Drama is usually reserved for the Stratford Festival stage, but on Thursday night, it might play out at Stratford City Hall.
Back in February, Mike Sullivan and Barb Shaughnessy were temporarily banned from council meetings after they allegedly used “unreasonable, inappropriate and harassing” language towards council and staff that was “known, or ought reasonably to have been known as unwelcome.”
The city also cited a number of issues with Sullivan, as well as a previous confrontation between Shaughnessy and a council member outside of chambers.
Both Sullivan and Shaughnessy call the allegations untrue.
“I addressed the report,” Shaughnessy explained. “I did not address or send any insults to anybody.”
As a result of those interactions, council issued a three-month ban, in which Sullivan and Shaughnessy were prohibited from attending public meetings.
That, however, didn’t stop Sullivan.
He decided to defy the ban and showed up to council chambers on May 28 to speak about a proposed housing development at the former Krug factory site.
Mayor Martin Ritsma had a private conversation with Sullivan in the viewing gallery. When Sullivan was asked to leave, he refused. Ritsma then told the waiting crowd that the meeting would be cancelled.
Mike Sullivan at the Stratford city council meeting on May 28, 2024. (Jeff Pickel/CTV Kitchener)
Some residents voiced their frustration that night, even yelling “cowards” at the mayor and council.
In a statement, Ritsma explained: “To maintain decorum in the council chamber and respectful discourse, a number of policies are in place, including the Respectful Workplace policy. In the event that policy is not adhered to, there are steps to be followed, including a temporary suspension from attending city meetings in person.”
Sullivan then showed up for another council meeting which also ended early.
Ritsma’s statement continued: “Unfortunately, due to contraventions of recent temporary suspensions, [the last] council meeting was the third meeting to be disrupted and ultimately rescheduled. These disruptions are impacting the effectiveness of council and committee meetings and procedures, and most critically, the work of the city.”
On June 20, council took the ban one step further and Stratford Police issued an official trespass notice to Sullivan.
“[He] has been advised that if he wishes to dispute the notice, he should contact legal counsel,” police explained. “Police will continue to enforce all valid trespass notices through an educational approach with enforcement being a last resort.”
“It’s a huge overreaction,” Sullivan said in response. “It’s like, you know, [using] a sledgehammer to kill a fly that I have been in the past, no question. If I refuse to listen to their phony policy, then they’re going to have to find another way. So, they’ve issued this trespass notice.”
He believes council is out of line.
Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and Mike Sullivan on May 29, 2024.
“You can’t ban people from city hall or the city square if they want to protest, if they want to object, even if they want to be mean,” David Donnelly, a lawyer advising Sullivan and Shaughnessy, said.
He calls the trespass order highly questionable.
“Certainly, to get yourself banned from city hall, you have to do something quite extraordinary. You have to threaten employees, you have to engage in a physical altercation. The bar is set quite high. What is alleged is that Mike Sullivan was critical of city staff and council, which in my view, is perfectly reasonable.”
Sullivan told CTV News he plans on showing up at Thursday night’s council meeting.
“My intention is to come to council and tell them what I think about this development,” he said.
What happens next will be up to the police and the city.
