Mayor Bratina and Chief Of Staff Chapman 1 Hamilton City Council 0 No rescinding $30,000 raise

City council will not rescind the $30,000 raise that Mayor Bob Bratina granted his chief of staff Peggy Chapman.


Council held a stormy three-hour closed-door session that left several councilors angry and frustrated. They emerged into open session and were then told by lawyer Peter Barkwell that taking the money back would expose the city to far more expensive legal liability.

The subject of the lengthy meeting was to determine if councillors have the authority to rescind the 33 per cent pay.

While the debate is being held in private, councillors said the discussions were heated.

Councillor Chad Collins tweeted that the discussions reached a stalemate.

“Unfortunately Council has received several versions of what has transpired; it is clear that we cannot come to an agreed statement of facts,” the tweet read.

Councillor Terry Whitehead tweeted his frustration.

“The Mayor, his Chief of Staff have the power to respond to the outcry from the community to resolve this, unfortunately our hands are tied.”

Councillor Sam Merulla provided a draft motion that he proposed to council this morning. However, Merulla stressed that the motion only reflected his views, not council’s.

Merulla’s proposed motion reads as follows: “That council is disappointed in, and disapproves of, the mayor’s failure to adhere to the city’s salary administration policy in setting salary rates for staff in his office.

“That council requests that the Mayor use his best efforts to negotiate a voluntary amendment to all employment contracts in his office to bring them into compliance with the city’s salary administration policy and report back to council on the results of his efforts.

“That if the mayor is unable to negotiate voluntary amendments to employment contracts to bring then into compliance with the city’s salary administration policy that the mayor is requested, in consultation with human resources and legal services, to seek to “red circle” any and all offending salaries for the balance of this term of council and that the mayor report back to council on the results of his efforts.”