The case against Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz has been adjourned once again, this time until the end of February.
Appearing on the Dec. 2 docket at the Provincial Offense Court in Kitchener, the case, which was brought forth under the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) by Elmira resident Alan Marshall, was put off for the third time since the fall. The matter was assigned a return date of Feb. 24.
There was also a shuffle in representation on behalf of Shantz. Defense attorney Randall Martin has appeared on the Woolwich mayor’s behalf at previous court dates, but he has recently retired from the legal profession.
Shantz is currently without counsel, but Martin says she won’t need representation until the Crown decides what to do with the MEA charges.
Crown prosecutor Alexander Andres is giving the case file to an outside Crown prosecutor for review to avoid the appearance of impropriety before returning to court on Feb. 24.
“There is no conflict here,” he told Justice of the Peace Andrew Marquette. “However, an outside Crown review is to ensure that justice is done for all parties.”
Marquette has also recused himself from future dealings with the case. He initially helped Marshall with laying the charges against Shantz and wanted to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.
