Ward 1 city councilor and potential mayoral candidate Fred Francis has decided not to participate in an external review of council procedures due to concerns about the involvement of Mayor Drew Dilkens’ former chief of staff.
The city staff awarded a $24,000 contract to GT & Co to address various issues raised by the city council, such as the possibility of deferring items when delegates are present, the time frame for staff to submit reports, and whether there should be time limits on councilors’ remarks.
Although all councilors were invited to join the review, Francis opted out because he felt uncomfortable discussing ways to improve city council and city hall with Andrew Teliszewsky, who served as Dilkens’ chief of staff from 2020 to 2023, given Francis’s mayoral candidacy.
Francis expressed that it would be more beneficial for staff to hear from newly elected councilors this fall, deeming the current timing and expenditure on the review inappropriate.
The contract for the review was initiated by the city’s chief administrative officer, Ray Mensour, who explained that the decision to sole-source the contract to GT & Co was based on the heavy workload in the Council Services department ahead of the upcoming city-wide election.
Mensour highlighted GT & Co’s experience in working with municipalities and stated that the firm’s insights would contribute to completing the review and recommendations in time for the next council term.
Teliszewsky, identified as a partner at GT & Co, declined to comment on Francis’s objections or the contract, redirecting inquiries to the City of Windsor.
In response to Francis’s stance, Mayor Dilkens, who has not confirmed his re-election bid, emphasized that he was not involved in selecting the firm and that the contract award followed city procedures, suggesting that Francis’s concerns were unfounded.
Regarding the review, councilors Frazier Fathers, Ed Sleiman, and Angelo Marignani confirmed their participation, with Fathers refraining from commenting on the contract specifics and Sleiman advocating for the review results to guide future decisions on contracting.
Francis expressed discomfort about sharing potential campaign details with Teliszewsky during the review process, citing concerns about bias or information leakage due to Teliszewsky’s previous association with the mayor’s office.
Marignani supported Francis’s concerns initially but later indicated satisfaction with Teliszewsky’s explanations, viewing the review as routine quality control.
Dilkens noted that Francis and another unnamed councilor were the only dissenting voices on the review, speculating that the latter would eventually join after catching up on correspondence.
Francis defended his decision, stating that he was not questioning anyone’s integrity but felt uneasy discussing his ideas for improving city hall with someone linked to the mayor, especially when his proposals would soon be public on his campaign platform.