The Mayor of Hamilton has told a rebel group of aldermen and councillors who have accused him of election interference that he will not resign.

Sutherland Madeiros told The Royal Gazette <$>yesterday that the two aldermen and four councillors approached him at a meeting this week and handed over a letter demanding he step down.

“I read it and said: ‘I refuse to resign’. I have done nothing wrong. I was voted in by the electorate and I intend to fulfil my statutory responsibility and do the best I can do.”

He added: “I did say, however, that I would resign under one circumstance and that is if everyone resigns and we go back to the polls.

“I’m not going to admit anything that I’m not guilty of and appear to be guilty by resigning.”

The letter charges Mr. Madeiros, who has responsibility for the city’s $20 million budget, with compromising the Corporation of Hamilton mayoral election held in October by getting the election rules changed and placing his opponent, former Deputy Mayor Sonia Grant, at a disadvantage.

Mr. Madeiros said: “It’s a serious allegation in that letter. I’m taking legal advice on that. It’s a very serious thing to say about somebody without having any evidence.”

The Corporation rebels — none of whom could be contacted for comment yesterday — do not go into specifics in their letter, which was leaked to the media on Thursday.

But it is understand that their accusation centres around the fact that businesses, associations and partnerships were allowed to change the name of the nominee registered to vote on their behalf after the October 26 election date was announced — a practice not normally carried out.

Mr. Madeiros, who was an alderman at the time, said he did not ask for the election rules to be changed nor had the power to get them changed.

He said a business he canvassed in the run-up to the election approached returning officer John Cooper because the person who was registered to vote for them was going to be off the Island on polling day.

“They said: ‘We are being disenfranchised’,” said Mr. Madeiros. “They took up an initiative of their own.”

Mr. Cooper has said publicly that the nominee name change is allowed and the Corporation’s attorneys agree.

But Miss Grant, a lawyer, claims it is not and has launched a legal bid to get the vote declared void. Mr. Madeiros said yesterday he understood that he, Mr. Cooper and Corporation secretary Kelly Miller were named in Miss Grant’s Supreme Court petition.

But he said he had yet to be served with any papers. “I welcome the writ because then we know what the next step can be. I don’t know why it’s been delayed.

“We are in an embarrassing position. Our name has been put in the newspaper and court and we don’t know what it’s about.”

He added that it was no secret that the two aldermen, David Dunkley and William Black, and councillors Carvel Van Putten, George Grundmuller, Courtland Boyle and Graeme Outerbridge were supporters of Miss Grant.

He said it was “distasteful” that the rebels had been meeting in secret to plot against him.

“I was sworn in to honour my responsibilities and they were as well. I believe that if they don’t wish to participate then perhaps they should resign. This is a game they are playing.”

Mr. Madeiros was a friend of Jay Bluck who died in September after just four months as Mayor. “I had a very comfortable life in retirement spending my summers away,” he said. “In view of the fact that my friend Jay Bluck died I took up the challenge.

“I have given up that lifestyle and I am certainly not going to step down and give anybody credibility casting aspersions on my character.”

The Mayor said the Corporation could, in theory, still operate, despite him having the backing of only one councillor, Jim Butterfield. But he added: “It’s hard to envisage what would happen. I’ll try and get them to co-operate. I don’t have a choice. If I had a choice it may be different.”

Mayor Madeiros taking legal advice