LAURIE WEIR

It was a marathon 5.5-hour municipal services committee meeting on Monday, June 22, and the mayor left before the final vote — one he couldn’t have participated in anyway, as it concerned him directly.

Deputy Mayor Deborah Anne Hutchings chaired the discussion following a lengthy in-camera session, introducing a motion from Coun. Paula Banks: a second non-confidence vote against Mayor Arie Hoogenboom, along with a formal call for his resignation.

The first non-confidence vote took place on March 3, citing a lack of leadership after what was deemed the mayor’s “disregard of the township integrity commissioner’s findings of innocence and imposition of penalties contrary to the report.” That resolution also called for public release of the motion and that it be forwarded to MPP Steve Clark and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

“On March 3 of this year, the mayor, along with other councillors, supported a motion that brought liability to this township by taking the IC investigation’s findings of innocent and changing them to guilty,” Banks said. “Then his two strong mayor vetoes — one blocking the Chantry office retrofit, and another requesting staff research on recorded votes — were done in bad faith. If it was done in good faith, the mayor wouldn’t have felt the need to go on CBC and falsely claim that MPP Steve Clark and the province had okayed his specific use of the veto in that case.”

Banks also criticized the mayor for directing staff to compile information on 17 past IC complaints, which she said was later released without context and used inappropriately during a by-election.

“That’s why I brought this motion forward, and I hope council supports it,” she said.

Coun. Jeff Banks supported the motion. “The wrath of what was done to us continues every single day.”

Hutchings said she was troubled by how the integrity commissioner’s findings were handled.

“I think down deep Arie is an alright guy, but I don’t know what he’s doing. I like him. I just don’t like sometimes what he does,” she said. “I just wish he would listen … and that everybody would listen.”

In a recorded vote, councillors Jeff and Paula Banks, Sue Dunfield and Hutchings voted in favour. Councillors Marcia Maxwell and Ron Pollard voted against it.

Hoogenboom and Coun. Linda Carr had left the meeting before the resolution was read aloud and voted on. The mayor later told Hometown News he had “heard enough” and chose to leave, as the discussion was about him and he would have had to recuse himself from the vote regardless.

According to the Municipal Act, non-confidence votes are symbolic and do not carry the legal authority to remove a sitting mayor.

A mayor in Ontario can only be replaced if they resign, pass away, or are otherwise unable to fulfill their duties. When a vacancy occurs mid-term, the municipality usually holds a by-election to elect a new mayor, unless the vacancy happens close to the next scheduled election, in which case council may appoint a replacement.

HOOGENBOOM REACTS

When reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon, June 25, Hoogenboom was forthcoming, disheartened and frustrated. He spoke candidly with Hometown News.

“This is part of the ongoing campaign to discredit me as mayor,” he said. “They are clearly upset that I legitimately used my strong mayor powers to cancel their retrofit of the Chantry office renovation. This ongoing harassment of myself and my supporters brings more embarrassment to our township and to themselves.”

Hoogenboom also addressed a recent CBC report suggesting he had received specific advice from MPP Steve Clark’s office regarding his use of strong mayor powers. He said the reporter oversimplified the situation and clarified that the MPP’s office directed him to consult the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Kingston office for guidance.

Hoogenboom said he has significant community support, along with backing from fellow mayors in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

“Staff fully support my role as mayor, and they’re caught in the middle with 55 per cent of council regularly voting down my initiatives and ignoring staff and outside professional advice,” he said.

“We’ve had multiple integrity commissioner investigations against them, and I know they’re continuing to file complaints against me and other members of council. The taxpayer is left to foot that extremely high and growing bill.”

The mayor reiterated a position he’s previously expressed — that the province should declare all council seats vacant and call a new election.

“They’ve driven staff to resign, they’ve cost taxpayers dearly, and they are the ones who should reconsider their roles. They cannot and will not force me to bend to their will.”

Hoogenboom said he used strong mayor powers to request data on council voting patterns.

“We’ve had 150 recorded votes this term. I thought it was 70 or 80, but staff said it’s 150. What does that tell you? There are so many issues this council disagrees on. We’ve also had 17 or 18 IC investigations. I was told today there are seven more coming.”

Many of the complaints, he said, are anonymous and internal. “They’re digging up dirt and hoping something sticks.”

Regarding the latest non-confidence vote by the “block of five” — as Hoogenboom refers to Jeff and Paula Banks, Dunfield, Hutchings, and Linda Carr — he said: “I’m incredibly disappointed. It gained us absolutely nothing. The only people who can force me out of office are the taxpayers — through a vote. Or the province, and I don’t expect they would do that.”

He accused the group of driving up legal fees at taxpayers’ expense while not being willing to fund his own representation.

“I’m not necessarily concerned about my pay or costs. I signed up for this, and I’m trying to do the best I can. I will not be bullied into resigning.”

The next municipal election is in fall 2026.

“We’ve got another year and a half with the same group of people who are not going to get along,” Hoogenboom said. “We’ve already had one councillor resign because of their antics. We’ve had multiple legal situations move forward.”

He added: “I’m sure they intend to try to take me to court using taxpayers’ money to argue my strong mayor powers should not have been exercised. This is just ridiculous.”

Still, the mayor said he’s buoyed by public support.

“People stop me at the grocery store or on the golf course and say, ‘Mr. Mayor, hang in there. We know it’s tough, but you need to stay.’ And I’m trying. I take it personally because I care so much.”

Regarding the June 26 by-election for South Crosby, Hoogenboom said he hadn’t endorsed a candidate and was disappointed in low, early turnout.

“Even if the new councillor supports some of my initiatives, it’s still a five-four vote. The makeup isn’t going to change.”