Philip Alves

An audit into Mayor Linda Jackson’s 2006 election campaign books has reportedly uncovered several contraventions of the Municipal Elections Act.

Mayor Linda Jackson has been ordered by the court to explain remarks she made recently scolding unnamed opponents.

A squabble over a contentious scheduling issue in Newmarket court led to the recent postponement of the conflict of interest case brought by Gino and Mary Ruffolo against Mayor Linda Jackson.

Quintino Mastroguiseppe and Gino Ruffolo have made good on their threat and formally asked council for a second audit of Mayor Linda Jackson’s 2006 campaign books.

Gino and Mary Ruffolo were set for legal battle with Mayor Linda Jackson in Newmarket court yesterday after a nearly month-long delay. The case, however, has been adjourned until the middle of May.

Mayor Linda Jackson’s campaign finances could be subjected to the intense scrutiny of a second compliance audit.

They were all but ready to put on their gloves and make their way to their respective corners of the legal boxing ring this week. But with just two days to go before the opening bell was to ring, Gino and Mary Ruffolo learned their scheduled Feb. 28 bout with Mayor Linda Jackson in Newmarket court was postponed.

Mayor Linda Jackson’s political fortunes suffered another major setback in the seemingly endless 2006 mayoral war — she is now facing a court-ordered audit of her campaign finances.

Gino and Mary Ruffolo have filed their statement of defence in the $395,000 lawsuit commenced by the City of Vaughan on Nov. 20. The Ruffolos’ 16-page statement, filed last week, refutes the allegations levelled against them and characterizes the legal action as “high-handed” and “malicious”.

Mayor Linda Jackson will have to wait a while longer to find out whether she’ll be forced to submit to a compliance audit of her 2006 campaign finances, thanks to a rescheduling at the Newmarket court.

Gino and Mary Ruffolo want the Ontario Superior Court to throw Mayor Linda Jackson out of office.

The legal battle in the now-infamous 2006 mayoral war is far from over. The latest judicial battle won’t be settled until Ontario Justice Lucia Favret decides in January whether to order a compliance audit into Mayor Linda Jackson’s campaign finances.