Denis Abbott, Ottawa's director of communications, was dismissed Wednesday night. Sources said he's in line for a severance payment of close to $100,000. (CBC)

Two longtime city hall reporters and a federal minister's press secretary are joining the City of Ottawa's communications team.

Derek Puddicombe from the Ottawa Sun, Patrick Dare of the Ottawa Citizen and Chris Day, press secretary for Transport Minister John Baird, have all accepted jobs with the city beginning Dec.14, according to city spokesperson Michael Fitzpatrick.

Puddicombe and Dare will work as communication strategists and will be managed by Day, who reported for CJOH television before working for Baird.

The three hirings are the work of deputy city manager Steve Kanellakos, who said he was looking for communicators with a fresh perspective.

"I'm not hiring spin masters, I'm hiring people that understand the issues and understand how to take complex things and deliver them in a straightforward way, so people understand what's happening at city hall."

Kanellakos said he doesn't see an ethical problem with hiring two current city hall reporters, even though both covered the release of the city auditor general's report. The report highlighted heavy use of sick days by municipal employees and a serious conflict of interest that was not addressed by city officials.

"The coverage was very hard-hitting and I didn't see … any breach of ethics by any reporter in terms of the coverage I read," Kanellakos said. "Actually, it was what I would have expected from people who were doing their jobs."

Communications chief dismissed

The hirings come after the city's director of communications and customer services was dismissed Wednesday.

Denis Abbott, who had held the position for just over a year, was paid about $130,000 annually, and sources said he's expected to get a severance payment of close to $100,000.

A memo sent Thursday morning by Kanellakos gave no details about Abbott's departure, except to say that it was "effective immediately."

However, sources said the dismissal is part of a shift in philosophy for the city, which wants more positive stories about municipal services.

During the past year, the city has received a lot of negative media coverage about the transit strike, flooding in Kanata and public consultations on a plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park.

Taxpayer group suspicious

In an open letter to city council Friday, the Ottawa Taxpayer Advocacy Group called for an investigation into the new hires.

"We hesitate to ask if this is an unethical inducement because Patrick Dare and Derek Puddicombe are some of the very best investigative city hall reporters," it said. "However, we strongly advise the mayor/auditor general to launch an investigation on if the timing of these hires is ethical."

The taxpayer group also questioned Abbott's dismissal.

"Any councillor who supports these hires is being unfair to the former director for communication. The city does not have a communication problem, it has a spending problem," the group said.

"The solution is a new council and city manager that will change the culture of disrespect for taxpayer money."