(Campaign Life Coalition) — I have an important update on the growing outrage over a school trustee who’s been accused of some rather serious allegations involving financial and moral corruption.
On Monday March 25, starting at 5 p.m., trustees at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board preparing for their 6 p.m. monthly board meeting, were greeted by 15 to 20 Catholic ratepayers and protesters outside the board office, with signs.
They were there to demand that trustee Kathy Doherty-Masters step down.
As revealed in a March 21 Rebel News investigative report, she was allegedly involved in decisions that resulted in contracts being awarded to her husband, financial guru Fred Masters.
This is an egregious financial conflict of interest which demands her resignation. Trustees shouldn’t enrich their own family with contracts! Additionally, it was alleged that Doherty-Masters submitted grossly over-inflated mileage expenses, for reimbursement by the taxpayers. Did she take ratepayers for a ride?
David Menzies from Rebel News also revealed that the Director of Education and certain trustees had attempted to quietly pass a line item concealed in the budget for a whopping $300,000 LGBT book buy!
Believe it or not, they wanted to flood Catholic classrooms with even more transgender and homosexual propaganda! Doherty-Masters voted in favor of that LGBT book bonanza.
At 6 p.m. the protestors left the sidewalk outside the WCDSB head office, and went into the board meeting, hoping to observe sanctions being introduced against her.
As is routine, at the very start of the board meeting trustees were asked if they had any pecuniary (financial) conflict of interests to declare.
On the heels of the Rebel News report, and for the first time ever, trustee Doherty-Masters declared that she indeed did have a pecuniary interest. If only she had done this at all the meetings prior, and recused herself from decisions that would enrich her family!
Why did it take a news report to prompt this basic level of transparency?
The ratepayers in the gallery were disappointed to witness Board Chair Bob Sikora come to Doherty-Masters’ rescue by ensuring no discussion of her scandal would occur at this evening’s board meeting.
How did the Chair do this?When it came time for the Chair to ask if the board was in compliance with certain policies, he deferred the question on “compliance with Code of Conduct” to a future date, citing some technical excuse.
Had he called the question, as he normally does at each board meeting, the trustee responsible for the Code of Conduct portfolio would have been obligated to answer “No,” and to bring up Doherty-Masters’ very serious financial conflict of interest breach. By deferring the question, Sikora effectively killed the opportunity to raise the issue.
Throughout the remainder of the meeting, trustee Doherty-Masters had a smugness and air of confidence about her.
Watching her, you’d never guess she was embroiled in a serious financial scandal.
She seized every opportunity to speak – more often than any other trustee – and gave no hint of embarrassment, remorse, or humility.
Afterwards, all the ratepayers who were present told me that they got the feeling she plans to attempt the same strategy that Wendy Ashby tried, but failed at. That is, to dig her heels in and hope it blows over in a couple of months so she can continue without any accountability.
However, that strategy did not work for the disgraced, anti-Christian trustee Wendy Ashby – and it won’t work for Doherty-Masters either.
The outrage at Ashby’s racist, anti-Christian, and misandrist statements only grew, and she was eventually forced to resign under the pressure, some three to four months later.
The same pressure must and will continue to build for Doherty-Masters!
Three steps to bring about her resignation
1. DELEGATE AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETINGThe next board meeting will take place on Monday, April 8 at 6:00 pm. Please consider applying to speak to the board at the next meeting, as a “delegate.” You would be given up to 10 minutes to express why you believe trustee Doherty-Masters should resign.To request to speak as a delegation, please e-mail [email protected] by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday April 3.
2. SIGN OUR PETITION We created a petition asking all the WCDSB trustees to restore trust in the board by calling on their colleague to step down. Sign it by clicking here. We will deliver the petition to the trustees.
3. SPREAD THE WORD
We need to educate more Catholic ratepayers throughout Waterloo Region about this scandal. Please share the Rebel News video and CLC’s petition with your friends, relatives and via your social media accounts.
Reprinted with permission from Campaign Life Coalition.