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So the mayor's now a blogger...
23 March 2010
After three years of enduring frequent, snide and insulting comments from our mayor about local bloggers (me included), our mayor has decided to join us. That's right - the mayor has a blog.
Is his imitation the sincerest form of flattery? I doubt it.
As Scoop comments on the Eastend Underground, "I guess there’ll be no more cracks about e-media wannabes…" Don't count on it: it's always been a do-as-I-say administration, not a do-as-I-do one.
So, since turnaround is fair play, here are my comments on the mayor's e-media entry.
First, it's not a blog in the traditional sense - a personal commentary and opinion like this one or Scoop's. It's more of a "here's what I did" series of self-aggrandizing news tidbits and photos, all of which have the mayor in them. Okay, what did I expect? It's not a council blog or a town blog.
Plus our mayor has an entirely remade website. It's an election campaign springboard, for sure, since it's mostly about all the wonderful things he's done for the community, replete with pictures of himself at events. More on that, below.
And then there's even a YouTube channel. Honestly, before I saw this I wouldn't have even known the man knew YouTube existed. Not as compelling or witty as the late Collingwood Confidential channel, but still more than any other councillor has*.
The only real issue the mayor deals with on his revamped site is the Admiral Collingwood debacle. But that's his albatross, and if he wants to even have a chance of getting re-elected, he needs to make himself not look like the man behind the curtain in what has become this council's legacy. So it has to become someone else's fault.
In an astounding effort of self-justification, the mayor puts a spin on this tale worthy of the old Cold War masters of disinformation. He begins:
A bit condescending, that. No wonder you don't understand why there's a water-filled hole on the main street instead of a beautiful new development full of businesses and taxpayers: the facts are too complex for you. And to enlighten poor, befuddled you, he continues:
His, apparently, is it. And what follows are the tablets from the mountain.
Back up. Read this sentence again: "This council found a way to allow it to happen."
Ah. Well so that pond** must be an optical illusion and I'll march right on downtown and get my prescription filled in the pharmacy on the main floor, and maybe stop by and say hello to a few fellow citizens living upstairs.
Oh, wait... when I try to walk through the front door my nose hits a fence around a water-filled hole in the ground... Well, if council found a way to make it happen, rather than a way to set up roadblocks, you have to wonder why it's a pond today. Maybe someone took it down for cleaning?
He notes, "There was an appeal pending before the Ontario Municipal Board." But doesn't mention that it was filed by a small, special interest group that included many of his supporters, and to which, as a councillor, he publicly donated $100 in support of their OMB challenge. The group never had more than 50 members, and the pending OMB hearing could have cost them $100,000 or more. No wonder they were pleased when the town stepped in and repealled the permits, allowing them to pull their OMB challenge, and save face. And, of course, hefty legal fees.
"This council found a way to reach a compromise that allowed this development to go ahead without appeal.." And you can see for yourself how far ahead it went after that. A unique definition of the word "compromise," too. I never realized "compromise" meant forcing someone to do your bidding after they had been given the legal right to do something else through a democratic and open process. I'll have to pencil that into my dictionary.
The mayor carefully avoids mentioning the petition signed by 2,500 residents opposing his action and asking for the permits to be reinstated. That's FIFTY times more people than this special interest group had at its peak. He shrugged that off at the time by saying those were all people who voted for "the other guy" in the last election.
That's 2,500 residents and voters. Think they'll want to vote for the mayor after that? Me either.
So that picture of him on the page smiling with the developer, and three former mayors, at the first shovel-in-the-ground session, is pretty much the picture book definition of the word "irony." And I know for sure one of those former mayors is blustering mad about being portrayed on this site.
But okay, what else would you expect him to say in his campaign? He's certainly not going to admit he killed it, a move that cost the town revenue, taxes, jobs, or cost the downtown customers and BIA revenue. He's certainly not going to admit it was a mistake - and a BIG mistake at that - that will live on as both his and this council's legacy for years, if not generations.***
Let's move on. On his accomplishments page, he talks about several key issues that have matured this term - the buses, affordable housing among them. No mention that these and many other initiatives were started by previous councils and a previous mayor. And, with one exception, no mention of or photos of the other members of council involved in those committees or boards that have carried these to fruition and worked as hard or harder to make them happen. This from the guy who said in his inauguration speech and on this very site he was just "one of nine." The only one, apparently.
I was a tad surprised that he didn't give more credit to his staunch supporters**** at the council table this term.
On governance, the mayor's ghost writer says:
No mention how how he arbitrarily changed several committees when he assumed office without any council input, dropped council representation on the Works department, took over as chair of the budget committee (traditionally the role of the deputy mayor), and sat as a member on other committees, thus blocking councillors from taking those roles (like the parking committee). Or that his budget committee proved unworkable and impotent, and was dropped quietly this year on recommendation by staff.
He doesn't mention that one of his first acts as mayor was to demand an audit of the email traffic of other members of council, an activity that went on for months until it was uncovered by councillors and he was forced to stop, and apologize.
He doesn't mention that, when staff were reluctant to make a presentation on behalf of a particular developer, he made it himself, in public, stepping away from the chair to the podium. Unprecedented - but that's a word used a lot in this administration. Not usually in a good sense, however.
Or how - for a mayor who prides himself in "meeting commitments to the voters to be more open and accountable," he avoided allowing any public input into two of the most important issues that arose this term: a ward system and mail-in voting. And who wouldn't defer passing the current budget until all councillors were present. Or how $428,000 of your tax dollars were spent in a futile legal battle over education development charges - an expense decided behind closed doors. Maybe there's such a thing as too much openness and accountability?
I could go on, but just read my previous posts for the past three years to get my drift.
Of course, unlike me or Scoop, the mayor doesn't actually write his own material and certainly doesn't build his own websites. He leaves that to the pros. It's a Joomla-based CMS with Flash multimedia content. Pretty slick. And certainly not the sort of technology the mayor has experience developing. Judging from the photos and design, it looks like it was put together by the folks at mycollingwood.ca.
The giveaway is the photos. I was at a GBAR cheque-presentation event last week and the only photographer to show up was from mycollingwood.ca. And an hour or so later the picture and story appears on the mayor's website. Hmmm. Of course, having mycollingwood.ca build it covers the sticky issue of copyright on the photos, since from what I can tell, they took them all as well. Well, except for that (dated from 2008) photo of all of council - I thought that was a town photo...? Many of the rest of the photos I've seen on their site in the past. Nothing wrong with using a pro to do your design of course, but it does beg the question: why not acknowledge the developers on the site itself?
The only thing missing is his announcement that he's running for mayor again. I'm sure that won't be too long coming.
~~~~~
* Individually, this council has very little Web presence. Aside, of course, from this blog... and we're completely absent from the social media like Facebook and Twitter, too.
** Dubbed Carrier's Pond by local wits in memory of the man who made the motion to repeal the permits.
*** Just a reminder for those who have forgotten. Those who voted for the mayor's motion to repeal the permits: Mayor Carrier, Councillors Edwards, Jeffrey, Foley, McNabb. Against: Deputy Mayor Cooper, Councillors Labelle and Chadwick. Councillor Sandberg declared a conflict of interest and did not vote.
**** Who can forget the memorable declaration at the table by one of the Faithful that "I have never lost faith in you, your Worship"?
Is his imitation the sincerest form of flattery? I doubt it.
As Scoop comments on the Eastend Underground, "I guess there’ll be no more cracks about e-media wannabes…" Don't count on it: it's always been a do-as-I-say administration, not a do-as-I-do one.
So, since turnaround is fair play, here are my comments on the mayor's e-media entry.
First, it's not a blog in the traditional sense - a personal commentary and opinion like this one or Scoop's. It's more of a "here's what I did" series of self-aggrandizing news tidbits and photos, all of which have the mayor in them. Okay, what did I expect? It's not a council blog or a town blog.
Plus our mayor has an entirely remade website. It's an election campaign springboard, for sure, since it's mostly about all the wonderful things he's done for the community, replete with pictures of himself at events. More on that, below.
And then there's even a YouTube channel. Honestly, before I saw this I wouldn't have even known the man knew YouTube existed. Not as compelling or witty as the late Collingwood Confidential channel, but still more than any other councillor has*.
The only real issue the mayor deals with on his revamped site is the Admiral Collingwood debacle. But that's his albatross, and if he wants to even have a chance of getting re-elected, he needs to make himself not look like the man behind the curtain in what has become this council's legacy. So it has to become someone else's fault.
In an astounding effort of self-justification, the mayor puts a spin on this tale worthy of the old Cold War masters of disinformation. He begins:
Quote
This has been a complex planning matter and it is understandable that people are confused and that misinformation about the facts of this matter continue to circulate. Everyone has an opinion, that’s for sure.
A bit condescending, that. No wonder you don't understand why there's a water-filled hole on the main street instead of a beautiful new development full of businesses and taxpayers: the facts are too complex for you. And to enlighten poor, befuddled you, he continues:
Quote
But, while everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, there is only one set of facts.
His, apparently, is it. And what follows are the tablets from the mountain.
Quote
Contrary to what I often hear, the current Collingwood Council did not “kill this development” or stop it from happening. In fact, the opposite is true. This council found a way to allow it to happen. This development has been approved, with no outstanding appeals of the planning decisions since July, 2008. Any decisions not to proceed since that time have been decisions of the developers whom to this day have chosen not to apply for building permits.
Back up. Read this sentence again: "This council found a way to allow it to happen."
Ah. Well so that pond** must be an optical illusion and I'll march right on downtown and get my prescription filled in the pharmacy on the main floor, and maybe stop by and say hello to a few fellow citizens living upstairs.
Oh, wait... when I try to walk through the front door my nose hits a fence around a water-filled hole in the ground... Well, if council found a way to make it happen, rather than a way to set up roadblocks, you have to wonder why it's a pond today. Maybe someone took it down for cleaning?
He notes, "There was an appeal pending before the Ontario Municipal Board." But doesn't mention that it was filed by a small, special interest group that included many of his supporters, and to which, as a councillor, he publicly donated $100 in support of their OMB challenge. The group never had more than 50 members, and the pending OMB hearing could have cost them $100,000 or more. No wonder they were pleased when the town stepped in and repealled the permits, allowing them to pull their OMB challenge, and save face. And, of course, hefty legal fees.
"This council found a way to reach a compromise that allowed this development to go ahead without appeal.." And you can see for yourself how far ahead it went after that. A unique definition of the word "compromise," too. I never realized "compromise" meant forcing someone to do your bidding after they had been given the legal right to do something else through a democratic and open process. I'll have to pencil that into my dictionary.
The mayor carefully avoids mentioning the petition signed by 2,500 residents opposing his action and asking for the permits to be reinstated. That's FIFTY times more people than this special interest group had at its peak. He shrugged that off at the time by saying those were all people who voted for "the other guy" in the last election.
That's 2,500 residents and voters. Think they'll want to vote for the mayor after that? Me either.
So that picture of him on the page smiling with the developer, and three former mayors, at the first shovel-in-the-ground session, is pretty much the picture book definition of the word "irony." And I know for sure one of those former mayors is blustering mad about being portrayed on this site.
But okay, what else would you expect him to say in his campaign? He's certainly not going to admit he killed it, a move that cost the town revenue, taxes, jobs, or cost the downtown customers and BIA revenue. He's certainly not going to admit it was a mistake - and a BIG mistake at that - that will live on as both his and this council's legacy for years, if not generations.***
Let's move on. On his accomplishments page, he talks about several key issues that have matured this term - the buses, affordable housing among them. No mention that these and many other initiatives were started by previous councils and a previous mayor. And, with one exception, no mention of or photos of the other members of council involved in those committees or boards that have carried these to fruition and worked as hard or harder to make them happen. This from the guy who said in his inauguration speech and on this very site he was just "one of nine." The only one, apparently.
I was a tad surprised that he didn't give more credit to his staunch supporters**** at the council table this term.
On governance, the mayor's ghost writer says:
Quote
The consent agenda process has been improved upon to allow the public more scrutiny of the correspondence received by the decision-makers.
We have made changes to committee structures. For example, Collingwood never had a Budget Committee but under this term, council past a by-law defining what the roles and responsibilities of the committee were.
We have made changes to committee structures. For example, Collingwood never had a Budget Committee but under this term, council past a by-law defining what the roles and responsibilities of the committee were.
No mention how how he arbitrarily changed several committees when he assumed office without any council input, dropped council representation on the Works department, took over as chair of the budget committee (traditionally the role of the deputy mayor), and sat as a member on other committees, thus blocking councillors from taking those roles (like the parking committee). Or that his budget committee proved unworkable and impotent, and was dropped quietly this year on recommendation by staff.
He doesn't mention that one of his first acts as mayor was to demand an audit of the email traffic of other members of council, an activity that went on for months until it was uncovered by councillors and he was forced to stop, and apologize.
He doesn't mention that, when staff were reluctant to make a presentation on behalf of a particular developer, he made it himself, in public, stepping away from the chair to the podium. Unprecedented - but that's a word used a lot in this administration. Not usually in a good sense, however.
Or how - for a mayor who prides himself in "meeting commitments to the voters to be more open and accountable," he avoided allowing any public input into two of the most important issues that arose this term: a ward system and mail-in voting. And who wouldn't defer passing the current budget until all councillors were present. Or how $428,000 of your tax dollars were spent in a futile legal battle over education development charges - an expense decided behind closed doors. Maybe there's such a thing as too much openness and accountability?
I could go on, but just read my previous posts for the past three years to get my drift.
Of course, unlike me or Scoop, the mayor doesn't actually write his own material and certainly doesn't build his own websites. He leaves that to the pros. It's a Joomla-based CMS with Flash multimedia content. Pretty slick. And certainly not the sort of technology the mayor has experience developing. Judging from the photos and design, it looks like it was put together by the folks at mycollingwood.ca.
The giveaway is the photos. I was at a GBAR cheque-presentation event last week and the only photographer to show up was from mycollingwood.ca. And an hour or so later the picture and story appears on the mayor's website. Hmmm. Of course, having mycollingwood.ca build it covers the sticky issue of copyright on the photos, since from what I can tell, they took them all as well. Well, except for that (dated from 2008) photo of all of council - I thought that was a town photo...? Many of the rest of the photos I've seen on their site in the past. Nothing wrong with using a pro to do your design of course, but it does beg the question: why not acknowledge the developers on the site itself?
The only thing missing is his announcement that he's running for mayor again. I'm sure that won't be too long coming.
~~~~~
* Individually, this council has very little Web presence. Aside, of course, from this blog... and we're completely absent from the social media like Facebook and Twitter, too.
** Dubbed Carrier's Pond by local wits in memory of the man who made the motion to repeal the permits.
*** Just a reminder for those who have forgotten. Those who voted for the mayor's motion to repeal the permits: Mayor Carrier, Councillors Edwards, Jeffrey, Foley, McNabb. Against: Deputy Mayor Cooper, Councillors Labelle and Chadwick. Councillor Sandberg declared a conflict of interest and did not vote.
**** Who can forget the memorable declaration at the table by one of the Faithful that "I have never lost faith in you, your Worship"?
