Mayor apologizes for ‘misunderstanding’ on pay hike
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ng-on-pay-hike
On the morning of a closed-door meeting to discuss his conduct, Mayor Bob Bratina has issued a second statement to council.
The email, sent this morning just before 9 a.m., was sent to council, senior staff, and HR chief Helen Hale Tomasik.
The full statement reads as follows:
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Dear Colleagues,
I met personally with Helen Hale Tomasik yesterday, and this morning over the phone to personally and directly apologize to her. I also read to her the following statement which I am now forwarding to you, members of City Council.
“I recently answered a reporter’s question about a pay increase to my chief of staff. The statement I made was very brief, with the intention of protecting the privacy of my employee as required by employment law.
Unfortunately my comments were not well-worded and taken to mean unintentionally that the H.R. department initiated or directed the higher salary. For this I take full responsibility.
This is not the practice of the department, and it was not the intent of my brief response to the reporter to suggest this. However since my statement caused discomfort I asked to meet with the director of Human Resources, and expressed to her my regret and made a personal apology.
I also apologize for any misunderstanding or discomfort caused by my words to the Human Resources staff, members of Council and the community.”
Respectfully and sincerely,
Bob Bratina.
Bob Bratina, MAYOR City of Hamilton 71 Main St W. 2nd Floor Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y5 Tel: 905 546 4200 Fax: 905 546 2340 email:
mayor@hamilton.ca
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