VilleraySt-MichelParc-Ex mayor asked to work from home amid harassment allegations

VilleraySaint-MichelParc-ExtensionMayor GiulianaFumagallihas been asked to work from home after allegations of harassment were made against her.

Mayor Valrie Plante made the announcement late Tuesday morning. She could not confirm the details of the allegations.

"We take these allegations very seriously," Plante said, adding that both Fumagalli and the person who accused her of harassment have agreed to go through the city's mediation process.

"For me, this is excellent news," she said.

"I hope there's a good outcome, because we want things to work well in the borough," she said, assuring residents that borough services will continue normally.

Plante would not say if theperson was a member ofFumagalli's administration.

Planteemphasized that working from home does not mean Fumagallihas been suspended. The borough mayor will still be present at borough and city council meetings, the mayorsaid.

The next borough council meeting is scheduled for June 5, and city council will meet next on May 28.

Fumagalli, who is a member ofProjetMontral, was first elected to office last year.

According to the party's website,Fumagalliis a union and community activist who has lived in the borough for more than 17 years.

TheVilleraySaint-MichelParc-Extensionis composed of five elected representatives, including three from Projet Montral:Fumagalli, Rosannie Filato and Sylvain Ouellet.

The other two councillors, Mary Deros and Frantz Benjamin, are from the official opposition party, Ensemble Montral.

Opposition calls for transparency

The leader ofEnsemble Montral, Lionel Perez, raised concerns about the accusations against Fumagallion Tuesday afternoon.

"Residents deserve to know exactly what happened," he said in a newsscrum at Montreal City Hall.

He criticized Plante for keeping the news from the public since May 10, the day she said the information came to light.

He saidPlante's decision to askFumagallito work from home was unacceptable and that the borough mayor should be suspended and replaced by an interim mayor.

Staying at home does not prevent one from the ability to harass through other means of communication, he said.

"Everyone in that environment knows that it's not possible to be a part-time mayor," Perez said.

He said as many asfour other individuals who had been working in the borough office have quit.