Whitehead calls police board slap ‘bizarre’
City councillor suspended pending investigation: It’s ‘silly, fishy, something smells in Denmark’
In the latest twist to the Hamilton police board’s dysfunctional saga, Coun. Terry Whitehead has been suspended from the board while a provincial oversight agency investigates a misconduct complaint against him.
That plops Whitehead on the sidelines with Walt Juchniewicz, the city’s citizen appointee to the board, who is also suspended pending the results of a public misconduct hearing.
The recently re-elected west Mountain councillor and longtime police board member denies any wrongdoing.
“I just find it bizarre,” Whitehead says, adding he believes he’s being targeted for political reasons.
The new investigation by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) comes a week after the agency denied it was probing the conduct of any individual board member other than Juchniewicz.
Police board chair Coun. Lloyd Ferguson confirms the suspension but says he can’t discuss details until it’s dealt with by the board at its next meeting on Nov. 22.
According to Whitehead, the OCPC hasn’t told him what the allegation is but he suspects it’s linked to a complaint from a member of the public that in September he tweeted photographs of a traffic jam while in a stopped vehicle.
The tweets led to online accusations that Whitehead had broken provincial distracted driving laws, which prohibit drivers from handling cellphones unless they’re legally parked.
Whitehead, however, says he was neither in the car nor took the photographs. He says his passenger clicked the photos when he got out to look at the traffic holdup.
“I stepped out of the car to see what the hell was going on because nothing was moving,” Whitehead says. “I was in park. He reached over and took the picture from my side where I was standing outside to see what I could see.”
If that’s what the OCPC is investigating — and it probably is — clearly the agency questions Whitehead’s explanation.
Both investigation and complaint likely hinge on code of conduct wording, which requires board members to “refrain from engaging in conduct that would discredit or compromise the integrity of the board or the police.”
The complainant is unknown but Whitehead believes the person is linked to an amorphous group of urban advocates he periodically squabbles with on social media.
“We know who’s driving this. It’s the urbanists, right? They smell — not blood — but whatever. Whatever it is, it’s petty, it’s tactless, and it just shows you what’s wrong with politics.”
Ferguson acknowledges the Hamilton board recently dealt with a complaint against Whitehead behind closed doors but, again, won’t discuss the details without board approval. He says the complainant was told the issue could be kicked upstairs to the OCPC, which is probably what happened.
Whitehead thinks it’s fishy the OCPC would look into a distracted driving complaint given it’s past failure to investigate allegations against other board members involving breach of confidentiality and accusations of slander.
“What’s the threshold for and test for an investigation?” he says. “What if somebody gets a parking infraction? It’s just getting silly.”
Silly or not, it’s a perfect addition to the circuslike atmosphere of infighting, allegations and OCPC reviews and suspensions that have dogged the board over the last few years.
Still, it is a little odd Whitehead’s suspension comes shortly after he announced he isn’t seeking reappointment to the board when the newly-elected council chooses its representatives Nov. 20.
That means the OCPC’s investigation will die on the vine when the new council is sworn in Dec. 3 and Whitehead is officially off the board.
Similarly, the hearing against Juchniewicz will likely never see the light of day because the new council will soon appoint a new citizen representative. Juchniewicz, who strongly denies allegations of discrimination and intimidation, would like to reapply but can’t as long as he’s suspended. He says he’s exploring legal options so he’ll have a chance to clear his name.
All in all, Whitehead suspects sneaky backroom politics are in play. “There’s something that smells in Denmark on this one,” he says, mangling a line from Shakespeare.