Mayor pushes lobbyist registry as investigation widens
Jeromy Farkas says transparency measures are needed after RCMP investigation into council members and planning consultant allegations.
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Mayor Jeromy Farkas is calling for a lobbyist registry at city hall in light of an ongoing RCMP investigation involving current and former council members and a local consultant for developers.
Farkas told reporters Thursday that regardless of the investigation's outcome, the situation has raised important questions about how influence is exercised at city hall and how decisions are made. "Calgarians deserve to know who is seeking to influence public policy, who they are meeting with and on whose behalf they are acting," he said.
According to an affidavit read in court Wednesday, the RCMP investigation alleges a consultant for developers was offering campaign donations above the legal limit to council members who later tabled successful reconsideration motions on their clients' failed land-use applications. The consultant, identified as David White of CivicWorks, allegedly offered donations in exchange for council members revisiting rejected rezoning decisions.
The investigation, first made public in March, has resulted in searches of homes and seizure of electronic devices from former mayor Jyoti Gondek, former Ward 4 Councillor Sean Chu, and current Ward 10 Councillor Andre Chabot. The allegations have not been proven in court. A lawyer for Calgary Police Service sought an extension to a warrant to search Gondek's phone, noting she was unwilling to provide her device's passcode.