Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell's lying likely no threat to job
A misbehaving mayor may be a distraction, but opponents can do little more than watch the show
As a rule, good things rarely follow the words "I'm not perfect" in political speeches.
So Saanich, B.C. Mayor Richard Atwell can be forgiven for finding himself "a little distracted" after admitting to lying about an extramarital affair, suggesting police are mounting a vendetta against him and accusing city staff of bugging his computer.
But will those diversions lead to any deeper political damage?
"The mayor hasn't had a good week or two and he's lashing out," said Simon Fraser University professor Patrick Smith, an expert in municipal politics.
"None of that, I think, reflects very well on him or the office."
Others have smoked crack, posed nude
Atwell is the latest in a long line of Canadian mayors to draw public attention as a result of personal indiscretions. Their offences range from the criminal to the ridiculous. From smoking crack to posing nude in the office chair, the only common denominator is the potential the scandal has to derail official business.
Ironically, Smith says, it's the so-called "weak mayor" system that kept a city like Toronto functioning while former Mayor Rob Ford's bizarre behaviour drew international headlines.
"The mayor is really only one vote on council, so the rest of council can continue if they have the wherewithal to do so," Smith says.
Atwell's home life became an issue after he called 911 from a campaign worker's residence claiming he had been struck by the woman's fiancé. He first categorically denied having an affair. Now, he says that response wasn't "totally truthful."
But he has also gone on the offensive, complaining about alleged harassment by Saanich police, a department governed by a board Atwell chairs.
"It's awkward," he says.
'Awkward' is also the word former Port Coquitlam, B.C. councillor Michael Wright used to describe the feeling in that city's chambers after police charged former mayor Scott Young with attacking his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend in 2007.
Council asked Young to step down, but he refused. It turns out that under B.C.'s Community Charter, a mayor can only be fired for missing four consecutive council meetings.
"It was not easy to work with someone when we'd already asked the man to step down," Wright says. "I would very much like to have seen some sort of legislation, which would say you should step down."
Posterity is a politician's greatest enemy
No one is suggesting Atwell should step down. But Saanich Coun. Susan Brice told the Times Colonist the mayor's issues have become a distraction.
The same could be said of former Houston, B.C. mayor Sharon Smith when nude pictures emerged of her in the mayoral chair, sporting only her 'chain of office.' Or even former Kitimat, B.C. mayor Joanne Monaghan, who made headlines after she was hauled into court for violating bear-feeding regulations by giving food to squirrels.
Monaghan says the impact on the office is in direct proportion to the size of the scandal:
"There's a big difference between sleeping with someone else's wife and feeding squirrels."
Only the province has the power, through the Community Charter, to give councils more power over mayors. And Smith says many people have called for better controls after the Rob Ford scandal.
B.C. has recall legislation for members of the legislative assembly, which could easily be tailored to municipal politicians. But by the same token, Smith says, it shouldn't be open to anyone with an axe to grind or councillors who simply disagree with the mayor's position on other issues.
In the end, posterity may be a rogue politician's greatest enemy, says SFU City program director Gordon Price.
"Your memory may be be based upon what got the headlines or the issue that people remember," says Price, a former Vancouver city councillor.
"So yes, it can hurt, but on the other hand that's where the heat is, you're in the kitchen and if you can't take it, it's probably not the place you should be."