Mayor plans to return to police board Nov. 30
Mayor Daryl Bennett plans to return to the Peterborough Police Services Board for a one-year term as of Nov. 30, according to a new report.
Bennett said in August he wants to sit to the police board again this fall, but he didn’t give a date.
Now a new report from the mayor, recommending a series of appointments for himself and councillors to various boards and committees, puts him back on the police board Nov. 30.
Councillors will be expected to vote on the recommended appointments on Monday. (They do so every year in October; appointments are in effect for a year, generally starting Nov. 30).
Bennett will replace Coun. Dave Haacke, who will step down. If councillors approve the plan, it will mean Bennett and Coun. Dan McWilliams will both be on the police board until Nov. 30, 2018.
In the meantime, Police Chief Murray Rodd is set to retire on June 30. It means the police board will be searching for a replacement for Rodd.
Bennett hasn’t been on the police board since 2012, when he was suspended while the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) investigated 11 allegations of misconduct against him.
Following a lengthy hearing in 2014, the OCPC found Bennett guilty of all those allegations – the mayor was found to have made public comments to undermine both the chief and the force, for example, and also to have shared confidential documents with council.
But then the OCPC dropped all its findings when Bennett said he would take it to court.
The only allegation that wasn’t dropped was that Bennett made public remarks to undermine Rodd; the mayor stated that it was an embarrassment that Rodd made the Sunshine List, for example.
Bennett hasn’t apologized, and he says he stands by his earlier comments.
But since the findings against him were dropped, Bennett is free to return to the police board – which he will do Nov. 30, provided councillors agree.
All this is taking place even though a prominent Toronto lawyer studied the police board and released a report in August – at the request of the OCPC – that strongly recommends Bennett never return to the board.
Lawyer Mark Sandler, who sat in on police board meetings for the first six months of 2017, wrote in his report that Bennett should never return to the board. One reason he cited is because the mayor has made recent comments to undermine police.
Yet no particular comments were referred to in the report, and Bennett says he hasn’t said anything disrespectful to police recently. He is legally entitled to return to the board, as mayor.
Police board chairman Bob Hall, a former city councillor, has said the board will work with anyone who takes a seat – including Bennett.
Also on Monday night, city councillors will hear a presentation from the police services board about its new business plan.
Peterborough Police is “exceptionally” well-run, states the plan – but it also sets out ways to help reduce officers’ heavy workload and to develop a succession plan.
The new business plan will be in effect until 2019. Police boards are mandated to adopt a fresh business plan every three years.
Two consultants from Barrie were hired to develop the plan. It states that they interviewed the majority of officers as well as many leaders from community groups and agencies.
The consultants also spent many hours watching police officers do their jobs and interact with one another and the public before writing the plan.
Livestreaming and live tweets of the meeting are available on The
Examiner’s website on Monday. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
NOTE: See more city council coverage on Pages A2 and A3.