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SARNIA – A Sarnia city councillor kicked out of council’s last meeting for poor behaviour says he’ll apologize so he can participate again when his colleagues next meet.
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“I will apologize,” Coun. Bill Dennis said Friday after he was tossed from council’s 2025 budget deliberations Nov. 26 – the latest in a series of outbursts and clashes that have trained a spotlight on the municipal politician and how his colleagues handle him.
“It was offside getting personal.”
Dennis was turfed after turning on Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley and other council members amid a dispute with city staff about consultant costs at the municipality.
Councillors called for points of order, Bradley told Dennis his behaviour was inappropriate and unacceptable, and Dennis continued fuming, calling Bradley “a disgrace to the city” and “a damn crook” before Bradley called a break.
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About a half-hour later, deliberations resumed and Bradley expelled Dennis, noting it was the first time in his 36 years as mayor that he had expelled anyone from chambers.
Bradley also said Dennis was informed he would be able to rejoin council by apologizing. Council next meets Dec. 16.
“I don’t want to be in a position where my absence could be the difference between something failing and something passing that I agree with,” Dennis said in an interview on Friday. “At this meeting, there are some issues I believe in, that I agree with . . . and my presence, my vote is important.
“I want to be there to serve the public. That’s what I was elected to do. I made comments about the city being ruined and I stand by those comments.”
Dennis, who plans to run for mayor in 2026, said staff at city hall have been “baiting” him.
“They have been doing a lot of things behind the scenes to piss me right off,” he said.
Dennis has been the subject of integrity commissioner complaints, has had his pay docked and filed a $200,000 lawsuit on Oct. 31 against the city and chief administrator Chris Carter, alleging Carter is “trying to render him ineffective.”
The allegations in Dennis’s statement of claim have not been tested in court. The city and Carter filed notices saying they intend to file statements of defence.
Dennis also says he’s the subject of a workplace harassment complaint at city hall, linked to a dispute with Carter over Dennis’s approach to bringing citizen concerns to city staff.
City council hasn’t met in person since May and has been meeting by teleconference instead.
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