A municipal law expert will decide the fate of Vaughan Mayor Linda Jackson after city council voted unanimously to proceed with laying charges against her on campaign finance irregularities.
If the charges are upheld by a judge, Jackson could be dismissed from office.
Council's vote came after a court-ordered audit found Jackson exceeded the $120,000 election spending limit by about 10 per cent during the bitterly contested 2006 mayoral race.
Jackson, the daughter of late mayor Lorna Jackson, beat out incumbent Michael Di Biase with a margin of 90 votes.
Councillors held a four-hour closed-door meeting -- with Jackson absent -- on Monday, following legal advice from Kingston lawyer Timothy Wilkin, an expert in municipal law, the Toronto Star reports.
Wilkin will now decide on the nature of the charges and whether to accept a plea bargain or resolution, or to pursue a prosecution in court.
If a judge finds Jackson guilty of violating spending limits under the Municipal Elections Act, she would face automatic removal from office, the Star reports.
However, the court could impose a lesser penalty if it was found the contraventions were inadvertent.
Jackson has always said the allegations are "unfounded."
