Saanich, B.C., Mayor Richard Atwell hints at covert conspiracy against his leadership

You’ve likely heard of Occam’s razor – the principle that the simplest answer is most often the correct one.

But you may not have heard about Mel Lastman’s razor – the principle that there must always be at least one Canadian mayor making outrageous headlines.

How else can you explain the past four years of Rob Ford in Toronto, or the sudden rise of Richard Atwell, the current embattled mayor of Saanich, B.C.?

The newly-appointed Atwell made headlines this week after he admitted he had lied about having an extramarital affair and then ordering B.C. police to investigate an apparent covert conspiracy against his leadership.

According to the Victoria Times-Colonist, Atwell confessed to the affair but accused spies of leaking details to the media about himself in a dispute with the woman’s boyfriend.

He further claimed that city staff members installed spyware on his office computer and that he was being targeted by regional police.

"[O]n Dec. 11 I became aware that a member of the District of Saanich’s IT team had been instructed to place spyware on my computer and a number of other computers within the municipal hall," Atwell said on Monday.

"I was told the spying program, called Spector 360, was to capture information typed and accessed on my computer, and report any usage back to a server controlled by another user or users."

Atwell further said that he had become the frequent of target of police checks – being pulled over four times during his mayoral campaign and current mandate, and has been forced to use a private email account to conduct city affairs.

"It is also why I have not felt secure and comfortable working from the mayor’s office," he said.

Atwell was elected mayor on Nov. 15, beating six-term incumbent Frank Leonard by promising to bring a fresh, outsider perspective to government.

But he quickly began making headlines, unilaterally deciding to fire the town’s chief administrative operator, costing taxpayers a $480,000 severance package

On Dec. 11, after winning the municipal election but before he was sworn into office, police were called to the home of a female campaign worker where a physical altercation was reported between Atwell and another man.

It was later reported in B.C. news agencies that Atwell may have promised a high-level city job to a woman on his campaign staff with whom he was having an affair.

Atwell first denied the affair but this week admitted to it, remaining steadfast that he had not offered her a government job.

"There is a process in place for hiring staff. I certainly know that, and it must be free from political influence," he said on Monday.

To sum up: The town’s mayor seems to believe there is a political conspiracy against him that is being run from inside city hall and stretching into the regional police force.

He has asked the head of the Integrated Road Safety Unit to investigate the road stops he faced during the campaign.

He has asked the B.C.’s Police Complaint Commissioner to investigate the alleged espionage.

And he has asked legal counsel to review the Criminal Code of Canada to determine whether it could be considered criminal interception of private communications.

And he also believes – or at least believed – that his personal life wasn’t a matter of public interest.

He and Toronto’s former mayor should start a support group.