escarole elanor: London Mayor Joe Fontana's integrity takes another body blow

It was Oct.?20 when Londoners were left gobsmacked by a Free Press story raising questions for the first time about how Mayor Joe Fontana?s son?s 2005 wedding reception was paid for.

We all know where that led.

And now, exactly four months later, on Feb. 20, The Free Press published online that the charity Fontana chairs may soon be stripped of its charitable status by the federal government.

One can?t help but marvel at the calendar coincidence, the perfectly aligned dates, and the stark reality for London.

When you?re measuring your way through the year by extra-political financial scandals hammering your mayor, brother, your city?s got problems.

The question arises naturally: At what point does a mayor, already struggling to maintain the public?s faith in his integrity, completely lose his ability to govern?

When does a four-year term grind to a halt?

While Fontana decries the public?s inclination to tie his political work with his non-mayoral woes ? the criminal charges laid in November; the potentially terminal tax woes plaguing the charity, Trinity Global ? one expert says it can?t be avoided.

?It?s just reality. That?s how public perception works,? said Martin Horak, head of Western University?s local-government program.

?It?s hard to see how most people could, at this point, trust Joe Fontana to effectively lead the management of a $1-billon corporation like the City of London given that he?s now linked, rightly or wrongly, with cases of fiscal mismanagement in other areas of his public life.?

Unlike some U.S. cities, Canada doesn?t have what?s often called a ?strong-mayor? system.

In such systems ? Chicago is one example ? a mayor has extraordinary control, including the ability to veto a budget and appoint leaders to key commissions. So even amid controversy, their power endures.

It?s not so here, Horak says.

?In Canada, where mayors don?t have a lot of executive powers, (their) ability to govern is primarily based on public perception of their legitimacy as effective leaders,? Horak said.

?Here, what happens is it?s very difficult for a mayor then to lead and especially on controversial issues, because the mayor?s motivations are going to be questioned over and over again.?

This, however, is not an imminent threat for Fontana, who has deftly built a bloc of seven stalwarts (making up the so-called Fontana 8) that have helped push through his agenda for the first half of his four-year term.

And it?s unlikely that bloc ? which stayed intact amid the firestorm over Fontana?s criminal charges ? will crumble now, as the questions around Trinity Global mount and the Canada Revenue Agency readies to strip its charitable status March?3.

(Fontana?s son Joe Jr., also known as Ugo, is president. Though Fontana has told other media he?s just a board member, Trinity Global?s website still lists him as chairperson.)

The Fontana 8?s next test looms large, when council sits down Thursday to finalize a city budget, perhaps dipping into reserves to deliver the third of Fontana?s promised tax freezes. They?ll also look hard at finding $60?million for so-called economic prosperity projects, such as building a performing-arts centre.

Are Londoners comfortable with Fontana at the helm of a council making these decisions?

Realistically, it may not matter, as long as the Fontana 8 stick together. At this point, one could argue Fontana needs them more than they need him.

But there?s also a larger picture the Fontana 8 would do well to consider: Yes, they?ve backed his plans and share his perspective on several issues, but there?s also the 2014 election, and those beyond, to keep in mind, Horak says.

?If there is not some fundamental turn that will inspire the public to have stronger confidence in Fontana?s basic integrity in public office, then the people who support him are likely to suffer at the ballot box in a year and a half.?

It?s been only two months since council voted to ask the criminally charged Fontana to temporarily leave office. The five politicians who voted yes (the motion lost 8-5) are still at city hall, too.

If the Trinity Global questions continue, and the public outrage grows louder, could that unfortunate motion or a similar one be tabled again? One councillor didn?t rule it out. ?Perhaps (it could) if we get that pressure again from the public,? Coun. Judy Bryant said.

Fontana is shrugging off the concerns of citizens and council colleagues, seemingly unfazed by this latest round of public criticism.

As he prepared to dole out Queen?s Diamond Jubilee medals in a private ceremony in his office Thursday ? unaware a Free Press photographer was standing at the door ? he said with a laugh: ?The Free Press circulation has doubled since they started writing about me.?

patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/patatLFPress

Sunday, February 24, 2013