West Carleton-March councillor Clarke Kelly denies allegations that he disrupted a summer camp program and verbally abused staff in front of children.
In an email sent to parents on behalf of West Carleton Kids Korner (WCKK) – a daycare center operated in the same community complex as Kelly’s district office – Kelly is said to have entered a room on Wednesday “where a small group from a summer camp was doing crafts and began cursing at the staff, threatening that the camp would have to be closed, and using vulgar language and names toward the staff and children.”
WCKK said it had asked Ottawa police for assistance.
Kelly then posted a statement on his website denying the allegations and accusing WCKK of misrepresenting the events.
“At no time did I enter the rooms where the camp was doing crafts. I did not yell at the staff or threaten to shut down the camp. I did not use vulgar language or names toward the staff or the children,” Kelly wrote.
Later in the same statement, however, Kelly wrote that he regretted using profanity while speaking to WCKK program director Karen Bolton.
He explained that the incident occurred during a committee meeting.
Kelly at a city council meeting in February. (Jean Delisle/CBC)
“During the meeting, children banged on my office window three feet away from me, threw basketballs onto the court, hit metal poles with lacrosse sticks, and screamed. All of this made it impossible for me to do the job I was elected to do on your behalf,” Kelly wrote.
He said he briefly left the meeting to ask staff to move the children away from his window, but was met with a “rude” and “unhelpful response.”
This prompted him to speak directly to Bolton.
Denies allegations, admits use of swear words
“I should have taken time to collect myself before speaking to (Bolton). The fact that I did not do so does not excuse the use of foul language in the conversation with her,” Kelly said, stressing that no children were present during the conversation.
In his statement, Kelly wrote that he would “welcome the opportunity to address any questions and concerns” but declined an interview.
CBC reached out to Ottawa police and received no response.
Kelly said he had hired a lawyer and would take care of what he described as defamation.
Arnprior Mayor Lisa McGee says Kelly’s statement accurately portrays events. (Giacomo Panico/CBC)
In a written statement to CBC, Bolton said: “Today’s events with Councillors Clarke Kelly and Mayor Lisa McGee in attendance, as well as my staff and children, have caused some uproar … an elected city official actually cursed and used profanity in front of children today.”
McGee, the mayor of Arnprior, Ontario, who also works as a constituency assistant for Kelly, confirmed that she was present at the incident.
“I can also confirm without hesitation that he did not verbally abuse children, did not enter the storage areas they had set up, nor did he verbally abuse staff,” she wrote in a statement to CBC.
“His statement on this issue is an accurate representation of developments.”
