{"id":19547,"date":"2017-08-25T17:38:07","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T21:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/?p=19547"},"modified":"2017-08-25T17:38:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T21:38:07","slug":"disrespectful-treatment-of-the-mayor-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/disrespectful-treatment-of-the-mayor-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Disrespectful treatment of the mayor, again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"ImmatureThere’s a seemingly innocuous story in the Connection<\/a> this week titled, “Collingwood to sell railway to County of Simcoe for $900,000<\/strong>” that underscores the ongoing disrespect The Block and the local media have for our Mayor.<\/p>\n

Down at the bottom of the piece there is a quote from The head of The Block, Deputy Mayor Brian Saunderson. That clearly shows how the local media collude with The Block to promote their personal agendas.*<\/span><\/p>\n

Saunderson doesn’t<\/strong> speak for council or the town. The mayor does. Using a quote from him instead of her is a flagrant act of disrespect. And it doesn’t matter that his words are mere fluff. They’re’ included to keep him front and centre in the public eye, while sidelining the mayor.<\/p>\n

But it gets worse. In the Enterprise-Bulletin’s coverage<\/a>, Saunderson is given significantly more opportunity to bloviate in his usual self-aggrandizing way. A presentation at AMO to a minister? So what? It has nothing to do with the rail line. Nor do his comments on the town’s reserves. It’s all just part of his sly campaign to be mayor.<\/p>\n

And even the usually laconic Block minion Tim Fryer is given a chance to mumble his incoherencies at length; although they say nothing about the actual sale, they bloat up his own image in print.<\/p>\n

Our mayor wasn’t asked for a comment by either paper. This is highly disrespectful of the mayor and her office, and shamelessly sycophantic of the local media. No wonder few people read local newspaper these days: readers can see they lack credibility.<\/p>\n

Section 10 of the town’s Code of Conduct bylaw says:<\/p>\n

…official information related to decisions and resolutions made by Council or the Local Board will normally be communicated in the first instance to the community and the media in an official capacity by the Mayor\/Chair or designate;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And section 226 of the Municipal Act says the mayor shall,<\/p>\n

…act as the representative of the municipality both within and outside the municipality, and promote the municipality locally, nationally and internationally…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Get that? The mayor represents the town here and outside. Not Saunderson and not Fryer: that’s the mayor’s<\/em> role. Why push them to the forefront, other than to aid their premature campaign bids? (as if either of these highly unpopular council members has a snowball’s hope in hell…)<\/p>\n

Yes, I am aware that The Block treat this bylaw with the utter disrespect they show for other policies and laws. But an objective, professional media wouldn’t aid and abet their scurrilous attempts to get themselves re-elected at our mayor’s expense.**<\/span>
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\nI believe normal people are too ashamed, too embarrassed to behave in the blatantly egotistical, self-serving and disrespectful manner as The Block does. It certainly embarrasses other people to see them behave like this.  Which they do. A lot. Yet none of The Block have shown anything close to remorse for their behaviour this term. The definition of a sociopath<\/a> includes:<\/p>\n