With its mayor facing sex assault charges, Woodstock city council will continue to focus on the job it was elected to carry out, a councilor says.
“There’s lots of business our city has to do,” Coun. Mark Schadenberg said Wednesday. “From planning to budgets to bylaw, the agendas keep moving forward. We’ve got to keep the city moving forward.”
Schadenberg spoke after council held a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to address the charges against Trevor Birtch.
Birtch, 46, is charged with assault, sexual assault and sexual assault with choking. The allegations involving the same female complainant date from June 1, 2021, to Dec. 13, 2021.
Acting mayor Connie Lauder said in a statement the virtual meeting was called to discuss the charges against Birtch “for alleged serious personal actions.”
The bulk of the meeting was given over to a closed-door session with the city solicitor, who gave council legal advice. The Zoom meeting was livestreamed on YouTube.
Although Birtch did not appear in the public parts of the meeting, he did attend the closed-door portion, chief administrative officer David Creery said.
Birtch has not commented publicly since The London Free Press first reported the charges against him Feb. 4. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Lauder read a brief statement at the end of the meeting that gave little indication of what council’s next step might be.
“This is a matter for Mayor Birtch to respond to through the court proceedings,” she said. She could not be reached for comment.
Birtch is not due in court until May and has entered no plea to the charges against him.
It’s not clear what role Birtch will play when city council begins its month-long budget deliberations next week. The charges also come eight months before the municipal election in the city of 41,000 where he is in his second term as mayor.
Some Woodstock residents interviewed by The Free Press say Birtch should step down or be removed as mayor because of the charges against him while others say he deserves to stay on until the case is resolved.
Ontario’s Municipal Act does not give councils the power to remove an elected member from office, even if the person is charged or convicted. Only a jail sentence disqualifies a municipal politician from holding office.
Municipal councils can pass symbolic motions to denounce a member’s conduct or request their resignation.
Birtch is a council representative on the Woodstock police services board. Woodstock police have said the force received a complaint about Birtch and asked London police to investigate because of Birtch’s ties to the force.
Earlier this week, the Woodstock police services board decided during a closed meeting to hand over the decision on what his role will be to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, an oversight agency.
Birtch won’t take part in meetings while the investigation is conducted.
Members of police boards in Ontario are required to adhere to a code of conduct set out in a regulation under Ontario’s Police Services Act. Among the requirements, board members must not act in a way that discredits or compromises “the integrity of the board or the police force” and must “uphold the letter and spirit” of the code of conduct.
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