London Mayor Joe Fontana is calling for a public apology after comments made by Councillor Joni Baechler in a Tuesday morning radio interview.
Baechler's response to a question about whether councillors deserve a one per cent pay raise has divided council after she named names.
Speaking on London in the Morning with Steve Garrison on Newstalk 1290 CJBK, Baechler said "There are many that are working hard, but there's equally as many that I don't think are. The number of times that I've been Tweeting, 'Read the report,' because members of council are coming unprepared to meetings, I mean all those things factor into why I'm saying what I'm saying to you."
Fontana says Baechler was 'trashing the team' with her 'disparaging' comments about councillors not working hard enough.
"I am going to ask Councillor Baechler, if not tonight, to do the right thing and that is to apologize to her fellow councillors."
However, after word of his comments spread on Twitter, Baechler arrived at the committee meeting, but not to apologize.
And when she began to speak Councillors Bud Polhill, Harold Usher and Joe Swan walked out in anger. Without enough committee members in the room the meeting was over.
Baechler says she is being muzzled, "I wasn't here to defend myself....You are suggesting that I simply don't have a voice at the committee, that the mayor does but I don't."
After the meeting the mayor said he will be taking the matter very seriously, "Some of the remarks I'm not sure it's in keeping with the code of conduct that we have."
But Baechler says "I don't think there was anything I said that warrants an apology. It was a point of view that there are many members of council that do hard work and deserve an increase and others that I don't think do."
Despite all the fireworks, the committee ultimately recommended the one per cent raise for the mayor and councillors.
A final decision will be made next Tuesday.
