Members of the North Haven Community Association (NHCA) in northwest Calgary are openly calling on Premier Danielle Smith to keep Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu liable.
In an open letter published Monday, association president Jody Breen and vice president Alex MacKinnon accused Chu of abusing his power as a city official and a former police officer and said he should be held accountable for his actions.
They also said Chu does not represent the community and is not welcome at community events or meetings.
“We expect that the conclusion of your review will ensure that Councilor Chu is held accountable for his actions,” Breen and MacKinnon wrote in their letter.
“His actions, both recent and past, have consistently demonstrated an abuse of power that is in direct conflict with the standards of integrity and ethical behavior expected of our elected government officials.”
But it’s not just the NHCA that has problems with Chu. Elise Beiche, president of the Highland Park Community Association, agrees that Chu should be held accountable.
Beiche said the Highland Park Community Association went directly to the mayor’s office or individual city administrators to address their concerns. There have been no attempts by Chu’s office to communicate with the association, Beiche said.
“For Highland Park, it has been a challenging year knowing that we do not have adequate representation for our ward and our community… It has been made clear that no one wants to work with him and he continues to exhibit patterns of bullying and harassment ,” says Beiche.
“We take our roles in the community very seriously. Knowing that we have a board member with a history of bullying and harassment is inconsistent with our mission and our values.”
The open letter comes after provincial officials were instructed to look into the Calgary Police Commission’s review of Chu’s police misconduct investigation.
Read more:
Calgary City Council to send Chu’s police commission review to the province
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Calgary City Council to send Chu’s police commission review to the province
The commission found that some policies and processes were not properly followed by the Calgary Police Service after an allegation of sexual assault against Chu, who was an officer at the time.
The report said the commission does not have the authority to evaluate whether a criminal investigation or criminal charges are warranted, nor does it have the authority to determine Chu’s fitness for public office.
The letter also comes after Mayor Jyoti Gondek revealed that Chu allegedly took a photo of her license plate and leaked it to a member of the public, who used that photo in an email to the mayor. Gondek said Chu’s actions jeopardized her safety during the Nov. 15 special meeting.
Chu was then removed from his deputy mayor duties in December. He also cannot park in the executive parkade indefinitely, according to a City of Calgary spokesperson.
A city staff member filed a complaint against Chu over the incident, which was resolved through an informal resolution by the ethics and integrity commissioner, the city spokesman said.
Read more:
Province reviewing findings of Chu’s investigation into the Calgary Police Commission
Duane Bratt, a political scientist and professor for Mount Royal University, said the lack of representation is not grounds for removal from the council, but issues around safety and trust.
He told Global News the province may have a case to remove Chu because of his recent actions as a city councillor.
“You have incidents involving him as a councilor involving harassment or possible intimidation of the mayor… I think that could potentially be grounds for dismissal because if the threshold is dysfunction, it now exists because you have security issues and other things, Bratt said.
Bratt also said Chu may not be re-elected in the next municipal election due to his reputation among various community associations.
However, Bratt wants Chu to resign.
“A normal person would have stepped down and resigned. I have been calling for his resignation for over a year… He is shameless and shameless in politics, you are not going to have a resignation. He’s going to have to be forced out,” Bratt said.
770 CHQR and Global News reached out to Smith and Chu’s offices with requests for comment.
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