City won’t audit councillor’s campaign expenses
Committee rejects complaint that Mark Grimes overspent on brochures and videos An Etobicoke resident says he is “flabbergasted” that a city hall committee has rejected his request to audit the 2014 re-election campaign expenses of Councillor Mark Grimes, who represents Ward 6 Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
“We presented, I thought, compelling evidence that Grimes’s overspent in the area of literature and the area of video production,” Michael Craig said at city hall Thursday.
“I cannot understand how they could possibly conclude that that didn’t require further investigation.”
But Grimes’s lawyer, William McDowell, said the complaint was “politically motivated.”
Craig served as a volunteer on rival candidate Russ Ford’s campaign.
“It was groundless and, frankly, it was irresponsible,” McDowell said, adding Craig’s suggestion that the police should be involved was tantamount to a “drive-by smear.”
McDowell argued there was no basis for a compliance audit.
“There is no evidence that Councillor Grimes improperly paid for any goods or services below their market value or that he failed to report any expenses properly,” the lawyer wrote in his submissions.
Responding to McDowell’s assertion that his complaint was a driveby smear, Craig insisted he was, in fact, careful not to impugn Grimes’ integrity “because I didn’t want a lawsuit.” Grimes did not attend the meeting. Craig said he thought he presented “substantial evidence” of alternative quotations on things such as brochure production and distribution expenses that showed Grimes un- der-reported what he actually spent and therefore exceeded what is allowed.
“I felt that a compliance audit would look into that carefully and find out whether or not my allegations were correct, so I called them allegations.”
For instance, Craig alleged Grimes should have reported an additional $39,800 in video production expenses, pointing to 45 short YouTube videos on Grimes’s campaign site.
McDowell countered, in his submissions to the committee, that the vast majority of footage on the YouTube site was shot via cellphone cameras by volunteers or family members.
Craig has also filed an integrity complaint against Grimes relating to his dealings with developers and participation in two videos promoting development.
His partner, Liane Regendanz, said she was dismayed the audit committee didn’t have to give an explanation for its decision.
“That a citizen can bring forward what we feel is a very legitimate complaint and concern, and they make an in-camera decision and don’t have to give a rationale . . . that is not transparent, that is a problem with the Municipal Elections Act,” she said.