E-mails reveal deep rift over backdated stipends

By Gareth Finighan

Although Hamilton Mayor Graeme Outerbridge has maintained that there is no split between members of his Team Hamilton group, a heated e-mail exchange between councillors over the decision to pay them backdated stipends suggests a deep rift at City Hall.

Immediately after Corporation Secretary Edward Benevides last Thursday e-mailed officials asking for their bank details so that the payments could be made, Alderman Gwyneth Rawlins shot back a reply denouncing the decision.

That prompted Alderman Carlton Simmons to respond, telling Ms Rawlins that the payments were justified.

In an e-mail copied to his fellow councillors, Mr Simmons said: “If you do not want the Stipend don’t take it.

“If your that scared of getting what your are rightfully due give it to me ... an if we get in trouble I’ll get in trouble two time more than ever one else ...

“My people are something else. We pretend to be so smart but we really just don’t love ourselves.”

Alderman Simmons claimed that Government was paying members of a new Tourism Authority $20,000 a year, yet was only willing to pay councillors “$50 a month or 6k a year to me”.

“Only a people who hate themselves would take that laying down,” he said.

“So in closing if you want to be dictated to by people who don’t value you, your time, your work or your opinion, then for what it’s worth Alderman Rawlins that’s your prerogative.

“But you Alderman running around saying it’s illegal don’t make it so. And if I’m wrong you’ll be the first to know. That said I’ll take my money in check form. And you can take that to the bank or the press ... makes no difference to me.”

That e-mail prompted Larry Scott — another councillor who opposed the payments — to chime in.

“The nerve of Alderman Simmons,” Mr Scott wrote to colleagues. “Here is my suggestion to Alderman Simmons.

“Why not instead we pass a resolution to go out and rob a bank put the money in an investment account and pay ourselves that way instead. It just as good an idea as he is currently suggesting. Because that is what criminals do.”

Mr Scott also suggested that the five councillors who voted for the payment should agree to provide the four dissenters an indemnity “from any legal consequences for their actions as it affect the rest of us”.

Deputy Mayor Donal Smith then became involved in the conversation.

After receiving an e-mail from Alderman Simmons complaining about the state of streets in Hamilton, he wrote: “Maybe those that are responsible for violating the Code of Conduct should leak these pictures to their obvious partners at the Press for some more bad coverage.

“This will confirm yet again, that when they forward same, it will get the traction that once again they are looking for.”

Mr Scott hit back in another open e-mail to Mr Smith.

“It is not called ‘bad press’, nor ‘violating the Code of Conduct’ it is call ‘maladministration’ — did you miss the plot here,” he asked, referring to an investigation into the Corporation by Ombudsman Arlene Brock, who concluded that maladministration at the municipality was widespread.

And of course if you had not paid yourself first then maybe we would have had funds to incentivise staff with increases, but no, you had to gorge in the candy store once more, and against all clear-thinking people’s advice to the contrary.”

But Mr Smith got the last word in an e-mail in which he questioned Mr Scott’s integrity as a lawyer.

Addressing Mr Scott as ‘Reptilian’, the Deputy Mayor told the lawyers he had it on good authority that “you may never rise to another court other then in the case of Legal Aid matters”.

“It is clear that you are fighting for your survival and likelihood and that doing what stool pigeons do best, we the Council minus your kind at the table will in the end watch gladly as the six handles carry you to your eternal destiny — your grave.

“One last point for you. “What goes around comes back around” but you would not know this as your conscious has hardened like the bottom of a Pigs Hoof.

“Because you must be on some self prescribed medicine as I have been hearing for a while, you may want to seek a medical practitioner who may write some proper medication other then what you are currently taking and abusing.

“There is no need to respond, because if you do, you may make a mistake and forward same to your Media and Press associates thus confirming your diabolical state.

“Only Almighty God would have mercy on those that are sad like you Lawrence Scott the supplanter.”

In her investigation, made public last Friday, the Ombudsman concluded that the Corporation was being run by an “inner core” of just three members — Mayor Outerbridge, Deputy Mayor Smith, and Councillor Keith Davis.

The trio were backed up by Alderman Simmons and Councillor George Scott, giving them a 5:4 majority during Board meetings.

Alderman Rawlins and Councillor Larry Scott have become increasingly critical of the Outerbridge regime and a third dissenter, Councillor Troy Symonds, resigned his seat in October in protest at how the Corporation was being run.

The ninth member of the executive, RoseAnn Edwards, has largely maintained a low profile in recent months.