Region of Waterloo councillors spar over hiring of personal staff members

Should Region of Waterloo councillors be allowed to use their own money to hire people to help them with their job?

And if so, what rules should be in place?

That's what some regional councillors want to know after one of their own did just that.

Coun. Rob Deutschmann was elected to represent Kitchener in the municipal election last fall and previously sat on council when he was mayor of North Dumfries from 2010 to 2014. He announced in November he hired two people to help him in his role. One person would help with community engagement, the other would assist in research and policy review, he said at the time.

At the regional administration and finance committee meeting Tuesday, Coun. Colleen James, who represents Kitchener, raised concerns about a move by a fellow councillor to hire staff using their own money. She did not initially name Deutschmann.

James asked for staff to review what other municipalities allow and for the Region of Waterloo to potentially create one if needed.

Coun. Doug Craig, who represents Cambridge, clarified James was speaking about Deutschmann and then said he didn't think council needed to talk about the issue.

"I think you can do whatever you want on your own," Craig said.

"If you want to spend money on it or have people to work with you to help you research, I don't think that's an issue or the business of this council."

Hiring own staff creates 'inequity,' Waterloo mayor says

James said she disagreed because the roles of personal staff members needed to have clear parameters understood by everyone who might work with them, including fellow councillors.

As an example, she said if a resident emails three councillors, and a personally hired staff member for one of the councillors responds, "there's an assumed presumption that they're working on behalf of the region."

"I think that there needs to be a policy in place, or something specific, that if I choose to retain my own supports, that … their lines are very clear that they are only working for the person who has hired them," James said.

Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe supported James's comments and said she had concerns, too.

"I think that sets up a real inequity amongst and between councillors, and I'm really troubled by that," McCabe said.

"You [Deutschmann] have the wherewithal to hire some staff. Most of us don't. I don't know. Certainly I don't have that kind of financial wherewithal."

North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton said she agreed staff should look into the issue because she wants to understand the rules a personally hired staff member would have to follow.

"For instance, when we're emailing each other, does the staff person have a right to go and look at your emails first and then report to you?" she asked. "I'd like to know those things."

Do councillors have enough support?

Deutschmann, who is also a lawyer, told his follow councillors he was "a bit blindsided" by James's comments, but also understood his move to hire people had concerned some others on council.

He said he thought a general review of whether councillors have enough support to do what they do was in order because while there are regional staff, councillors can't ask them to do lengthy research projects.

"I welcome this opportunity," he said.

"I think it's a great opportunity to say do we have enough support and if a councillor is going to do something innovative like hire some of their own staff, what are the rules around that sort of thing? We don't have that right now so it's fair enough, let's have that discussion."

Councillors directed regional staff to look into the issue, including to see what other two-tier municipalities allow, and consider whether there's a need to develop a policy. That report is expected to come back to council at a later date.

WATCH | The region's administration and finance meeting is streamed live and also available on the Region of Waterloo's YouTube channel. Discussion around whether regional staff should be allowed to hire their own staff members begins at the 24:30 mark: