Clarington Coun. Corinna Traill faces calls for her resignation after she allegedly threatened a future mayoral candidate.
Tom Dingwall, who plans to run for Clarington mayor in the next municipal election, detailed the threats in a Facebook post on Sept. 4, saying that Traill advised him to step down from the race in a voice mail left on his phone.
鈥淢iss Traill made it clear that if I did not, she would come to my home, kill me and sexually assault my wife, then sexually assault her again,鈥 Dingwall wrote, noting that he has faced threatening behaviour before as a retired police officer, but that these threats 鈥渃rossed a line.鈥
鈥淎 female councillor threatening sexual violence against another women to further her political agenda is a new low,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he safety of my family and the safety of all families in our community is not negotiable.鈥
The voice mail, left on Aug. 28 just after 2 p.m., was left by a number that matches the cellphone number of Traill and the caller identifies themselves as Traill verbally.
Traill did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the allegations.
The voice mail, and the threats contained in it, were reported to Durham Regional Police, which passed it to Peterborough Police to avoid any conflicts, given Traill鈥檚 status as a public official and Dingwall鈥檚 status as a retired officer of that force.
The matter is under investigation.
Dingwall said the threats from Traill were made on behalf of Joe Neal, who ran against current Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster in the last election, calling on Dingwall to exit the race in order to make a potential victory for Neal easier in the next election.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just making the threats, which was bad enough, but the purpose behind it, which was to influence the election and clear a path for her friend,鈥 said Dingwall. He noted it was important to go public with the threats given the impetus behind them and Traill鈥檚 status as an elected official.
鈥淭o have an elected official making threats to influence an election is completely unacceptable,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also about protecting my family. Right now, my main concern is being able to keep her away from my family.鈥
Neal, who said he has not spoken with Traill in more than two years, said he was shocked to have his name associated with the content of the threats.
鈥淭he content was upsetting to me because I鈥檝e never, ever conducted myself that way, so to have my name roped into this discussion was certainly concerning,鈥 he said, noting he had not been contacted by Traill or made aware of any intention to influence the election.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely not coming in any way, shape or form from myself.鈥
Dingwall is calling for Traill鈥檚 resignation in the wake of the incident.
鈥淔or the sake of our community, Coun. Traill must step down,鈥 he wrote in his Facebook post. 鈥淐larington deserves leaders who will bring people together, not tear them apart. I pray she will learn from this and get the help she needs.鈥
Foster addressed the allegations in a statement on Sept. 4 that did not identify Traill by name, but detailed 鈥渁llegations against a Clarington councillor.鈥
鈥淎s Mayor of Clarington, I expect all members of council to act with the highest level of integrity, accountability and respect,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 am aware of the serious allegations that have recently surfaced and I trust that this matter will be appropriately investigated by the authorities.鈥
He also denounced what he called a 鈥渢rend鈥 of abusive behaviour in politics.
鈥淭here is a concerning trend of toxic behaviour in municipal politics happening in Clarington and across the province, undermining democracy and getting in the way of the important work we do to serve our communities,鈥 he said.
鈥淯nder Clarington council鈥檚 code of conduct, members of council are required to treat all members of the public appropriately and without abuse, bullying or intimidation. As elected officials, we must all be committed to upholding the principles of good governance and respectful discourse 鈥 because our community demands it.鈥
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