New film raises bothersome questions about city hall culture

Thespec.com
Nov. 9, 2015
By Steve Arnold

A new documentary film raises troubling questions about corporate culture at Hamilton City Hall.

"The Push" analyzes a controversial 2014 incident in which Coun. Lloyd Ferguson pushed independent journalist Joey Coleman during a heated exchange in the lobby outside council chambers.

The film was publicly screened for the first time at The Zoetic Theatre on Concession Street Sunday as part of the Hamilton Film Festival.

Coleman alleged actions against him by city staff following the incident were nothing more than an attempt to silence him.

"This is an effort to end independent journalism at city hall," he said.

In the incident, Coleman said he was standing in the foyer outside council chambers holding his video camera and waiting for the start of a news conference.

Ferguson, Coun. Brad Clark and city staffer Mike Kirkopoulos were standing nearby in a huddle.

Ferguson, thinking Coleman was eavesdropping on their conversation, physically moved him away.

"He took a very tight grip on my arm; we were going to the floor," Coleman said. "Everyone else was frozen with shock and I thought he was going to punch me in the face."

Bystanders separated the two and the next day Ferguson apologized to Coleman personally and to city council, backing his words with a self-imposed $1,000 donation to an Ancaster charity.

Coleman accepted the apology and said he considered the matter closed. It was revived, however, by complaints to the city's integrity commissioner. The incident was also investigated by provincial police and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. (Ferguson was, and remains, chair of the Hamilton Police Services Board.)

The city commissioner found Ferguson did violate Hamilton's anti-violence policy but no sanctions were recommended. The other investigations also concluded there were no grounds for other charges or actions.

In the two-hour film Coleman and others argue the incident and its aftermath illustrate a culture of fear at city hall in which employees are held to a policy dictating "zero tolerance" for violence while a veteran councillor can manhandle a citizen with impunity.

Coleman backs that contention by noting that while Ferguson never faced an official sanction for his action, on the morning after the incident the journalist was threatened with a ban from city hall for using coarse language in the confrontation.

Swearing at someone is considered violence under the city's zero tolerance policy for employees. Councillors, however, are governed by a separate policy overseen by the city's integrity commissioner.

For Coleman, that's all evidence of a conspiracy to silence him for providing full video coverage of city council and committee meetings. He finances the operation through crowd funding appeals but suspended the operation after the incident because the crowdsourcing failed to produce as much money as he needed.

Coleman operates a service called The Public Record, which live streams city meetings. In the film, and in a later question and answer session with the audience, he alleges actions against him because of the incident are attempts to stop him from broadcasting meetings.

His supporters, including former councillor Brad Clark, say Coleman has earned enemies at city hall.

"He irritates people by bringing a camera into public meetings," Clark said.

In another segment of the film, Clark alleges Ferguson quipped after the incident, "I should have punched (Coleman) in the face."

In a telephone interview Sunday, Ferguson flatly denied that allegation, adding that he threatened "legal consequences" if the film is unfair to him. (He declined a chance to appear in the film.)

Ferguson also expressed frustration that the incident continues to occupy public attention.

"I sanctioned myself for this. This incident should have been over a long time ago," he said. "I don't know how many more time this has to be adjudicated."

Coleman and his supporters say they intend to keep the matter alive until the provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner agrees to release security camera footage they say will show a blatant act of assault.

The release of the footage has been stalled by an appeal. Coleman and his supporters say Ferguson is behind that effort, but the councillor refuses to confirm or deny his involvement because the matter is being adjudicated.

A second screening of the film is planned but a date or venue has not been set.