Edmonton city councillor Jon Dziadyk apologized to constituents Thursday and promised to repay $11,000 in taxpayer money used for tuition toward an Executive MBA at the University of Alberta.
“I’m very sorry I broke the trust of my constituents,” Dziadyk told the media at city hall. “I acknowledge that using my ward funds for professional development was not appropriate.”
Dziadyk said he enrolled last September in the two-year degree program, which costs $67,000. He said he had already paid about $17,000 in tuition for the first semester, which ended in September. Two-thirds of that money came from his ward budget.
“Of course I’m not going to be submitting any more claims in pursuit of this degree,” he said.
The change of heart came hours after a story about Dziadyk’s MBA plan was posted to CBC News and aired on CBC Radio.
The councillor said he changed his mind after getting feedback Thursday.
The story posted on CBC’s website drew almost 900 comments, most of them critical.
“I’ve heard from people that they think it was inappropriate, and I recognize those concerns as very legitimate,” he said.
On Wednesday, Dziadyk said he had received positive feedback about his plan to take an MBA, after talking with constituents in person and posting his academic aspirations on his blog.
“I am well aware that my budget is publicly disclosed,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone.”
Dziadyk was elected in Ward 3 in the October 2017 municipal election, ousting incumbent Dave Loken.
from Update Trend News http://bit.ly/2BtKxBT
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