Liberal York West MPP Mario Sergio said an employee in his office who is currently running for city council is not his constituency office manager but rather an assistant.

Sergio Gizzo, who is running to beat incumbent Giorgio Mammoliti in York West – Ward 7, has identified himself as the constituency office manager for long-time MPP Sergio. Gizzo has pointed out to The Mirror he has been on a leave of absence since January after registering to run for council, an item Sergio confirmed. However, Sergio recently issued a release stating Gizzo, while a member of his constituency office staff, is not the manager.“He was never the manager,” Sergio said in an interview Thursday, July 15. “In my office, they’re all staff.”

Sergio said he issued the release after receiving emails from two constituents complaining Gizzo had said he was the constituency office manager. While Sergio said he knows the two constituents are supporters of another Ward 7 council candidate, whom he did not name, he wanted to clear the air.

“He was assistant to Mario Sergio, MPP,” Sergio said.

In an interview, Gizzo expressed surprise his employer had issued the release, which was sent to The Mirror and addressed to all Ward 7 council candidates.

“I have been managing the office for many years,” explained Gizzo.

However, he acknowledged “office manager” was an informal title, because the provincial legislative assembly does not allow MPPs to confer staff with such a title.

“The (my) title is constituency special assistant but pretty much I’m doing everything in managing the office,” said Gizzo.

Gizzo is correct that the Ontario legislative assembly only allows members of provincial parliament to use five titles for their staff, including clerk/typist, special assistant, legislative assistant, constituency assistant, and executive assistant. However, staff at both the legislative assembly’s administrative services office and the Liberal caucus services office said it is not uncommon for some MPP office staff to have the unofficial title of constituency office manager.

For instance, Sergio’s caucus colleagues, Hamilton Mountain MPP Minister Sophia Aggelonitis and Markham MPP Michael Chan, are listed as having office managers on unofficial community information websites.

An official website for the provincial Ministry of Transportation (MTO)’s Hwy. 427 extension study includes a consultant’s minutes of a 2008 stakeholders meeting in which Gizzo is listed as Sergio’s constituency office manager.

Sergio, however, said he never told the MTO Gizzo held that title. He said it’s common for constituency staff to represent MPPs at such meetings but he can’t control how they might identify themselves.

“I don’t know when he goes out, what he does, what he says,” said Sergio.

In an interview Monday, Gizzo said he has identified himself as Sergio’s constituency office manager because that’s what his duties entailed.

“There’s three people in the office anyways, but I was delegating duties to them and keeping the office in order, so that would be an office manager to me,” he explained.
Sergio denied that characterization of Gizzo’s responsibilities, stating all his staff are at the same level and equally capable of serving the public.

“There’s no delegation here,” he stated.

Gizzo said he planned to speak to Sergio about the release.

In Ward 7, he is competing against seven other people who have registered as candidates, including Mammoliti. This week, Abdirazak Elmi withdrew from the Ward 7 race and registered as a candidate in Davenport (Ward 18).

- Tim Foran

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