North Bay city council is set to address Mayor Peter Chirico’s use of a corporate credit card for personal expenses, following extensive scrutiny. Chirico incurred over $17,000 in charges on the corporate credit card over a two-year period, which he later reimbursed in June after issuing an apology.
Rather than conducting an audit into the mayor’s expenses earlier this year, city councillors opted to have the integrity commissioner investigate the matter. The commissioner, Guy Giorno, has concluded that Mayor Chirico breached the code of conduct, particularly with $5,557.77 of the expenses he repaid. The report highlights violations in three areas: personal meals, hockey tickets, and golfing expenses.
Giorno’s findings indicate that Chirico falsely categorized personal meals with family members as city business, along with hockey game tickets and golf-related expenditures. Not all expenses were deemed as violations, such as gas and car wash charges, which were mistakenly claimed as city expenses by Chirico.
The report suggests potential actions the city council could take against the mayor, but refrains from recommending specific remedial measures. Mayor Chirico, in response to the report, emphasized that all expenses were transparently claimed and reimbursed for personal costs. He acknowledged misunderstandings regarding allowable expenses and expressed commitment to serving the community moving forward. Council will convene to decide on potential disciplinary actions, including reprimands or pay deductions for Chirico.