Two Toronto city councillors have been found to have used constituent contact information for their own election purposes without permission, according to the city’s integrity commissioner.
In a report released on Wednesday, Integrity Commissioner Valerie Jepson found that Councillors Jim Karygiannis and Giorgio Mammoliti had both violated the city’s code of conduct by using the contact information of their constituents for campaign purposes.
The report states that Karygiannis used the contact information of 1,000 residents in his ward to send out a newsletter promoting his re-election campaign in 2018. Mammoliti, on the other hand, used the contact information of 1,500 residents in his ward to send out a letter asking for support in his 2018 mayoral campaign.
According to Jepson, both councillors did not have explicit consent from their constituents to use their contact information for election purposes, which is a violation of the city’s code of conduct.
In her report, Jepson also noted that both councillors had been previously warned about using constituent contact information for campaign purposes without permission. Karygiannis had been warned in 2014 and Mammoliti in 2016.
Jepson recommended that both councillors be reprimanded and that they be required to apologize to their constituents for their actions. She also suggested that the city council consider implementing a policy that would prohibit the use of constituent contact information for election purposes without explicit consent.
In response to the report, Karygiannis has apologized for his actions and stated that he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal election. Mammoliti, on the other hand, has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that he will be appealing the decision.
This is not the first time that the integrity commissioner has found councillors in violation of the city’s code of conduct. In 2019, Councillor Justin Di Ciano was found to have used his office budget for personal and campaign expenses, resulting in his removal from the city’s budget committee.
The integrity commissioner’s role is to ensure that city councillors adhere to the city’s code of conduct and maintain the public’s trust. This latest report serves as a reminder to all councillors to act with integrity and respect the privacy of their constituents.
