Watson On Housing Foundation Board? No: BENN

Any organization that appoints former mayor Jim Watson to a leadership role is tone deaf.

Watson is joining the board of directors of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation. That comes after the former mayor was censured by an independent judge on the provincial light-rail inquiry. According to the inquiry he lied by omission on the vital LRT project. Now he will be on the board of the OCHF.

Note that the OCHF has no formal connection to the city-owned Ottawa Community Housing Corporation. The foundation provides services and resources to the communities that occupy OCHC’s residences. One of the directors of the foundation is the CEO of the OCHC. By all appearances, a good link to have.

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What many community-oriented organizations have in common is limited resources. Limited resources lead to limited staffing levels. Limited staffing levels lead to a significant reliance on volunteers, including on the board of directors.

Thus, one of the roles of the board of directors is to provide a degree of expertise that might be missing in the management team.

That means that the board of directors should be comprised of people who have the experience that complements the skills of the management team. Partly as mentors. Partly as active participants in a limited set of duties.

The primary role of the board of directors should be one of oversight, to ensure that management is focused on what can be accomplished, within the mandate of the organization, as constrained by the available resources.

For smaller, community oriented organizations, some directors might be required to adopt a more hands-on approach. There in a problem lies. If this director is a de facto member of the management team, how can they be tasked with providing oversight of that management team.

Another role of the board of directors of a community oriented organization is leadership. Setting the tone for management on what is acceptable and what is not. Holding management accountable for its actions. Recognizing when goals are achieved. Asking probing questions when goals are not achieved. Asking probing questions about objectives, strategies, key assumptions and staff assessments. Ensuring that conflicts of interest are identified, avoided where practicable, or isolated in occurrence.

So, let’s evaluate Watson and the foundation in the context of the above criteria.

The foundation is, by definition, resource constrained. The more funds it has, the more that can be accomplished. And the needs of the community that they serve are significant.

Watson is an excellent fund-raiser, for political campaigns. His contact list is still fresh, but his image in the community is tainted.

Would those who supported Watson’s election campaigns answer his phone calls, let alone get my cheque book out. After all, we are known by the company we keep.

Watson’s reputation is tainted. Not just by public opinion. Not just by his political opponents.

Tainted by the findings of the provincial light-rail inquiry report. Tainted by the findings of an independent, objective member of the judiciary, who censured Watson for acts of egregious malfeasance. Willfully withholding information from the commission by withholding WhatsApp conversations and from council. The LRT inquiry found that council lacked the information that was otherwise available to fulfill its statutory obligations. In short, Watson was censured by a member of the judiciary for lying to pretty much everyone, bold-faced and on a recurring basis.

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How does the board of the foundation square that reputation when it comes to setting the tone from the top?

Watson’s attitude towards city council was one of disdain. Egregious malfeasance. Not just regarding the LRT. Back in 2017, he bragged publicly about not telling all of his colleagues on city council about “finding” $10 million to plug a hole in his operating budget.

How can his fellow directors not wonder whether Watson has told them everything they should know? How can the board hold management accountable for failing to disclose key information when a member of that same board has a track record of lying by omission?

What kind of mentor can Watson be to the senior management team of the foundation with his track record? Why would his fellow directors expose their management team to that kind of character flaw?

Finally, why would they choose to associate with Watson? Remember, you are known by the company you keep.

Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.

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