Penalized politician files integrity complaint against fellow Chatham-Kent councilor

A Chatham-Kent councilor penalized this week for violating Chatham-Kent council’s code of conduct has filed a complaint against a fellow councilor with the municipality’s integrity commissioner.

count. Rhonda Jubenville said in a Wednesday interview she planned to file a complaint against an unnamed councilor, alleging claims were made to other council members that she was anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ.

The councilor confirmed Thursday she has filed a complaint, but declined to discuss the issue further.

“I believe in a process and I have patience,” Jubenville said.

She believes if something was done that contravened council’s conduct code, “it will reveal itself.”

If the new complaint is not resolved to her satisfaction, then she may talk to the media, Jubenville added.

Jubenville’s council pay was suspended for three months by a majority vote of council Monday. The penalty had been recommended by Chatham-Kent’s integrity commissioner, Mary Ellen Bench, who found Jubenville violated council’s code of conduct by engaging in behavior, including social media posts, that used her position as a public official to bully and intimidate.

Docking a councilor’s pay for three months is the maximum penalty an integrity commissioner can recommend. But council, which makes the final decision, can impose a different penalty or none at all.

The integrity commissioner’s investigation stemmed from social media posts after council defeated a motion by Jubenville last April to have Chatham-Kent fly only government flagsseen by critics as a way to ban pro-LGBTQ Pride flags.

Deciding which organization could fly flags on municipal property became a hot button issue when council refused a flag-raising request from the group Life in Motion, described as the educational arm of Right to Life Kent. Discussions followed about other flag-raising requests from other groups, such as Pride and Black Lives Matter.

An allegation was raised during Monday’s council meeting, and also in Bench’s report on Jubenville, that leading up to the vote on her flag-raising motion, a councilor contacted other council members claiming Jubenville was anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ.

Bench told council at that time, and also mentioned in her report, that she had invited Jubenville to make a formal complaint, but hadn’t yet received one.

The Daily News contacted Bench Thursday to ask if Jubenville had filed a complaint with the integrity commissioner.

Bench replied she had received an email from Jubenville, but could not comment further.

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