Oversight Reason Birthday Cake Paid For By City
Editor’s Note - The following is a first in a series of stories looking into the expenses or more specifically the credit card purchases by Mayor Fraser Tolmie. MJ Independent is taking no sides in this but the series was written to help hold our elected officials accountable, create a respectable public discusson as well as highlight concerns raised about the growing number of City of Moose Jaw credit cards.
By Robert Thomas
There is an old idiom you cannot have your cake and eat it too.
The same might also be said about this year’s surprise birthday cake presented to Mayor Fraser Tolmie or at least make sure the people who buy it do not forget to repay the City for it.
In documents obtained under the Freedom Of Information Act by MJ Independent of Mayor Tolmie’s monthly credit card transactions, restaurant receipts as well as any monies repaid to the City the birthday cake for the Mayor is listed on the January 2019 statement.
In his City of Moose Jaw January 2019 credit card report there is in the itemized monthly list of expenditures a birthday cake purchased for Mayor Tolmie costing Moose Jaw taxpayers $48.99.
Itemized list shows a birthday cake purchased for Mayor Fraser Tolmie’s birthday
The picture of the birthday cake and Mayor Fraser Tolmie is shown below.
Mayor Tolmie is alll smiles with a birthday cake presented to him - SOURCE Mayor Tolmie’s personal Facebook Page
In a written response to MJ Independent about the birthday cake Mayor Tolmie said he did not personally order or buy the birthday cake but City staff did. When MJ Independent pointed out the birthday cake purchase on the Mayor’s January credit card statement the money was repaid to the City.
“City staff surprised me with a birthday cake and my assistant put it on my credit card for expedience. Not paying it back was an accidental oversight on the administrations part. It has been paid back.” Mayor Fraser Tolmie.
At this past Monday evening’s meeting of Executive Committee Mayor Tolmie spoke about the media’s role in holding elected officials accountable.
“If the facts are wrong the media holds us accountable. There is a mutual reason why we have media and news it is to hold us accountable and for our actions and what we do. For our voting history or where we are going but that is a mutual relationship we have with media outlets whereas we don’t have that with bloggers so we need to figure that out and where do we go from there.”
It also needs to be noted there were two cakes listed as purchased with Mayor Tolmie’s City of Moose Jaw issued VISA card.
The second cake recognized the retirement and long time service of Councillor and former Mayor Don Mitchell who resigned in order to look after his ill wife Martha. The cake cost the City $29.99.
Copy of credit card statement showing the purchase of a farewell cake for long serving Councillor Don Mitchell
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