Haldimand Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley knew in October she was facing the possibility of charges being filed against her under the Municipal Elections Act.
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Notice of those charges were finally dropped on Bentley by a lawyer for the Haldimand County Municipal Elections Compliance Audit committee on March 13, including a summons for a first appearance in court on April 16 at 1:30 pm
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Her lawyer, John Pappas, said he’s reviewing the charges but hasn’t yet advised Bentley on how to proceed.
“Mayor Bentley remains the elected head of council for Haldimand County and she will continue to conscientiously serve her community during this period,” said Pappas.
Bentley could not be reached for comment.
The four charges against Bentley involve her election spending during the 2022 fall election.
They allege she filed a false financial statement that didn’t record all campaign contributions and expenses; accepted ineligible cash contributions to her campaign; didn’t ensure all contributions went into her official campaign bank account; and didn’t ensure all expenses were paid out of the official bank account.
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The investigation was spurred by an extensive complaint filed by Lisa Richardson, who said Bentley spent almost $18,000 on her election bid but didn’t file the auditor’s report required for any campaign that exceeds $10,000 in spending.
An audit by chartered professional accountant William Molson, found four of Richardson’s five complaints about the mayor were correct, noting she recorded that she vastly under-spent on multiple campaign signs that flooded the community.
The election compliance committee said in late October it would choose a lawyer to decide if charges would be laid.
In the election, Bentley went up against three-term mayor Ken Hewitt who vastly outspent her on his campaign.
But it was entrepreneur Jake Vandendool. who polled almost the same number of votes as Bentley, leaving the former mayor in third place.
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Bentley got 4,760 votes with Vandendool just 166 votes behind at 4,594 votes. Hewitt placed third with 3,700 votes.
Vandendool could not be reached for comment about the news.
Bentley said she spent $9,889 while Vandendool spent $20,700 and Hewitt just over $44,000.
The financial statement that was filed showed Bentley personally contributed $896 to the campaign, and $2,703 in goods and services. Seven people were listed who contributed a total of $5,900.
Her expenses showed spending of $3,700 on flyers and brochures, $2,400 on advertising, and $1,920 on signs.
@EXPSGamble
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