Region CAO investigation: What we know and don’t

On April 12, regional council hired Toronto law firm ADR Chambers to investigate the process that resulted in the hiring of Carmen D’Angelo as Niagara Region chief administrative officer, with a salary of $230,000 annually. Here is what we know, and what we don’t, about the hiring process and the investigation.

What we know:

What happened? In September 2016, a memo that contained confidential information about candidates applying for the CAO position was written. That memo was sent to Carmen D’Angelo, the man who eventually got the job. Who created the

memo? Digital data on the memo shows it was created by Robert D’Amboise, the policy director for Regional Chair Alan Caslin. Digital information obtained by The Standard also shows D’Angelo had the memo in September 2016, nearly a month before interviews.

What does the memo say? The memo outlines high-level talking points regarding CAO candidates. It says regional employees will not be considered, but the Region’s commissioner of planning should be given an interview for professional development purposes. It also profiles five candidates and D’Angelo’s name appears at the top of the list. The memo describes D’Angelo as having a “business like/pro-growth approach at the NPCA (Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority),” with “extensive knowledge and experience.” Why does it matter? Obtaining information about candidates can give a person a leg up on the competition. Moreover, candidates were given assurances the application process was confidential, in part, for their professional protection.

The CAO oversees more than 3,000 employees and more than a billion dollars in municipal spending. What’s happening now? ADR Chambers — the law firm that currently provides integrity commissioner services for council — was given the powers of a municipal ombudsman to investigate the CAO hiring and Marvin J. Huberman, an experienced commercial mediator, will lead the probe.

What we don’t know:

Who sent D’Angelo the memo? Digital data obtained by The Standard shows who created the memo and where it ended up and when but it is not clear who gave it to D’Angelo. What did Caslin know? Caslin declined to be interviewed about the CAO hiring process, saying in an email he could not comment because “the subject matter pertains to a confidential HR matter.” Can D’Amboise or D’Angelo explain what happened? Neither man responded to interview requests on this subject. How will ADR conduct the investigation? ADR declined to speak about its investigative process. It is unclear whether ADR will confine its investigation to the Region or will exercise the powers granted it by regional council to investigate related boards and agencies such as NPCA, where D’Angelo was working in 2016. What experience does Huberman have? Huberman’s website does not refer to past investigative work. He is an experienced commercial litigator, mediator and arbitrator. He did not respond to interview requests from The Standard.

INSIDE THE NEWSROOM PODCAST:

Listen to the third and final part in our podcast series about investigative journalism. Reporters Grant LaFleche, Bill Sawchuk and Karena Walter talk about the final stages of an investigative story and the kind of political blowback that happens in an era when cries of “fake news” are used to discredit journalists. You can listen to the podcast at http://bit.ly/niagaranewsroom.