There is turmoil at City Hall again tonight and this time Mayor Zenaida Moya and her one-time union sister, now Human Resources Manager Christine Perriott are in the middle of it. The news tonight is that after a two hour meeting this evening, the majority of councillors who were present voted in favour of Perriott keeping her job. That’s huge because even though Perriott publicly shamed the Mayor by releasing a letter to the media accusing her boss of duplicity – the majority of the eight councillors who were present today voted to keep Perriott – a sign that Moya’s council remains deeply divided – and that, more fundamentally, the councillors don’t have their Mayor’s back.
And while that’s where it is at tonight, it began on Friday when Mayor Moya reportedly asked Perriott to resign from her job because it would be in the best interest of the council. It seems Perriott had ruffled more than a few feathers at the City Council in her effort, she says, to streamline operations and increase efficiency. But she was firing party soldiers – which may be administratively sound, but not the way a political body is run.
Perriott didn’t take the request to resign too kindly as she fired off a four page response in which she refused to resign. But more importantly she lashed out at the Mayor – accusing Moya of using her as a scapegoat and of misrepresenting the facts. In the letter which was sent to the media last night - Perriott wrote that every decision made was done in consultation with the Mayor. And while that’s what she said on paper, this afternoon in an interview she repeated it – directly accusing her boss of misrepresenting the facts. And with all that from her office at City Hall, she told Keith Swift why she refuses to resign.
Christine Perriott, Human Resources Manager – BCC
“I thought about everything, from the time I came here to what I was doing to what I was instructed to do, to the things that we had to go through with the different individuals and I go like I didn’t do anything wrong. It was what they were asking me to do and no way, when you go to an environment where people are used to one way and they are going to changes, that you are going to be the most famous person. So for her to be using that as an excuse, that is way off. And then to want me to take the blame for her failures and so, no I am not going to take that this time around. She is going to have to face that herself. Let her go tell the public the truth.
She was telling me about my performance, how I am performing, and saying I would like you to continue. And even then I was telling her I am not sure because I came here to do a task and I had already accomplished about 90% of it and that is all I wanted to do. And then all of a sudden blam – she comes and tells me she has to ask me to resign and she gives me this and gives me that and tells me it is for political reasons and told me it is the party. I went home and I think about that and I did my normal investigation and I found out that she is misrepresenting me and then she’s telling people things about me and then she is telling me something else. I am like what is going on here.”
Keith Swift,
In the letter you wrote that you feel that the Mayor who was your union sister, you feel that she has let you down. How so?
Christine Perriott,
“Oh I felt she has let me down big time because as a trade unionist, you don’t use people like she does. You don’t lie on people, you don’t use people for your own personal gain, and you just don’t go about saying one thing and then doing the next. We don’t do that. We stand up for justices, we stand up for integrity. We stand up for people’s rights and if it comes to the point that you have to take a little flacking for it, we stand up for that. But no, she wants me to do that for her and I am not going to do that.”
Keith Swift,
That’s a serious allegation you’re making against the Mayor, that she used you.
Christine Perriott,
“She did because one of my biggest incidents was the fuel. When she agreed for me to get suspended for that fuel thing I was very very upset. I spoke to her about it and I told her that she set me up and she is not going to use me like that anymore. We discussed about that in length.
I am not trying to steal and then she spins this to me that it is because I am trying to put them to task. So it looks like yes that is what you are doing and all of these things I have to agree. Her letter to me, it is like she is grabbing at straws. She is using very petty things and I have looked at it and I am like wow, she has gotten that desperate.
If you were legitimately doing things right, if you were legitimately putting things straight, you don’t need to worry if you terminate a person for stealing or for extortion because everybody here gets a fair hearing; everybody gets an opportunity to be heard and with all evidence because I don’t terminate after hearing one side of the story and she gives the approval for everyone and she can’t say otherwise. If she does, she is lying.”
Keith Swift,
Again a very serious allegation?
Christine Perriott,
“That is not an allegation, that is the fact.
If you are going to want to use someone because you don’t want to look bad so you can win in politics, you go do that to somebody else but you are not going to do that to me. You are not going to use me for your failures.”
Keith Swift,
But why not resign if you say that she is lying on you?
Christine Perriott,
“Because if I resign, I will be confirming to all the wrong things she is saying.”
Keith Swift,
But can’t you resign on your principles, that you don’t want to be used, you don’t want to be scapegoated, can’t you just say I am walking away?
Christine Perriott,
“Because she has asked, and I know how she spins stories, so I have to tell her, because I told her I would answer her in writing that I am not resigning.”
And as we mentioned at the top – Perriott may not have to resign since 8 councillors plus the Mayor were present at a meeting this evening at City Hall. It lasted for about two hours and for at least one of those hours, Christine Perriott was present. We understand a vote was taken and the majority – as many as 7 of 8 councillors - were in favour of Perriott keeping her job. Councillors Mark King and Egbert Middleton were not present.
We waited for the whole two hours for the meeting to conclude but the Mayor declined our request for an interview. She did provide us with a three page response to Perriott’s four page letter. She basically points the finger back at Perriott, claiming that she is the one misrepresenting the facts. She ended by mentioning that she hired Perriott because she felt sorry for her. Perriott joined the council in May of 2008. To be terminated, there would have to be a resolution of the council since that is how she was hired.
