate of $280 per hour
- Annual retainer of $1,000
- Travel rate of $140 per hour, when necessary
- 30-day termination clause for either party
On Wednesday night, township clerk Rene Ainsworth told council that she has ample time to secure invitational proposals — informal quotes from interested parties — and will have them ready for council's review Oct. 16.
