City council docks Giorgio Mammoliti’s pay for three months

Giorgio Mammoliti, who drew the city integrity commissioner’s ire after accepting $80,000 in proceeds from a $500-a-plate dinner attended by lobbyists, suffered the most severe rebuke possible yesterday, when city council voted to dock his pay for three months. The penalty, which had been recommended by the integrity commissioner as a way for city council to deliver a “meaningful sanction” for Mammoliti’s breach of council’s code of conduct (which forbids politicians from accepting expensive gifts, especially from lobbyists), is the most severe one available under provincial law—and, the Star reports, the most severe one ever actually imposed following an integrity investigation. Mammoliti will lose about $26,000 as a result of the decision, leaving him with a net $54,000 profit (not bad!). He has promised to take the city to court in an effort to get the decision overturned. City council, in turn, voted to hire a lawyer to determine whether it’s worth lodging a criminal complaint over Mammo’s cozy dealings with businesses. It’s too soon to say for certain, but it’s beginning to seem as though the financial hit may end up being the least of his problems.