Ward 1 city councilor and potential mayoral candidate Fred Francis has decided against participating in an external review of council procedures due to concerns regarding the involvement of Mayor Drew Dilkens’ former chief of staff. The $24,000 contract was awarded to GT & Co by city staff to address various issues raised by the council, such as the possibility of deferring items in the presence of delegates, timeframes for staff reports, and potential time limits on councilor speeches.
Although all councilors were invited to join the review, Francis opted out, citing discomfort with the fact that the review is spearheaded by Andrew Teliszewsky, who served as Dilkens’ chief of staff from 2020 to 2023. Francis expressed that, as a mayoral candidate, he believes it would not be appropriate to share his ideas for improving city council and city hall with someone who has close ties to the mayor.
The contract was initiated by city chief administrative officer Ray Mensour, who mentioned that the selection of GT & Co was based on the firm’s experience and capacity to handle the workload associated with the upcoming city-wide election. Mensour emphasized that the review findings will be shared with the next group of councilors to consider any necessary changes to council procedures.
Mayor Dilkens clarified that he was not involved in selecting the firm and asserted that the contract followed established city protocols. He expressed confidence in Teliszewsky’s knowledge of the city’s operations, given his prior experience.
Despite other councilors confirming their participation in the review, Francis, along with another unnamed councilor, has not committed. Francis raised concerns about potential bias in the review process and stated that he prefers not to disclose his ideas for city improvement to individuals with past connections to the mayor.
In response, Dilkens anticipates Francis will continue to voice similar concerns in the media leading up to the election. Francis clarified that his decision was not a reflection of questioning anyone’s integrity but stemmed from his discomfort with sharing his ideas with individuals linked to the mayor.