Tab to resolve complaints against council tops $50K

CAMBRIDGE — The City of Cambridge rang up a $50,754.20 bill with the Integrity Commissioner’s Office during a recent 15-month period, a report to city council’s general committee says.

The commissioner dealt with five code of conduct complaints against members of city council between Mar. 15, 2017, and July 31, 2018.

Of the five complaints, two were resolved at the initial review stage.

One of the allegations occurred before the code of conduct was adopted. The other was not seen to involve a matter — a strongly worded comment by a council member — that was covered by the code. The commissioner found the code was not intended to restrict fair comment on policy matters, as long as the comments are not demeaning or disrespectful.

Four of the five complaints were from citizens complaining about statements or actions of council members. One was by a council member about another council member, the report says.

One complaint was investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. A second complaint was investigated and found to be substantiated. A third complaint was partially investigated, then referred to mediation where it was resolved. The complaint was withdrawn as part of the resolution.

One resident’s complaint about Coun. Frank Monteiro’s comments on a local radio show led to a probe that cost the city $7,395. In the end, council dismissed an integrity commissioner’s report that found Monteiro had been discourteous to a fellow councillor. No penalty was imposed, but Monteiro has said he spent between $500 and $1,000 on personal legal services over the matter.

Last November, mediation settled a complaint filed by Coun. Jan Liggett against Mayor Doug Craig. Both sides were pleased with the resolution.

Citizens must pay a $25 filing fee to make complaints under the code. If the complaint is deemed frivolous, the fee is donated to the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. If it holds merit, the fee is returned.

The city uses Dundas-based Agree Inc., an alternative dispute resolution company that provides workplace investigation services, as integrity commissioner.

The report to general committee, from Agree’s Richard Russell, said the average cost to resolve each complaint was $9,520. One “unusual case” required substantial time and resources to resolve and represented 70 per cent of the billings, the report said.