Edmonton Ward 7 Councillor Tony Caterina is paying more than $90,000 a year to his only office assistant – his son Rocco Caterina..Figures released by the City of Edmonton show Caterina billed taxpayers $45,363.21 for personnel between January and June this year..Extrapolated over a full year, the salary would come to $90,726.42..Most Edmonton councillors use their budget to employ several support staff. Caterina is one of a small number to have only one paid assistant..Tony Caterina has had his son on the payroll for the last 12 years. Rocco also ran for Edmonton City Council in Ward 4 in the last election but was defeated.. Rocco-CaterinaRocco Caterina .For the first six months of the year, Caterina has billed office expenses of $50,883.21 – including $4,000 for community expenses, $920 for communications and $600 for travel and transportation..The Edmonton City Integrity Commissioner, Jamie Pytel, has looked into the issue in 2019 after a formal complaint was filed but has said there is no rules against nepotism in this case..Pytel said hiring family members was a longstanding, accepted practice within council..“I’m extremely happy that the findings were what they were,” Caterina told CBC in 2019 after the ruling..But a week after Pytel completed her report, all councillors agreed to a new policy that will prevent elected officials from hiring relatives.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“To eliminate actual or perceived conflicts of interest or favouritism: Councillors cannot hire relatives to work in their offices,” the human resources management policy reads..Caterina said he agreed with the change..“We want to make sure perceptions are correct – I’m in complete agreement with it,” he said. .But the policy also includes a grandfather clause allowing current staff to keep their jobs. .“He has performed his duties extremely well and in my view there’s never been a conflict,” Caterina told CBC..“Why would someone expect someone that’s doing their job extremely well be fired for a change that’s come in 12 years after initial employment.”.Similar arrangements have landed a couple of federal politicians in hot water recently..Former Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer fired his sister-in-law earlier this month after it was revealed he employed her in his constituency office..“I understand that in this case, following the rules may not have been enough. Even the perception of a conflict concerns me. As such, I have met with Erica and I have ended her employment in my office,” Scheer said in a statement..“As an elected official, I understand expectations on me are high. Whenever there has ever been a question of following the letter and the spirit of the rules, I checked with the Ethics Commissioner first,” Scheer said..Ontario MP Yasmin Ratansi left the Liberal caucus on November 16 after admitting she hired her sister to work in her Don Valley East constituency office..“I made an error in judgement by employing my sister in my constituency office, and I have remedied the situation, but this does not excuse the error I made,” she said in a Facebook post at the time..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
Edmonton Ward 7 Councillor Tony Caterina is paying more than $90,000 a year to his only office assistant – his son Rocco Caterina..Figures released by the City of Edmonton show Caterina billed taxpayers $45,363.21 for personnel between January and June this year..Extrapolated over a full year, the salary would come to $90,726.42..Most Edmonton councillors use their budget to employ several support staff. Caterina is one of a small number to have only one paid assistant..Tony Caterina has had his son on the payroll for the last 12 years. Rocco also ran for Edmonton City Council in Ward 4 in the last election but was defeated.. Rocco-CaterinaRocco Caterina .For the first six months of the year, Caterina has billed office expenses of $50,883.21 – including $4,000 for community expenses, $920 for communications and $600 for travel and transportation..The Edmonton City Integrity Commissioner, Jamie Pytel, has looked into the issue in 2019 after a formal complaint was filed but has said there is no rules against nepotism in this case..Pytel said hiring family members was a longstanding, accepted practice within council..“I’m extremely happy that the findings were what they were,” Caterina told CBC in 2019 after the ruling..But a week after Pytel completed her report, all councillors agreed to a new policy that will prevent elected officials from hiring relatives.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“To eliminate actual or perceived conflicts of interest or favouritism: Councillors cannot hire relatives to work in their offices,” the human resources management policy reads..Caterina said he agreed with the change..“We want to make sure perceptions are correct – I’m in complete agreement with it,” he said. .But the policy also includes a grandfather clause allowing current staff to keep their jobs. .“He has performed his duties extremely well and in my view there’s never been a conflict,” Caterina told CBC..“Why would someone expect someone that’s doing their job extremely well be fired for a change that’s come in 12 years after initial employment.”.Similar arrangements have landed a couple of federal politicians in hot water recently..Former Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer fired his sister-in-law earlier this month after it was revealed he employed her in his constituency office..“I understand that in this case, following the rules may not have been enough. Even the perception of a conflict concerns me. As such, I have met with Erica and I have ended her employment in my office,” Scheer said in a statement..“As an elected official, I understand expectations on me are high. Whenever there has ever been a question of following the letter and the spirit of the rules, I checked with the Ethics Commissioner first,” Scheer said..Ontario MP Yasmin Ratansi left the Liberal caucus on November 16 after admitting she hired her sister to work in her Don Valley East constituency office..“I made an error in judgement by employing my sister in my constituency office, and I have remedied the situation, but this does not excuse the error I made,” she said in a Facebook post at the time..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
