Pissing Off Mayor Larry
Just as Citizen Ellie predicted in last week's post, some councillors couldn't contain their glee as the mayor's criminal trial got underway.
At Wednesday's regular Council meeting a handful insisted on addressing Acting Mayor Michel Bellemare as "Mr. Mayor". According to one of the instigators, the action was deliberately taken in order to "piss off" (the annonymous councillor's own words quoted by Derek Puddicombe in his Ottawa SUN blog) Mayor Larry while he is on leave of absence for his criminal trial.
We don't need to be told which councillors might relish kicking a man while he's down.
How an individual reacts to someone else's misfortune says a lot about the character of that individual. And what it says ain't good. Petty, mean, nasty, and downright cruel are some of the descriptives which immediately come to mind.
The penchant for members of our city council to act in childish and churlish fashion is probably the reason why we're not at the top of the list for federal infrastructure money. John Baird is putting federal money into things in Ottawa, but if you look closely, the money is going into things over which city council has no control (example: the Rideau Canal refit). It bodes ill for any possible settlement of the Siemans lawsuit. Now we have Minto Construction looking to recoup all its legal costs spent defending its right to build homes in Manotick. Why is this happening ? The people elected to run the city of Ottawa have frittered away whatever credibility and respect they once might have had. And those who've been adversely impacted or have had reputations tarnished by the city hall circus aren't hesistating when it comes to recourse.
Doug Thompson, it turns out, is council's class act. On Thursday, he took a seat at the back of courtroom 36 where Larry O'Brien's trial is being held -- in attendance, he said, in order to support his colleague. That's what people of character do when a friend, colleague, or a family member is in trouble. They don't take pleasure from someone else's misfortune. They rise to the occasion.
Pissing Off The Taxpayers
Is Citizen Ellie getting the runaround ?
In February, Citizen Ellie sent an e-mail to Councillor Jacques Legendre in whose ward Citizen Ellie happens to reside.
Three questions were asked in this e-mail:
a) What is the current rating of City of Ottawa bonds ?
b) How much debt is currently being carried by the City of Ottawa ?
c) Where is Citizen Ellie's street in the queue for storm sewer renewal and resurfacing ?
Pretty simple questions. Nothing top secret or confidential here. You'd think that there would be a reply in a timely fashion. Like in a couple of weeks.
But no. Hearing nothing, Citizen Ellie sent a further e-mail in April. She advised Councillor Legendre that she had obtained answers to a) and b) through other means but still wanted an answer to c). This e-mail elicited a response from someone Citizen Ellie presumes to be Councillor Legendre's gatekeeper. This individual advised that he would look into the matter and a reply would come shortly.
It is now the middle of May. No response. Why should Citizen Ellie be surprised. This is standard operating procedure for Councillor Legendre and, presumably, for other councillors as well. Don't respond and hope the taxpayer goes away.
Makes Citizen Ellie long for the good old days when, living in the 'burbs of Hawthorne Meadows, she was able to pick up the phone and get hold of Alderman Don Kay anytime. Of course this was back in the day when the dinosaurs ruled the earth, election to city council didn't mean a job for life and it certainly didn't mean a full-time job complete with big salary and expense account, not to mention staff such as gatekeepers, otherwise known as executive assistants. Back in the day, a taxpayer could even phone their alderman at home Imagine that !
City employees are governed by a code of conduct which, among other things states: "Inquiries, concerns and complaints wuill be responded to in a timely manner." Unfortunately this does not apply to councillors.
In addition to a sunset law setting out term lengths for councillors, taxpayers also desperately need a sunshine law which would reveal all (not just developers) who contribute to municipal politicians' election campaigns, and a code of conduct governing their behavior after their election.
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