Conflict of interest questions raised about former solid-waste manager’s new job

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This article was published 05/02/2018 (2795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Questions about possible conflict of interest and perceived bias are piling up around the recent departure of the city’s solid waste manager, who quickly took a new job with one of the garbage-removal companies he helped score a lucrative contract for.

Daryl Doubleday began work with the city in 2015 and left at the end of January. He apparently started working as a manager at Green for Life (GFL) Environmental Monday.

Calls to Doubleday’s new office were not returned by deadline Monday, though his voicemail was set up indicating he’s working there.

The timing of Doubleday’s exit soon after awarding multimillion-dollar contracts seems “questionable,” according to Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert).

“It just seems kind of interesting that there’s been contracts (awarded) and then he leaves to go work there,” she said.

Last fall, two new seven-year contracts — one for GFL and one for Miller Waste Systems — took effect, replacing Emterra and Progressive Waste Solutions’ old agreements. GFL took over garbage removal for eastern Winnipeg, while Miller picked up the western half of the city. The contracts began Oct. 1, 2017 and run until Jan. 31, 2025.

The combined annual cost of both contracts is $24.8 million, substantially more than the $18 million it was previously costing city hall to take out the trash.

In an email Monday, a city spokesperson said the city was made aware of Mr. Doubleday’s intentions to join GFL when he tendered his resignation, but it could not comment on whether future negotiations with GFL would include Doubleday.

“The city has no concerns regarding Mr. Doubleday’s professional performance during his time with the City of Winnipeg Water and Waste Department,” the spokesperson said in regards to a question from the Free Press about whether the city could be sure Doubleday didn’t use his influence to help GFL score a contract before going to work for them.

Having lost Doubleday to the private sector, Lukes wondered how the city would protect against its intellectual property being used by former managers, a slew of whom have quit recently.

About two weeks ago, Lukes said she requested information about the city’s confidentiality agreements for departing senior managers from the city’s chief administrative officer Doug McNeil and chief corporate services officer Michael Jack. She wanted to know how strong the agreements were, but said she has yet to receive answers.

“Maybe it’s all fine, but I just want to understand how they enforce this confidentiality agreement. Because we’ve lost so many directors and key people, what is there that protects the interests of the taxpayers?” Lukes said.

The string of public service departures includes three high-profile exits from the infrastructure renewal and public works department. Former transportation manager Luis Escobar resigned at the end of October and now works for Stantec Consulting; Scott Suderman, a transportation facility manager, left at the end of November; and Stephen Chapman, a traffic management engineer, left at the end of December.

Mayor Brian Bowman introduced a motion last fall calling for the province to impose a one-year cooling-off period for councillors and mayors who leave city hall, restricting them from certain employment activities and lobbying. The motion is under review.

Bowman told reporters Friday he was “open to ideas and discussion with regards to a cooling-off period also applying to members of the public service.”

Arthur Schafer, founding director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, said the city’s public service is experiencing “revolving-door syndrome.”

“The revolving door, it’s not just about corruption, although it often leads to corruption. It’s not just about bias, although it often leads to bias. If you’re a public official, you have an obligation to work impartially,” Schafer said.

“Your employment interests could potentially bias your judgment because you’re thinking of leaving the city. Even if you aren’t deliberately biased, the worst bias is often unintentional and unconscious.”

Schafer thinks cooling off periods for elected and civic officials should be five years long, not one year as Bowman suggested. He believes much of conflict-of-interest legislation is toothless and harsher financial penalties or jail time should be considered for rule breakers.

“Publicity is the only sanction. I think that’s inadequate,” he said. “I think we need tougher conflict of interest rules. Cities are particularly ill-equipped to deal with conflict of interest.”

 

—with Free Press files

 

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

 

Twitter: @_jessbu