Email

Print

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"Eric Chang is still in Taiwan. He was slated to return on October 3rd. He didn't return on the 3rd. The council had a meeting last week and we address this issue and the council determines that we are going to send him a communication which I have. I have written him and ask him return as early as possible. Members of the council have been in communication with him but of course of the immigration issue that's a looming pressure and rightly so, members of the public want him to explain himself. The council also wants to get information because we are conducting an internal review in relation to his involvement if any, because we are hearing allegations. There are investigations going on, but we don't have anything concrete as yet. We are still waiting for those investigations to be completed. We also want an opportunity to be able to dialogue with Councilor Chang and to get an explanation from him as it relates to what is going on so that we could answer questions to the public because rightly the public needs to know the full extent of what is going on and so it doesn't take anyone in the City Council - I think we are doing a lot of good work and we need to maintain that reputation for integrity and accountability."

"The Councilor also from that point of view as it relates to our Deputy Mayor outside of the jurisdiction for any extended period of time. You have provisions in our law for councilors to be granted leave of absence. Of course both Eric Chang and I went to Taiwan on official council business. We went there for 7 days and Councilor Chang has ask to stay there for an extended period of time being that he wanted to be with his parents and it's his homeland. He was granted a time up until October 3rd, so we were expecting that he should return into the jurisdiction."

"He holds an essential position being that he is the Deputy Mayor and also the councilor with responsibility for works. We are doing this infrastructure project and the councilor has a key role in relation to coordinating with the various utility companies to ensure that our projects are being carried out to time. His presence in the jurisdiction is important, both in responding to these allegations and also as a functionary in the council."

"I have not gotten a response from the communication to him and we are continuing to communicate to him to ensure that he returns as soon as possible."

"Again, his being outside of the jurisdiction, he was granted leave to be there because he had asked to stay an additional period of time beyond when we were there for the Asia/Pacific City Summit. That time had expired the 3rd October. In relation to wanting to stay a little bit further in terms of being with his family - that's fine, but we need a Deputy Mayor, we need a works councilor to be in the jurisdiction."

"We are under pressure in terms of his being called in the immigration issue and then also having to respond which every public official owes a duty to members of the public to account for any allegations of actions."

"It's very premature. Investigations are going on but he is an essential piece of the City Council completing its review of this situation to see if anything should be done and also other functionaries in the government doing what they need to get done and the public also having a sense that there is no cover up, there is no hiding of any information or anything and that everybody who is called in this could give an account to satisfy the people that everything is being dome to ensure that something like this does not happen again."

Monica Bodden
"If you don't get a response from Councilor Chang, will this force you to take any action?"

Mayor Darrell Bradley
"What we had indicated to him in the communication is that we as a City Council need to move on - move on from this scandal and we need to ensure that we are able to deliver on the services to the members of the public. If we do not get a response from him then we will convene a City Council meeting which is already schedule for next week and we will take certain decisions and then we will move on from this."