Cleveland makes credit card purchases public
Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland. File Photo.
By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM News, Local Journalism Initiative, Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News
Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland is allowing the public to see how he uses his corporate credit card.
In a statement, Cleveland said he will post every transaction monthly for the public to scrutinize. The increased public transparency, comes after Councillor Adam Bureau, at the September Cobourg Council meeting wanted a detailed summary of the corporate credit card use.
Some Councillors were taken aback because they did not know that Cleveland had a credit card, issued since November 2022. During that meeting, Cleveland said that purchases are itemized on the bill sent monthly to the town. He submits receipts for legitimate expenses, though occasionally he realizes there's an expense he should not have put on the card. In such a case, he would not provide a receipt and he would repay the town.
Section six of the Town of Cobourg’s Corporate Credit Card policy states “The Town of Cobourg credit card shall only be used for Town-related expenses and for purposes related to the cardholder’s job commitments.”
Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty and Councillor Mariam Mutton questioned the need for a corporate credit card.
“Pre-electioneering and coordinated theatrical histrionics aside, this information in question is already fully available and has always been a matter of the public record and will of course continue to be accessible to all Councillors and citizens alike,” Cleveland stated today. “Starting October 1st 2025, I will be publishing every single expense on the Office of the Mayor website every month going forward regarding the Office of the Mayor corporate credit card, so that anyone interested in what those expenses entail will have them readily and completely available on a continuous basis.”
Cleveland will also be issuing a Strong Mayor Power directive on the corporate credit card use, but did not elaborate on how that direction will impact him.
