EMSB chair claims ‘political vendetta’ after scathing report

Angela Mancini claims she’s the victim of a “political vendetta” following a report depicting her leadership as manipulative, untruthful and unaccountable for her actions at the English Montreal School Board.

In a lengthy post on her Facebook page Friday, Mancini claims the 273-page report was “half-baked” and that its author — human resource specialist Steven Droz — refused to consider evidence supporting the embattled EMSB chair.

The report recommends that neither Mancini nor any of her associates run in future school elections, which Mancini claims is a violation of “fundamental democratic rights.”

The EMSB was placed under trusteeship in November after an investigation found irregularities in the way the board awarded contracts. The probe also looked into problems in the EMSB’S human resources culture.

Former MP Marlene Jennings was appointed to oversee the board while Mancini stepped aside last year. She hired Steven Droz & Associates to investigate complaints by Mancini that she was the victim of harassment.

Mancini provided him with a 15page summary of her grievances alleging 300 instances of harassment over a four-year period. After interviewing Mancini for over 25 hours and questioning three others, Droz wrote that her claims were “not only unfounded, but were filed and pursued in a vexatious and bad faith manner.” Further, he wrote, Mancini has gone through “never-ending lengths to hide, deny, misrepresent, pressure, manipulate, twist, alter and blame others for her own causal wrongdoings.”

Mancini said she would not be offering further comment on Droz’s report.