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ST. CATHARINES, Ont. -- There are a number of outside matters the head of a municipality would rather not have hanging over his head while carrying out his mayoral duties.
Dealing with the family home being taken over by a bank and sold under power-of-sale might be near the top of the unwanted list.
But that?s what is facing St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan, whose rural west St. Catharines home was seized in mid-April by the Royal Bank.
The bank had provided McMullan and his wife, Ruth, with a $750,000 mortgage in November 2010. Real-estate records show that a week later the couple took out a $100,000 mortgage from a private citizen.
The 24-acre property has been on the market for about 18 months and was originally listed at $1.25 million, although the price has dropped on a couple of occasions.
The most recent posting by Royal LePage, with the Royal Bank as the vendor, had the property for sale at $725,000. It states the seller ?will not respond to offers before June 26.?
McMullan said he wasn?t surprised to hear from the media about his housing situation, noting it?s been the subject of some chatter in the community.
But he said he was reluctant to comment on the detailed circumstances leading to the power-of-sale. They involve personal family matters, he explained.
Asked to confirm the bank took action because of the McMullans? failure to make mortgage payments, the mayor said: ?Well, you could say it was a failure, or a decision.?
?Allowing the bank to sell it is a legal process. I?ve accepted that?s a process out there that?s available and not totally uncommon.?
When contacted, Ruth McMullan said she and her husband jointly agreed to follow the advice given to them regarding the sale of the property.
The mayor characterized the 2010 mortgages as loans against the equity in the property.
The bank seized the property and posted two notices dated April 19 on the front window and door of the residence.
One provides legal notice that this is a ?vacant possession;? the other is from the property management firm hired by the Royal Bank and explains the protocol for removing personal belongings from the house.
The property on Fifth St., near Henry of Pelham Winery, was purchased by the McMullans in 2000 for $222,000, according to land registry records. The mayor said construction of the five-bedroom ranch bungalow that?s now up for sale started that year, with his family moving into the home the following spring.
He said at one point they had considerable equity in the house.
?Going back three or four years ago ... the equity was quite significant. Call it half a million, call it $600,000, call it whatever.?
The house was put on the market about a year-and-a-half ago, but didn?t move. Without elaborating, McMullan said having the bank take possession was, in his opinion, ?the right thing to do in terms of ensuring that the property is sold.?
Asked if the stresses of the situation might hamper his ability to fulfil his mayor?s role, McMullan said: ?Absolutely not.?
?Everybody has challenges in their life, whether it be financial or health, and I look at this as a challenge, an unfortunate challenge.
?But in no way have I let it, or am I letting it, affect my ability to do my job as mayor. In fact, if anything, sometimes you end up focusing more on your work than less. But those results can speak for themselves.?
When asked if he was concerned citizens might mix his personal financial situation with the city?s business, McMullan said he didn?t believe that would be the case.
?The mayor doesn?t run the city on his own. We have a council, we also have a very competent staff. Finances of a municipality are very heavily regulated, as they should be. And there are lots of people involved in any decision with respect to the city.?
He acknowledged some people may not share that view, but suggested those who wouldn?t differentiate between his private and public lives ?are the same individuals in our community that have been trying to tear me down or bring me down since the day I was elected.?
McMullan again emphasized that he wouldn?t detail the circumstances that led to the bank taking over his house ?because it involves other people.?
?If, for that reason, I?m going to take a few more of the blows from the naysayers, so be it.? ?
As mayor, McMullan is paid a base salary of $88,263 per year, plus $6,498 for being on the hydro board and $11,340 as a car allowance.
In 2011, he also claimed $4,330 in mileage plus $4,008 in conference expenses, for a total city remuneration of $114,439.
He earned another $27,527 as a regional councillor, plus $1,313 in expenses, bringing total pay and expenses to $143,279.
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Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/06/29/bank-takes-ontario-mayors-house
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