Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann was investigated by police and cleared after he allegedly said he wanted town CAO Rob Raycroft’s head on platter.

The allegation that Altmann uttered the comment is part of a lawsuit against the town and the mayor for $1.7 million filed by Tamara Carlson, who worked at the town for seven years, including for a period as executive assistant to Altmann.

The words were also the basis of an investigation conducted by York Regional Police. Documents obtained by the Stouffville Sun-Tribune reveal police investigated and cleared Altmann for remarks made in reference to Raycroft, then-interim chief administrative officer and now deputy CAO.

Police were contacted on April 13, 2017, one day after integrity commissioner Suzanne Craig received a complaint. According to the police report, Altmann became very upset upon learning that Raycroft had fired the human resources director. The mayor called Carlson into his office and is alleged to have said to her, “I want Raycroft’s head on a platter. I want him dead.” Altmann then showed her the CSI-style diagram on his bathroom wall, which included photos of staff, former politicians and members of the public linked together with black lines and graphics.

The police report says Carlson, who feared for Raycroft’s safety, informed him of the conversation. A complaint was subsequently made to the integrity commissioner.

Police conducted interviews with Raycroft, Carlson and town employee Robert Heickert.

The detective on the case consulted Crown Attorney Paul Tait and concluded the threshold for the criminal offence of uttering threats had not been met to warrant laying a charge. The detective wrote Altmann “did not explicitly utter a threat to cause bodily harm or death to Raycroft, rather only wished him death.” The investigation was cleared as unfounded.

The detective in the case also wrote that a parallel workplace harassment investigation was commenced by Hicks Morley LLP in relation to this incident. That investigation has been kept confidential while many, including the mayor and people on the wall, are asking for its release.

In Altmann’s lawyer’s response to the integrity commissioner in September, she said Altmann denied making the “head on a platter” statement. Altmann claimed he said he wanted to get inside Raycroft’s head because he did not understand why he chose to terminate an employee who was advocating for accountability and transparency at the town. There was no mention of any “I want him dead” statement from Altmann in the integrity commissioner’s report.

In her lawsuit, Carlson alleges the “town failed in its responsibility to provide a safe and harassment-free working environment and failed to take the steps that it could have in order to protect (her) general safety and well-being.” She is seeking $1 million in damages from the town.

She also claims that from the time she began to work with the mayor in 2014, she “experienced harassment” and is seeking $700,000 in damages.

The claims have not been proven in court and neither the town nor the mayor has yet filed a statement of defence.

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As the case is before the courts, the town will not be commenting at this time, spokesperson Glenn Jackson said.

The mayor also said he had no comment at this time.