Sarnia Councillor Anne Marie Gillis has been appointed to act as an intermediary for all communications between city staff and Mayor Mike Bradley.
It's the latest restriction imposed on the mayor, approved during an in-camera meeting October 6, to be made public in advance of council's meeting next Monday.
Gillis says council selected her for the role as a direct result of the mayor being found guilty under the city's workplace harassment policy and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
"We are doing whatever we can to protect the victims, but also because the mayor has been found guilty of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, it is incumbent upon us to protect all of the staff that work in that building," says Gillis.
In addition, council has directed staff to copy Acting City Manager Andre Morin on all correspondence to and from the mayor, and if Bradley communicates directly with staff, he is to be reminded of the protocol and the staff member is to notify Morin.
"There are things directly to the CAO that the two of them have to discuss and it's been impossible up to this point for the CAO to do that and the reluctance of the mayor to do that as well," says Morin. "Now, with the fact that he has been found guilty of the workplace harassment policy, and also has been pursuing reprisals, we have to act. We don't have a choice."
The mayor's after-hours access card to city hall was disabled last week.
Other sanctions are expected to be discussed Monday resulting from the workplace investigation that found the mayor bullied and harassed four senior staff members, including City Manager Margaret Misek-Evans.