Maghnieh charged massages for girlfriend to library

Windsor city councillor Al Maghnieh has revealed even more personal spending on library credit.

He said he arranged a trip to Chicago for the American Library Association conference last fall.

The library booked his hotel on the credit card held by CEO Barry Holmes.

The total in charges came to approximately $2,400 and included meals and massages for Maghnieh and his girlfriend, who accompanied him on the trip.

"I'm continuing to be as transparent as possible. I've released credit card statements to outlets that requested them. There was one charge left that wasn't on my credit card statement. That was on Barry Holmes' statement, and I provided that to the media [Tuesday]," Maghnieh said.

Maghnieh said he paid back the money for the Chicago trip as soon as the bill came in.

Holmes has at least three times declined to comment to CBC News on the scandal.

Maghnieh resigned as library chair Saturday after it was revealed he charged more than $8,400 in personal expenses to a library-issued credit card. Maghnieh repaid the money.

Library finance committee chair Alex Cameron resigned Tuesday in the wake of the scandal.

The Windsor Public Library board — what's left of it — will meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. to discuss Maghnieh's misuse of the library credit card.

The acting chair of the board, Coun. Hilary Payne, said there has been no specific information about how Maghnieh got the card in the first place last fall. According to the mayor and several city councillors no board member of any city agency should have a corporate credit card.

It's something the board wants to rectify. He said the board wants to make sure nothing like this happens again.

Payne said the board will meet in private first and then talk to the media.     

"It's not just a matter of depending on people not to do it in the future, it's also — and very importantly — a matter of setting out procedures so that, basically, you couldn't do it," Payne said.