A candidate for city council, who is also employed by the city, is under scrutiny for wearing City-of-London-branded attire while campaigning door-to-door, potentially violating a city bylaw. Sam Hajar, a member of the city’s planning department, is concurrently vying for a council position in Ward 7.
Adhering to the Municipal Act, Hajar took an unpaid leave of absence from his city role for the campaign period. In a recent Instagram post, Hajar is depicted at a resident’s doorstep with campaign materials, sporting a black shirt and hat emblazoned with the city’s recognizable tree logo. Similar images on his social media from earlier show him in city-branded clothing.
A city bylaw prohibits the utilization of city resources for election purposes to maintain the electoral process’s integrity and ensure fairness among candidates. The bylaw explicitly states that city resources, including registered trademarks like the City of London Logo, should not be utilized by any candidate.
The city’s clerk’s office acknowledged being informed about Hajar’s social media posts featuring city-branded attire. Hajar explained that he purchased the attire from a store at city hall that sells city-branded merchandise, emphasizing that these items were not provided by the city for his job.
Despite Hajar’s clarification, concerns have been raised by opponents like Dan Meinen, another city employee running for a council seat in Ward 7. Meinen highlighted that wearing city-issued apparel during campaigning can lead to voter confusion and blur the distinction between a candidate and an official city representative.
Regarding potential penalties for breaching election bylaws, the city’s statement indicated that such matters fall under the jurisdiction of Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, which outlines various penalties, including fines. The deadline for candidates to submit their nomination papers for municipal elections is Friday at 2 p.m., with the election taking place on Oct. 26 in Ontario.