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Andrea Horwath went public with some private trauma.

The ex-leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and current Hamilton Mayor says she is a survivor of an abusive relationship.

“For many years, I kept a painful and deeply personal part of my life private,” Horwath said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. “As a legal dispute involving a property occupied by my former partner has unfolded publicly, I have watched silence leave room for assumptions that do not reflect the reality of why I stayed away.”

The statement came not long after Hamilton’s property standards committee voted to reject an appeal of an order requiring Horwath to do major repairs on a home she currently owns, located on West Ave. North in the city. Horwath appealed the property standards order because the work can only be completed if the property is vacant.

Authorized by the courts, the city did major repairs to the home earlier this year, calling it a danger to the health and safety of the public. The city says it spent $58,845.22 on emergency repairs, demolition work and a general cleanup of the property in early January. The city says Horwath owes money for the repairs. Back in March, the city proposed slapping a lien on the home to recover the expenses. The lien issue is still unresolved.

Her ex-partner Ben Leonitti is the sole occupant of the home.

Staying silent

“The truth is that I left an abusive relationship, and after criminal harassment charges and a no-contact order, I did what many survivors do: I kept my distance.”

Leonetti was charged with criminal harassment in November 2018. The charge was stayed in early 2020. The no-contact order currently exists.

“Responding to anything that has any of that commentary to it would mean that I would be validating anything the mayor has to say,” Leonetti told the Hamilton Spectator. “Nobody understands being abusive more than the mayor.”

Leonetti denied the allegations and declined to comment further to the Spectator.

Horwath says she is “tired of being silent.”

“I want every survivor in Hamilton to know there should be no shame in choosing safety, in setting boundaries or in telling the truth when you are ready,” she said.

The statement comes ahead of an Oct. 26 municipal election. The mayor has declared her intention to run again but has not officially entered the race.

ganderson@postmedia,com