Carleton Place mayor facing fresh misconduct allegations

Carleton Place Mayor Louis Antonakos, who's running for re-election, has again been scolded by the town's integrity commissioner overinteractions with staff.

In February, Antonakoshad his pay suspended for 270 days afterformer integrity commissioner Robert Swayze concluded the mayor had breached the town's code of conduct.

Those breaches included bullying and releasing confidential information specifically, audiorecordings of in-camera council meetings to developers.

It is not appropriate for the Mayor to direct how staff undertake their jobs.- Tony Fleming, Carleton Place integrity commissioner

A new report, dated Oct. 4 and set for discussion at a special council meeting Tuesday, looked into whetherAntonakosbroke provincial law by ordering staff to take action against a developer over allegations of illegal construction waste dumping.

Tony Fleming, acting on behalf ofthe Kingston-based law firm hired in March to replace Swayze,concludedAntonakos was wrong to recommend the town's chief administrative officer (CAO) instruct staff to reach out to the province about the unnamed developer before the town's investigation into the matter had finished.

"Council sets policy and the CAOtranslates that direction into action by in turn directing staff," Fleming wrote.

"This distinction is not unique to Carleton Place and is enshrined in the Municipal Act.... It is not appropriate for the Mayor to direct how staff undertake their jobs."

No penalty

Fleming also looked into allegations the mayor harassed staff,but said employees were reluctant to talk to him about it a troubling sign, he said.

Nevertheless, Fleming is recommending the mayor be cautioned, not penalized.He suggestedAntonakos should undergo sensitivity training, and that the mayor'sinteractions with staff be restricted to the CAO.

Asked for comment on the reportMonday, Antonakos forwarded emails he claimed were pertinent to the matter, adding only that he'd have no further comment at this time.

At a mayoral debate last week, Antonakossaid he was looking forward to serving another term and would have welcomed morequestions about the incidents so that he could defend his record.

"Something I would've liked to see was more time to give more fulsome answers to some of the questions, particularly on transparency and some of the economic development ones," he said.

During the debate, Ralph Lee, a local lawyer who's also running for mayor, called out the "dysfunction, infighting and scandals over the last four years" in Carleton Place.