LOCAL MUNICIPAL POLITICS

In a word it's disappointing. There are a couple of council candidates that I expect will do a good job if elected namely Lynne Hare in Ward 3 and Dr. Dan Holt in Ward 1. I'm also hoping for another candidate that I know to declare for Ward 1. We will see. Currently there are three candidates running for Mayor and in a nutshell all three have made mistakes in the past. It's almost a case of which one is the least obnoxious. Currently I have an e-mail in to candidate and current Ward 3 councillor Bonnie Bryant. My e-mail is in regards to drinking water issues in West Montrose which is part of her Ward . While she's had the opportunity already to get back to me on this serious matter nevertheless she gets one last chance. If there is no response or she refuses to share the Region's responses to the questions I provided her and Councillor Mark Bauman months ago then she will have proven herself to me (ie. negatively).

Councillor Sandy Shantz is the least obnoxious by far. In fact I can honestly say that it is always a pleasure speaking with her. She is pleasant, articulate, respectful and a reasonably straight shooter. So what is my problem with her? Firstly she has attempted to justify to me her voting me off CPAC in 2008. Unfortunately her reason is fatuous and frankly ridiculous. I asked for an honest answer not a "nice" answer. My second concern with former Councillor Shantz is this. She went from a rookie trustee with the Waterloo Region District School Board to the Chair's job in the blink of an eye. WTF! If the Board were an honest, decent, student focused group of people as they are supposed to be then I wouldn't mind her quick elevation. The problem is that I took that Board's measure between 1996 and 2004 and they were found grossly wanting. They are, at the top, professional liars, hypocrites and bullies spending millions of taxpayers dollars on lawyers to harass parents and anybody else they disagree with.

Then we have Todd Cowan. I groan just thinking about his behaviour on so many fronts since he became Mayor. Let's just skip to what he has going for him. He learned before becoming Mayor that the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) wasn't doing its' job. He learned this from professionals in the environmental consulting and cleanup field. He cleaned house and brought me and a group of new people in. On the one hand he has supported CPAC and their 2012 Resolution requesting a complete change in the cleanup plans. On the other hand he behaved like a horse's ass towards those very same CPAC members either individually (me) or as a group. He agreed to support my getting back on CPAC provided I give up the Elmira Advocate blog/website. I refused. He has recently been caught misrepresenting CPAC's position at a general meeting of the Grand River Conservation Authority last summer. All that being said I think he will be O.K. to stick with the same CPAC after the election. I think. I hope.