Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
So I imagine most have heard by now that John Tory, onetime Ontario PC leader and recently mayor of Toronto, has resigned over an affair with a member of his staff. Tory became mayor in 2014 after beating Doug Ford, now premier of Ontario, in that year's municipal election and has been re-elected twice (2018 and 2022).
www.theguardian.com
Of course, we had our own mayor's office scandal here in London. Matt Brown, who also was elected in 2014, took a leave of absence after admitting to a fling with Deputy Mayor Maureen Cassidy. He did not resign, but also did not seek re-election in 2018. Cassidy did run and get re-elected but chose not to seek a third term last year.
So two mayors in sex scandals, but with somewhat different outcomes. Did Tory need to resign or could he have gone Matt Brown's route? The key difference that I see is that his affair was with a member of staff, which could open the door to harassment issues since Tory was her boss at some level. Whereas Brown and Cassidy were equals, colleagues on council rather than an employee-employer relationship (the deputy mayor is chosen by council, not by the mayor). So I suppose the fact that there could be employment standards ramifications in the Tory case could make his resignation more necessary?
Thoughts? Should an extramarital relationship, serious or fling, be cause for a politician to step aside? Or should they wait for an election and let the voters make the call (assuming the partner they cheated on approves that approach)? Does the person they are involved with (e.g. colleague vs. employee here) make a difference in that decision?
Toronto mayor quits after admitting affair with former staffer
John Tory acknowledged relationship in a statement and apologised to his wife and family, and ‘all those hurt by my actions’
www.theguardian.com
Of course, we had our own mayor's office scandal here in London. Matt Brown, who also was elected in 2014, took a leave of absence after admitting to a fling with Deputy Mayor Maureen Cassidy. He did not resign, but also did not seek re-election in 2018. Cassidy did run and get re-elected but chose not to seek a third term last year.
So two mayors in sex scandals, but with somewhat different outcomes. Did Tory need to resign or could he have gone Matt Brown's route? The key difference that I see is that his affair was with a member of staff, which could open the door to harassment issues since Tory was her boss at some level. Whereas Brown and Cassidy were equals, colleagues on council rather than an employee-employer relationship (the deputy mayor is chosen by council, not by the mayor). So I suppose the fact that there could be employment standards ramifications in the Tory case could make his resignation more necessary?
Thoughts? Should an extramarital relationship, serious or fling, be cause for a politician to step aside? Or should they wait for an election and let the voters make the call (assuming the partner they cheated on approves that approach)? Does the person they are involved with (e.g. colleague vs. employee here) make a difference in that decision?
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