Niagara-on-the-Lake Local received the following letter to the editor from reader Gus Calderone.
It has been recently reported that the police found no evidence of a crime in the Marotta Burroughs affair. Consequently, the Integrity Commission found no grounds to warrant any further investigation. “The town thought it best to let the matter go away quietly.”
In my opinion, the position taken by the Integrity Commission is a disservice to the citizens of Niagara. While gifting money to someone is not a criminal offence, in this political environment, there were certainly some serious ethical issues that needed to be addressed. There are many questions that have not been asked or answered in the public domain.
Has Benny Marotta been asked,
1. How do you explain that you were not aware that the political campaign was long over?
2. Why was the money in the form of cash and not a cheque?
3. What was the denomination of the bills? (Largest Canadian bill denomination is $100. $10 000 = One Hundred $100 bills.)
4. Why was the gift done in such a secretive manner?
5. Have you ever offered money to Gary Burroughs before?
6. Have you ever offered money to the mayor or other councillors?
Has Gary Burroughs been asked,
1. Why did you even accept the envelope?
2. What did you think was in the envelope?
3. Why did you wait to go home before opening the envelope?
4. What was the denomination of the bills?
Surely, the citizens of Niagara must have other questions of their own.
I have one last query. What is the function of the Integrity Commission, if not to investigate these types of interactions? The citizens of Niagara deserve better.
Respectfully,
Gus Calderone
