The former president of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce wants to be Mayor of Windsor. June 19, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)The former president of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce wants to be Mayor of Windsor. June 19, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Windsor

Marchand Throws Down Auditor Gauntlet

Mayor Drew Dilkens' biggest challenger wants to appoint an auditor general if he gets elected in October.

Mayoral Candidate Matt Marchand says the city needs an independent municipal auditor general to protect taxpayers with sweeping powers for transparency and accountability. Marchand says he has been in many consultations in the community and residents sense something is not right with city hall transparency and processes.

He says an auditor general would report to council and the community with wide-ranging responsibilities, including value for money, proper process for decision making, and purchasing by-laws. The AG would also cover all city entities such as Enwin, Adventure Bay, and Windsor International Airport.

Marchand says the appointment would be made within the first 100 days of taking office with an initial report due within six months of appointment. He adds the report would include measurable targets, timelines, and implementation schedules, showing who is responsible and the deadline for each item.

“A Marchand administration will set the tone from the top for transparency and accountability by appointing an Independent municipal auditor general with sweeping powers to review spending, value for money, and proper processes for procurement. Transparency begins today,” says Marchand. “The current administration has had four years to appoint an auditor general. Why won’t candidate Drew Dilkens appoint an auditor general? I will appoint one with sweeping power within 100 days of taking office.”

His announcement came on Thursday as part of his platform.

“We invite our community to suggest more examples of when an independent municipal auditor general would have been or would be of value to the city,” stated Marchand.

Windsor had an in-house auditor general in 2011 under former mayor Eddie Francis but Todd Langlois was fired after a few months. Windsor considered an outside auditor general in 2015 but the motion failed. Council decided to stay with PricewaterhouseCoopers as its AG at a lower cost.

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