Sanctions are being recommended for a councillor of an eastern Ontario township after he allegedly gave a speech at a community event while intoxicated and engaged in two separate physical fights with residents on the same day last year.
Integrity commissioner Tony Fleming with Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP was called to investigate Code of Conduct complaints against Adrian Bugelli, a councillor for the Township of North Stormont, for his alleged behaviour during the grand opening of the Moose Creek Recreational Hall on Sept. 30, 2023.
The complaints alleged Bugelli attended the event in his official capacity as councillor and made a speech about the new hall. Bugelli was said to be “extremely intoxicated” as the event progressed and was observed to be “consuming alcohol throughout the day,” according to witnesses interviewed in the integrity commissioner’s investigation.
One complaint said he was observed slurring his speech and that a bartender refused to serve him more alcohol.
Bugelli told the integrity commissioner he didn’t remember how much he had to drink, but estimated he had about “3 or 4 beer.”
“Based on the evidence received, it is our finding that it is more likely than not that the Member was intoxicated at the Event,” the integrity commissioner found.
The report says Bugelli was later involved in two separate physical fights with residents, though Code of Conduct violations were only found in one incident. In another fight, the report said he was defending himself from being attacked by several residents and was not found to have violated council bylaws.
The integrity commissioner was asked to find whether Bugelli violated a provision in the Code of Conduct that forbids members of council from performing official duties while impaired. Another section of the Code of Conduct requires members to “refrain from behaviour that constitutes as discrimination, intimidation, harassment, verbal abuse or the adverse treatment of others.”
The integrity commissioner is recommending the township’s council impose a 30-day suspension of pay for two Code of Conduct violations for the “adverse treatment” of a resident and for appearing intoxicated in an official capacity. It is not clear whether Bugelli or other residents involved could face criminal charges.
Bugelli did not provide a statement to CTV News before publication, but said he would be responding to the report at Tuesday’s township council meeting.
Bugelli, a father of two, was elected to the township’s council in October 2022. He has served as an executive assistant and chief of staff to various MP’s in Ottawa and currently works with Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry Conservative MP Eric Duncan, according to the township’s website.
He also sits on various charitable and not-for-profit boards in the community.
The report says the initial fight began after the event sometime between 9:45 and 10 p.m.
While the complainant alleged the councillor shoved him to the ground and struck him, Bugelli argued the resident initially shoved him to the ground in an “unprovoked” attack. The video footage did not include audio, making it unclear to investigators who provoked the fight.
“Video footage of this incident was reviewed. The video evidence shows that the Member and two other attendees are speaking and one of the attendees then aggressively shoves the Member who falls to the ground,” the report said.
“After the Member is on the ground and the attendee who shoved him is some distance away, the Member gets up and aggressively moves towards and grabs the individual. The Member is held back and blocked from the individual by another attendee. The Member continues to point and make comments towards the individual and attempt to get past several men that are separating him from the individual.”
“It is clear that the physical attack was not initiated by the Member. However, the Member’s evidence that this was a completely unprovoked attack also cannot be corroborated with the video footage,” the integrity commissioner found.
The report then describes another fight the councillor got involved in with a separate resident at around 11 p.m. that evening. It was alleged in the complaint that Bugelli had fallen to the floor and the resident attempted to help him up. Bugelli then allegedly punched the resident in the face.
The councillor told investigators he was accosted by the resident who made several comments about him and the incident left him with a broken ankle.
Video footage shows the councillor talking with several people, before one of them grabs him and he falls to the ground. The video shows a second person approaching him and tries to pull him up by his shirt before being punched in the face by the councillor.
“We find that the Member did not initiate the physical attack. We note that the Member did attempt to punch the second individual, however, he appears to have done so in response to being pulled up to standing by his shirt,” investigators found.
“It is not credible that the individual was attempting to ‘help him up’ as alleged in the Complaint. The Member does appear to be unable to get up which is consistent with his evidence that the altercation left him with a broken ankle.”
Bugelli argued before the integrity commissioner that that he did not attend the event as a Member of Council but as a member of the Moose Creek community. The integrity commissioner did not agree.
“If the Member was attending an event or establishment purely as a private citizen it would not be considered to be performing a duty or carrying out responsibilities for the Township and therefore not a breach of the Code of Conduct if the Member was intoxicated,” the report said.
“However, there are facts that support a finding that the Member’s attendance at the Event was in his capacity as a Member of Council. For example, the recreational centre where the Event was held is a municipal asset and the Event was the grand opening celebration of the centre.”
The integrity commissioner found the councillor violated the Code of Conduct by “adversely treating a member of the public” during the first altercation.
“In investigations of this nature, it must be recalled that as leaders of the community and as elected officials, members of Council are held to a high standard when considering what constitutes permissible behaviour,” the integrity commissioner said.
“We acknowledge that the Member may have been upset or aggravated by being shoved by a resident but note he is still governed by the Code of Conduct and expected to respond appropriately rather than engage in the same conduct and attempt to escalate or continue the altercation.”
The township’s next council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20, where councillors will determine whether to apply the recommended sanctions.