Most in Brampton want Mayor Susan Fennell to quit: poll
Following release of a forensic report showing misspending in the mayor’s office, only 13% of respondents said they’d vote for Fennell; Linda Jeffrey garnered 39% and John Sanderson 24%.

thestar.com
Aug.11, 2014
By San Grewal

Seven in ten Brampton residents want Mayor Susan Fennell to resign, and half believe crimes were committed, following the scathing results of a forensic investigation of her lavish spending.

A Forum Research poll conducted Thursday and Friday also shows that Fennell’s chances of winning the Oct. 27 election, for a fifth straight term as mayor, are not good.

According to the survey of 1178 Brampton voters, if the election were held now, Fennell would have 13 per cent support while her main challengers, former MPP Linda Jeffrey and Councillor John Sanderson, would get 39 per cent and 24 per cent of the vote, respectively.

The poll also shows that eight in 10 respondents disapprove of the job Fennell is doing.

In late March, while Fennell was deeply embroiled in the spending scandal, but before the results of the audit by Deloitte, a Forum poll had her at 17 per cent support in the mayor’s race.

“I don’t know how much lower Susan Fennell can go in approval ratings, and the calls for her resignation are mounting,” said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum.

On Wednesday Brampton council voted to send the results of the audit to police. The audit also covered the spending of all council members, and the entire report will be sent to a yet undetermined police force. Peel Regional Police will not be conducting the probe, as Fennell sits on Peel’s police services board.

A guilty finding, if there’s enough evidence for criminal charges and a conviction, could bring a jail term of up to five years.

The audit found the mayor and her staff broke spending rules 266 times over seven years, totaling $172,600. A further 79 transactions totaling almost $156,000 may have broken the rules, but Fennell and staff did not provide adequate information for Deloitte to make a determination.

The misspent money included more than $130,000 spent on airfare that was supposed to be booked at economy fare rates, but was not; more than $24,000 charged to the city and later reimbursed by Fennell’s private community fundraising gala; and numerous personal charges for items such as jewelry, airfare and department store purchases. Some of these charges were later reimbursed.

The plunge in support for Fennell, dropping her to marginal status as a mayoral candidate, comes after she won the 2006 election with 80 per cent of the vote, quadrupling her nearest opponent’s total, and the 2010 election with more than 50 per cent of the vote, almost tripling the tally of her closest competitor.

“She’s a goner against Linda Jeffrey in the mayoral race, so her participation at this point will be strictly symbolic,” Bozinoff said.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20. While more than 50 per cent of respondents believe criminality was involved, 15 per cent feel it does not amount to that, and 34 per cent have no opinion.