INNISFAIL – Controversial former town councillor Glen Carritt has been found to have breached several sections of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw following a thorough external investigation into multiple allegations of misconduct.
The final investigative report into the allegations against Carritt, who resigned from town council on Jan. 11 and is now campaigning to be Innisfail’s mayor in the upcoming municipal election, was presented to town council by Shari-Anne Doolaege, president of Edmonton’s SAGE Analytics Inc., during a closed meeting discussion at council’s regular meeting on Feb. 22.
“Mr. Carritt held some strong personal interests and beliefs,” said the report in its executive summary. “Several of the code of conduct breaches show that his interests became confounded at the juncture between his private life and his public life as an elected official.”
The investigation concluded that 29 of the 36 allegations made against Carritt “had merit” and that evidence showed the former town councillor breached the town’s Council Code of Conduct Bylaw.
The report said examples of Carritt’s conduct that were identified as code of conduct breaches include:
• Causing reputational damage to council and the community through his private affairs and protest involvement.
• Supporting a local business to open while defying health restrictions.
• Communicating council decisions inaccurately or in a manner that did not foster respect for the council decision-making process.
• Not upholding council decisions to working together for the common good.
• Not maintaining confidentiality during closed council meetings.
• Having a conflict of interest involving a land purchase.
• Using a town email address in personal election campaign advertising.
• Lacking attentiveness during council meetings due to cellphone use.
• Attempting to interfere with staff duties.
• Treating others with disrespect.
• Not upholding the spirit and intent of the council code of conduct.
“Mr. Carritt provided a detailed response to each allegation. He argued that his “actions do not breach any of the subject rules” and that he was “simply doing his job as a public figure which, as an elected official, he is entitled to perform as he sees best fit," said the report. “Mr. Carritt stated that his “attempt to resolve issues by engaging the public is exactly what councillors should strive to do.
“Mr. Carritt stated that the allegations are a colorable attempt to restrict free expression and that finding that he has breached the bylaw would be “counter to the goals of promoting political engagement and proper discourse," added the report.
Carritt told The Albertan today (Feb. 24) he only became aware of the investigative report's release from The Albertan, and "not from council or administration and not until after the media was alerted.
"That's troubling. However, I think it's very important that the investigator said, 'No formal code of conduct complaint was received' by council against me," Carritt told The Albertan. "My only goal on council was and is to represent the people of Innisfail. That is why I am running for mayor. I will stand up for them. I think they know that."
However, Carritt is apologizing to the town for "inadvertantly" using a town email address on one of his campaign posters.
"That should not have happened," he said. "I take responsibility for that and as I have said and will say again, if any cost was associated in this error I will gladly reimburse the town.
"I am an honest person and this was an honest error," concluded Carritt, adding he will be reviewing the investigative report further.
Although the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw has provisions for sanctions against a council member who has committed bylaw breaches, the report noted that Carritt is no longer serving on council and that no sanctions were being recommended.
“SAGE would have recommended that council impose strong sanctions on Mr. Carritt as a result of the number and serious nature of the code of conduct violations, if he was still serving on Innisfail town council,” said the report.
Efforts by The Albertan to obtain comment from Mayor Jim Romane were not immediately successful. The Albertan will have a comprehensive version of this story in the March 2 print edition.
