In an era where politicians can’t walk down the sidewalk without being accused of stealing money from the parking meters, Mayor Nolan Crouse should have known better.
Some call it a witch-hunt, but the fact of the matter is, what Crouse did should be scrutinized – regardless of his intent.
In the spotlight are two issues: Crouse’s alleged double dipping of expense claims, and how he was being paid as chair of the Capital Region Board.
The double dipping comes in the form of his expense claims he submitted to the CRB and to the City of St. Albert. A dozen examples of alleged doubled-up claims, most of which were related to mileage or the costs of attending luncheons or other sessions, were revealed at Monday’s council meeting by Coun. Sheena Hughes. Although Crouse maintains he did not deliberately submit the same expense claims to both entities, the optics alone are bad. Sloppy recordkeeping or oversight are not sufficient excuses.
How Crouse was being paid from the CRB also raises questions. Since Crouse took the chair of the CRB in 2012, Crouse was being paid via his company, Crouse Developments – a procedure that has only recently changed. Why Crouse Developments and not Nolan Crouse, mayor of St. Albert? There could be a litany of reasons for this. Crouse’s claim is one of precedence – that’s how the regional board did it for the previous non-elected chairs. However, there are tax implications of receiving money through a company. Again, bad optics.
St. Albert city policy requires all compensation for those serving on specific outside boards to be paid through the city itself – that way, the details are included in the city’s financial reporting. Crouse opened himself up to scrutiny for the way the CRB was paying him. If he didn’t want the political microscope placed on him, the easy thing to have done would have been to insist he be paid as the mayor of St. Albert, via the city.
Albertans just watched Premier Alison Redford go through the proverbial wringer over expense claims. There is arguably no topic more sensitive in Alberta politics right now than the expense claims of our politicians. Crouse can say that the amount of double claims raised by Hughes is worth about $1,000, which may not be a lot in the scheme of things, but that is not the issue. The issue is about transparency. The same goes for Crouse’s remuneration from the CRB. Full disclosure, from the first day Crouse became chair, should have happened to mitigate any perceived problems.
To Crouse’s credit, he has asked city administration to review both sets of expense claims – that of the city and the CRB. And, as of Oct. 1, Crouse Developments no longer receives payments from the CRB. The actions are laudable, but perhaps a bit late.
