Toronto Transit Commission chair Adam Giambrone said he's returning a $10 taxi fare to the city in the form of a donation after coming under fire for apparently taking a cab to a date and charging it to the city.
Mr. Giambrone spent close to $3,000 on cab fare in 2009. In a statement, the councillor and former mayoral candidate said he apologizes "if a personal expense may have been submitted in error."
"I can't recall the specifics of an evening that took place 15 months ago. I often meet constituents on any day of the week in various parts of the ward. It appears that the expense was submitted at month's end with a batch of other receipts. Since the expense has been called into question, I have issued a donation to the City for the entire amount."
Mr. Giambrone left the mayoral race in the midst of a firestorm after the revelation he'd had intimate relationships with people other than his long-time live-in partner, Sarah McQuarrie.
Student Kristen Lucas, who came forward with text messages from Mr. Giambrone, said he had met her for a date at The Drake around the same time Mr. Giambrone took a cab to a location nearby.
Mr. Giambrone mused in an e-mail to a supporter at the time that he wouldn't be running for his council seat in the October election; he has yet to make a decision publicly.
Councillor Rob Ford, who has long been a vocal opponent of councillors' expense budgets, said this is bound to happen when councillors have a $53,000 pool of money to draw from.
"This is an abuse of taxpayers' money. … I've been saying that for a long time: A lot of these expenses are for personal use." Were he mayor, Mr. Ford said, he would drastically reduce that amount.
Mr. Ford has not yet confirmed he will run, though he is expected to make an announcement at his 10-year political anniversary event next week.
"It's up to the clerk's office to examine these expenses, and they should question these. … I'd give 'em maybe $20,000, at the most"
After an audit of councillor expenses, the Canadian Revenue Agency determined the $53,000 budget should be considered a taxable benefit, and requested payment from councillors for 2006 and 2007. The city is disputing that assessment.