‘Puppetmaster’: Conduct of mayor’s chief of staff a simmering problem, sources claim

Just two days after Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s chief of staff, Stephen Carter, was dismissed from his role, new details are coming to light.

His departure came on the day council marked 100 days since being sworn in. It was announced immediately after CityNews asked Gondek about allegations of bullying surrounding Carter, according to information that came forward from sources within city hall.

Gondek has denied knowing anything about the issue and Carter has also denied the allegations.

New complaints brought forward against Carter lay a spotlight on activities behind the scenes of council chambers.

Sources who spoke to CityNews said there were high hopes for this council in the early days, with many looking to ease the bad feelings that arose from the previous council.

The sources said Carter attempted to direct actions and there was a drive to have the operations of council mimic a provincial caucus rather than councillors acting independently. That was not well received among some as the chief of staff was reportedly acting as a whip and trying to get councillors in line on certain votes.

Carter himself said it would be better to operate like the premier’s office but also that he didn’t convince anybody to do anything they did not want to do.

‘I don’t bully people’

When asked about these allegations, Carter told CityNews they were not true and added he wouldn’t see the point of acting this way.

“I cajole, but there’s no point in goading it. There’s four years, what are you going to get?” he said. “I don’t bully people.”

Gondek has previously denied knowing anything about the allegations.

“That is something that would be addressed by my office if it was a situation that was taking place, and if it happened someone could certainly come to me,” the mayor said.

In an interview with the mayor today, I asked her about what I had heard and she said she was not aware. I then spoke to Carter who also said it was not true. Within the hour, the announcement had come he was no longer in the mayor’s office. https://t.co/k9FfTTxbKc

— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) February 3, 2022

On the other hand, multiple sources characterized the now-former chief of staff as a “puppetmaster” holding a high level of influence from inside the mayor’s office and that he would bully some councillors.

“He’s gone in and yelled at people in their offices,” said one.

“I don’t even think he necessarily intends to do this, it’s just the way he views life. Like it’s a little more transactional, a little more open to — and very comfortable with — conflict,” added another source.

This has left some people inside city hall feeling disillusioned. While political life is never going to be smooth sailing all the time, claims suggest it seemed to have taken a different turn rather quickly and that it was the chief of staff who “tilled the soil” for it to happen.

Soon after the election, there was the backlash against Ward 4 Councillor Sean Chu for inappropriate conduct stemming from his time as a Calgary police officer that was revealed to the media before people hit the polls.

Gondek joined other councillors in taking a very strong stance against Chu, including not swearing him in during official proceedings in council chambers following the election.

Calgary’s then-mayor-elect, Jyoti Gondek, speaks to media. Oct. 21, 2021. (Nick Blakeney CityNews Calgary)

One source said it was concerning to see such retribution come from the mayor’s office, and Chu confirmed he had sent in a complaint to the city auditor’s office.

Ward 13 Councillor Dan McLean said he has heard of other formal complaints. While he had not issued any himself, he claimed to have heard talk about what was going on.

“These are a bunch of brand new councillors, they just got here,” he said. “And so when you get them and they feel like (they’re being told) do this, do this, do this, that’s the bullying, I think that’s where they’re feeling intimidated.”

Sources say this includes claims of pushing councillors to vote one way or another simply so they can avoid becoming a “target.”

“It’s also subtle. There’s always that, between the lines, that he’ll f*** you up or go to the media and leak stuff about you if he doesn’t agree with you,” a source told CityNews.

Read more: Mayor Gondek’s chief of staff Stephen Carter out, sources allege bullying in city hall

McLean also doubted that Gondek did not know about any of the allegations beforehand and said he will be asking more questions about it in council. He said he would stop taking calls from Carter and even texted the mayor that he only wanted to deal with her directly rather than the chief of staff.

In a Facebook post, McLean added that there would likely be “more to come” on Carter being fired.

Eyebrows began to raise in public in January when during a meeting a motion came forward from Ward 1 Councillor Sonya Sharp to exclude councillors’ staff members from attending a closed meeting.

The motion came as Carter had been leading discussions behind the scenes around the city’s financial direction.

“Members of council staff have not been involved in the (strategic) planning sessions, but this is a step along the way in an extended conversation that we’ve been having as a council that your chief of staff has been facilitating,” Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra said in a question directed towards the mayor. “I personally think (Carter) has been very instrumental in helping us shape this strategic direction and I think it would be weird to cut him out of the process at this moment in time.”

The motion was eventually amended, and Carter was allowed to attend the meeting after all.

FILE – Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s now-former chief of staff, Stephen Carter. (CityNews)

When asked about this debate, in particular, Carter himself stated that he did not say much during the meeting or any other times he was present in a closed-door session. Gondek said the vote on that motion was also guided by direction from administration.

Conversations have revealed there may still have been a deeper problem at play, with some claiming that action was taken against councillors not following direction from the mayor’s office, by way of adding hurdles to motions that did not get prior approval, for example.

Gondek told CityNews this is not the case and they try to facilitate a collaborative environment.

“I can tell you that when people’s motions fail, I have reached out to them and offered them assistance from administration or my office or their fellow councillors to bolster what they brought forward the first time,” she said. “There are things we have disagreed on as a council, we’ve had a couple of tight votes, that’s the way this goes.”

Carter created problems for himself over the holidays, with his response to stories about vulnerable people being thrown out of CTrain stations while seeking shelter from the cold weather. He took to Twitter to lambast them for using substances.

After significant criticism, Carter apologized for the “glib” comments which “backfired.” This did not go over well among those in city hall.

1/2Last week I tweeted some short, glib tweets about homelessness that took away from the good work by agencies focused on housing. It is a complex issue that I tried to reduce to a few words to highlight the good work of Calgary agencies. It backfired, and for that I apologize.

— Stephen Carter (@carter_AB) January 6, 2022

Some have questioned what consequences Carter faced, if any, for his actions.

This has resulted in another rift already forming among city council, evidenced by the split in votes over the first 100 days of proceedings.

Sources said Carter was a constant presence in the mayor’s office, making them uncomfortable to say much about their feelings. However, that sentiment was not universal.

Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong said he could not speculate on any experiences from other members of city council. He told CityNews that, personally, he had not experienced incidents similar to the allegations reported.

Ward 5’s Raj Dhaliwal also felt Carter’s departure was a surprise, adding his interactions with the then-chief-of-staff were not an issue.

“I always had a really good relationship with Mr. Carter,” he said. “There are always going to be some times when you don’t agree, but it was never seen as unprofessional.”

Councillors have indicated this will not get in the way of their work and plan to continue pushing forward with their mandate.