Loose lips sink ships

Last week when I was reviewing the mayor and council's expenses for 2009, I stumbled upon a very interesting tidbit. Turns out the mayor took a trip down to New York City for a private meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman last December. Read the full story here.

To me, the most interesting part of this meeting is how the meeting was kept a secret. If you look at page 2 of this report, which details the mayor and councillors' expenses for 2009, you'll notice it lists a trip to New York under Eisenberger's expenses but doesn't specify the purpose of the meeting. It took a Freedom of Information request to reveal that Eisenberger met with Bettman.

I also looked back into our archives and found that I had tried to contact Eisenberger that day for comment about the Terry Whitehead harassment allegations. His office told me he was out of town for personal reasons. However, the mayor says was "partly true" as he combined the business trip with a day of sightseeing in New York with his wife.

When I asked the mayor why this meeting was kept so quiet, he said it was never intended to remain a secret and he knew he may have to answer questions about it eventually. He also told me that "loose lips sink ships."

I'd like to hear what you think -- both about the Mayor's meeting with Bettman and the way it was kept under wraps.
 

Comments

[Phil]

Emma, how many times did you request the info from the Mayor's office before using a Freedom of Information request?

[Emma]

Phil - I asked the city for a detailed breakdown of council's expenses, including receipts, shortly after the report was released in March. The city provided me with a spreadsheet that had a bit more information than the report, but no original receipts or specific details. When I asked again for more information, that's when I was told I would have to file an FOI.

[Tom Robertson]

Good work Emma. We need more of this investigative journalism done by the Spec. How many of these cover ups and the misleading of the taxpayers haven't been found. Mr. Robbins are you listening and now willing to use more resources to cover City Hall?

[SinkingBoat]

So the Mayor went on a junket with his wife at taxpayer's expense...staying in a very expensive hotel, in order to 'build a relationship' with the man who derailed hockey for Hamilton!
And he kept it secret; and he did this while Hamiltonians seethed. Fred did as much to sabotage hockey in Hamilton as his buddy Bettman did.
The only ship being sunk with these shenanigans belongs to Fred and its called the Mayorlty!

[mikey]

Thanks for the clarification on that Emma. Going back to the original question by Phil, did you actually call the Mayor's Office once you saw the NY billing or did you go straight for an FOI?

[Ted McMaster]

Asking staff to lie for you is inexcusable. At least Fred wasn't 'walking the Appalachian trail' with some South American woman, he was on a holiday with his wife. But asking us to believe he was 'building relationships' with Bettman is as hard a story to swallow as the almost $700 dollar a night room at the Hilton he was in. This is not transparent, responsible governance by the chief magistrate. No wonder he was trying to keep the trip secret. He was ashamed of the details getting out. What else is he hiding?

[Kathy Hagan]

Disgusted but not surprised is my reaction. Would Fred spend such a huge amount on a Hotel room if he had to foot the bill? I don't think so, he should be ashamed. Then, to go on and say it was personal time for him and his wife. He is lying. Ten minutes talking to a business man who did nothing for this city should not be a cover for such an outrageous bill to us the taxpayers. Yes loose lips sink ships and I also hope this sinks him at the polls, he has shown himself to be sneaky and dishonest.
More than Loose change seems to find its way into all in polititions pockets to often. These " Expense accounts" are way too liberal.

[Tom Robertson]

Emma...Will the Spec be requesting an interview with the Mayor regarding this matter?

[andy]

It's $200-300 too much for the hotel. If that's the rate for two people, and his wife was on the trip, then he should pay that part himself as a personal expense.

On the more serious matter of whether this was covered up, I'm not convinced yet. I hope much more than this has gone on behind the scenes to get an NHL team. Balsillie's approach wasn't very effective, however much you might support his intentions. Clearly these negotiations need to take place in secret.

[Emma]

Mikey - I didn't ask the mayor specifically about the New York trip before I filed the FOI request. But again, I was told by the city that I wouldn't have access to any further information without filing an FOI.

Tom - Not sure which matter you're referring to - the hotel bill? I did interview the mayor about the trip for the story that was in the paper early this week.

I also want to clarify that the mayor paid for the second night in the hotel and his wife's airfare out of his own pocket.

[Phil]

Tom is refering to his witch hunt.

It may have been better to clarify that the mayor paid for his second night and his wife's flight in the original article. It makes for better, though less controversy generating, journalism.

[Tom Robertson]

Phil...I am more concerned about the lie he had his staff tell about this trip. Aren't you?

[Laura]

Where was the lie Tom? That staff said he was away for "personal reasons", or that the Mayor later said that was "partly true".

Travel that is part work, and part vacation would make the "personal reasons" for being away partly true, wouldn't it? IMO I don't see staffers being instructed to, or choosing to lie.

[Tom Robertson]

Laura...When the Mayors staff tells me he is away for personal reasons I don't expect to be billed as a taxpayer for expenses on that day. Partly true and partly a LIE the staff was directed to give. Is his reelection committee now out in force to put the spin on to justify this lapse of integrity and transparency. A statement from Mayor Fred should be put forth regarding this issue. He is the only one that can defend himself on what occurred.

[Dan Jelly]

Be reasonable folks, people trying to keep things a real secret don't file expense claims for hotel rooms and plane tickets.

What makes me laugh is that the same people wanting to hang Mayor Fred for a few hundred dollars of extra expense are probably the same folks who voted for the last guy AFTER we found out about his election fraud issues.

As for the trip itself, I have no problem sending the Mayor to meet with Mr. Bettman. It makes complete sense given that Mr. Balsillie's methodology might have lost us some favour with the NHL.

Other cities, investors and even perhaps Mr. Balsillie himself are interested in acquiring a franchise, and they don't need to know that our Mayor is keeping our name in the mix (i.e. doing his job).

[Rudy]

Laura, so if something is 'partly true' it isn't a lie? Shouldn't the full truth be known when asked? And why did staff compound things on the Mayor's orders to force the Spec to go the FOI route to get information that should have been freely given if Fred had nothing to hide?
He got caught. He was not honest about it. And the fact that he paid the second night's accommodation (I wonder if he stayed in the same hotel?) proves that he took advantage of taxpayers...he could have gone to NY, met Bettman and come home on the same day...except then he would not have had a holiday paid for by the taxpayer!

[Rudy]

@Dan Jelly: and people trying to commit election fraud don't file election expense claims with errors in them either. Be consistent. The difference here is between private money collected during an election campaign and taxpayer money spent on a junket...both are probably wrong but for the sake of consistency you can't condemn one and condone the other!!!

See you on the campaign trail!!!

[Laura]

I agree with Dan... if you're trying so hard to lie that you have to direct staff that could lose their jobs (and possibly never be hired anywhere else in the private or public sector if their integrity is in question) why would you submit the expense report? I just don't see staffers being directed to lie - it's not worth it, in the grand scheme of things.

Accomplishing something behind the scenes (much the way the Lister Block Deal was accomplished) with little media fanfare is ok by me so long as things get done.

He was honest about it when asked, unless Emma's recount of him saying "it was never meant to be a secret. Loose lips sink ships". Honestly, seeing the other side of it and say there had been a media frenzy akin to that of during Balsillie's bid - would Bettman be more or less predisposed to the look well on Hamilton, or think it's more of the same?

[Markalanwhittle]

So we now know Mayor Fred was willing to throw the Hamiltons Bull-dogs professional hockey team under the bus to smooth things over with Bettman respecting an NHL team for Hamilton? Yawn.

[Steel City]

As for the trip, Im glad to hear that Fred is keeping our name in the game with Betteman. We see the relationship building that has gone on with Winnipeg and how close they seem to be to getting a team.

As for the issue of transperacny, people honestly need to relax. A bunch of paranoid, accusation making citizes hinders forward progress just the same REAL corruption would. If the City didnt have to waste so much time and resources responding to these paranoid accusations, they could focus more on the real work at hand.

[Tom Robertson]

Steel City...If the Mayor and his staff were completely honest about this trip from the beginning there would have been no waste of resources. They created this mess. That is where you have to lay the blame.