And why should you care?
Well, Tim Brown is a long-standing member of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group (GLLRG) in Proudfoot. The GLLRG has, over the years, been governed by Mayor Paul Tomlinson, Councillor Barry Dingwall, and Councillor Steve Sainsbury. Mr. Brown has even been a guest in Mayor Tomlinson’s home.
Well, Tim Brown is a long-standing member of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group (GLLRG) in Proudfoot. The GLLRG has, over the years, been governed by Mayor Paul Tomlinson, Councillor Barry Dingwall, and Councillor Steve Sainsbury. Mr. Brown has even been a guest in Mayor Tomlinson’s home.
At the July 10, 2010 GLLRG Annual General Meeting Mr. Brown asked for donations for the election campaigns of Steve Sainsbury and Barry Dingwall. Both Sainsbury and Dingwall listed Mr. Brown as their Campaign Fundraiser or Chief Financial Officer on their campaign brochures. Tim Brown also signed himself as Chairperson for the Committee to Elect Dingwall and Sainsbury on a flyer mailed out to the citizens of Kearney. (See below)
So what?
This is where the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act comes in. The Act requires that the Mayor and Councillors declare if they have a pecuniary interest in any business arising at council. "Pecuniary" basically means “relating to money”, so the conflict of interest could mean issues of employment, grants, sales, contracts, etc. involving a friend, associate, family member, etc. We’ve seen this happen on several occasions in the past as when then-Councillor Bob Tilley declared his pecuniary interest in the matter of the landfill attendant position because a family member was competing for the job. Or when Johnston and Zummach declared their pecuniary interest related to shore-road allowances. This meant that none would vote, or directly influence the votes of others at the council table. It’s just one key component in ensuring a fair and democratic process.
Again, so what?
Here’s the point of the story: At the Kearney Council Meeting on March 11, 2011, Scott Richards ("Agent/Contractor, Kearney/Timothy Brown, President Ethical Wealth Corporation, Mississauga") asked the mayor and council to waive the $1000.00 rezoning fee for a piece of property owned by Tim Brown (Part Lot 16, Concession 5, Part 3, 42R-11843, located at 4290 Chetwynd Road). The same Tim Brown we introduced above. When a member of the public asked Mayor Tomlinson, Councillor Dingwall, and Councillor Sainsbury if they had any association with Tim Brown of Proudfoot all three vehemently denied any relationship with him beyond mere acquaintance. They knew him, but hey, it’s a small town. The member of the public asked if any of them had ever done any sort of business with Brown, and again all three denied any relationship beyond that of acquaintance. Tomlinson even went to great lengths to skirt the issue of who the actual applicant was. When asked, Tomlinson gave a very vague response about the "Ethical Wealth Corporation". It was only when pressed that Tomlinson begrudgingly admitted it was Tim Brown. But a little public scrutiny from those dumb Kearney hicks wasn't going to slow them down and the Proudfoot Four proceeded to vote in favour of waiving the $1000.00 fee for their chum Tim Brown. So $1000.00 more in the pocket of a loyal Proudfooter - $1000.00 less in the town’s coffers.
Tim Brown: Personal guest, fellow GLLRG member, Chief Financial Officer, and Campaign Fundraiser suddenly becomes Tim Brown: Casual Acquaintance.
So what?
This is where the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act comes in. The Act requires that the Mayor and Councillors declare if they have a pecuniary interest in any business arising at council. "Pecuniary" basically means “relating to money”, so the conflict of interest could mean issues of employment, grants, sales, contracts, etc. involving a friend, associate, family member, etc. We’ve seen this happen on several occasions in the past as when then-Councillor Bob Tilley declared his pecuniary interest in the matter of the landfill attendant position because a family member was competing for the job. Or when Johnston and Zummach declared their pecuniary interest related to shore-road allowances. This meant that none would vote, or directly influence the votes of others at the council table. It’s just one key component in ensuring a fair and democratic process.
Again, so what?
Here’s the point of the story: At the Kearney Council Meeting on March 11, 2011, Scott Richards ("Agent/Contractor, Kearney/Timothy Brown, President Ethical Wealth Corporation, Mississauga") asked the mayor and council to waive the $1000.00 rezoning fee for a piece of property owned by Tim Brown (Part Lot 16, Concession 5, Part 3, 42R-11843, located at 4290 Chetwynd Road). The same Tim Brown we introduced above. When a member of the public asked Mayor Tomlinson, Councillor Dingwall, and Councillor Sainsbury if they had any association with Tim Brown of Proudfoot all three vehemently denied any relationship with him beyond mere acquaintance. They knew him, but hey, it’s a small town. The member of the public asked if any of them had ever done any sort of business with Brown, and again all three denied any relationship beyond that of acquaintance. Tomlinson even went to great lengths to skirt the issue of who the actual applicant was. When asked, Tomlinson gave a very vague response about the "Ethical Wealth Corporation". It was only when pressed that Tomlinson begrudgingly admitted it was Tim Brown. But a little public scrutiny from those dumb Kearney hicks wasn't going to slow them down and the Proudfoot Four proceeded to vote in favour of waiving the $1000.00 fee for their chum Tim Brown. So $1000.00 more in the pocket of a loyal Proudfooter - $1000.00 less in the town’s coffers.
Tim Brown: Personal guest, fellow GLLRG member, Chief Financial Officer, and Campaign Fundraiser suddenly becomes Tim Brown: Casual Acquaintance.
Are you starting to see the real reason why the Proudfoot Four wanted control of the Town?
Footnotes: If you Google Tim Brown's "Ethical Wealth Corporation" you'll get ZERO results. Which makes us wonder about what's going on there...
A search for Scott Richards does bring up Richards Contracting. We'd love to know what Richards Contracting's connection is to Tim Brown and why Scott Richards made the request to council instead of Tim himself.
A search for Scott Richards does bring up Richards Contracting. We'd love to know what Richards Contracting's connection is to Tim Brown and why Scott Richards made the request to council instead of Tim himself.
 |
| Click to Enlarge |
 |
| Click to Enlarge |
 |
| Click to Enlarge |
No comments:
Post a Comment