Pickering Council yesterday defended its Chief Aministrative Office (CAO) Marisa Carpino, who has been criticized in a video published by controversial Councillor Lisa Robinson.
In a statement, the council said the video makes unfounded and inappropriate remarks on Carpino’s character and intentions. These statements are not only unwarranted, but also undermine the professionalism and integrity of the organization.
“We strongly urge Councillor Robinson to retract her comments and extend a personal apology to Ms. Carpino and the employees of the City of Pickering. Such actions would reflect the principles of accountability and respect that are essential in public office,” the statement said.
Councilor Robinson has been locked in a claim- and counter-claim battle with Pickering Council.
“We wish to reaffirm our unwavering confidence in, and full support of, Ms. Carpino. This confidence extends to the city’s senior leadership team and all the dedicated employees of the City of Pickering. Together, they have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the highest standards of public service,” it said.
Carpino’s conduct as Chief Administrative Officer is exemplary, and over the course of her almost 30 years of service to Pickering, she has consistently demonstrated commendable performance and unwavering dedication to the best interests of the city and its residents. Her actions are firmly aligned with the vision and values outlined in Pickering’s Strategic Plan, characterized by integrity, honesty, and good faith, it added.
The achievements of Pickering under her stewardship are widely recognized, highlighted by its place on The Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s 100 Most Livable Cities for two consecutive years. Moreover, Carpino was recently honoured with the distinction of being the inaugural CAO of the Year by the national publication Municipal World (see below).
Below is the video published on Councillor Robinson’s X account.
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Interestingly, although Councillor Robison is being highly criticized for her words about transparency, it seems that the Mayor of Uxbridge, Dave Barton, has forced Council into In Camera meetings in 20 out of the last 24 sessions, without explanation.
The reason for these ‘secret’ meetings is simple, Mayor Barton has lost all control over fiscal responsibility in the Town of Uxbridge.
Case in point, the original cost for the ‘culvert project’ (Uxbridges largest to date) was originally $7MM. Estimates to date for this project approach $30MM, with dozens of lawsuits in their wake and not a peep to the constituents about costs in over 3 years. If ANYONE mentions a word about this on social media, they are immediately met with threats from Mayor Barton himself, I know this all too well.
Not only will Mayor Barton threaten and harass directly online, he goes to the local newspaper, the Cosmos, and screams at the editor about what Barton calls, untruths. They are anything but.
It’s not such a little secret that Mayor Barton is pushing heavily for the Regional Chair and will leave a massive mess in his wake for the constituents of Uxbridge as he controls the narrative by being an administrator for various social media sites in Uxbridge…a true conflict of interest.
Not only does Mayor Barton vote himself and council an 11.6% increase, and backdates it retroactively for two years, he is now putting together ‘his plan’ for the downtown revitalization project that is sure to cost in the neighborhood of $70MM!
How is this possible when Uxbridges annual budget is under $15MM?
This man has proven he is fiscally irresponsible and should not have any say in this situation at all…specifically with his links to builders with, shall we say, reputations not conducive to transparency.
If you want a real story, this is the one to follow.