Scanned, recopied or Internet copy, if there are errors, please e-mail me with corrections: Opening comments: More at the end. Mississauga News - Aug. 21, 2009 - Letter of Week - Ursula Keuper-Bennet and Paul Bennett City Council Cowards Dear Editor:In your Aug. 13 editorial, “Parrish Should Run Now,” you observed that Ward 6 councillor Carolyn Parrish wishes to become mayor one day and “has joined a long list of those who would be queen, content to bide her time until McCallion either retires or dies.” Why single out Parrish? Why not call for all those other cowards blighting Mississauga’s long list who would be “queen” (or king) to run against Hazel McCallion? Cowards all. Cowards who never cared enough about Mississauga residents to provide us with a democracy – a real choice at the ballot — for over two decades. What does it say for the future of our city when the local paper observes, “we haven’t had a real mayoralty race here since 1982?” In addition, this editorial is certainly deceptive when it states that McCallion “doesn’t even bother to campaign.” Fact is, local publications like The Business Times, The Streetsville Booster and, even The Mississauga News, essentially trumpet what McCallion wants them to: “Mississauga: Best City In Canada! Hurricane Hazel, Best Mayor Ever!” Sound familiar? By celebrating success (real or invented) and hiding failures, Hazel, her Council and City staff have lulled people into thinking everything is great. The result is abysmally low turnout at the polls. Your editorial ends with, “The last thing we need in these challenging times is another coronation. Residents deserve a choice when they mark their ballot.” I disagree. That’s the second-last thing Mississaugans need. The last thing we need is a post-McCallion ballot limiting our choice to the cowards blighting Mississauga’s “long list who would be queen” (or king)? Comments by others, 4, to this web-page; Think About It Aug 23, 2009 11:36 PM After just posting my new Facebook video “ Park Royal Home Grown Kids of the 60's and 70's reunite “ I began wondering what in cripes was McCallion doing at my recent Grade 6 Willow Glen Public School reunion and who invited her in the absence of my own of Facebook colleagues I grew up with in Park Royal in the 60”s. It throws the baby out with the bath water when there’s a 48 year old kid flunking out of our public school systems 35 times just for the sake of getting her mug in the newspaper. They could have at least taken photographs of us baby boomers who attended our grade 6 graduation which I thought I was there for? The Mississauga Muse Aug 23, 2009 10:12 PM (Cut-and-pasted from original my original Letter) “In addition, this Editorial is certainly less than honest when it states that Mississaugans haven’t had Hazel McCallion “doesn’t even bother to campaign” Fact is, local publications like Business Times, Boosters, yes, The Mississauga News essentially trumpet what McCallion wants them to. (OK, that part was printed. The rest was deleted) And let’s not forget the impressive cadre of hand-selected citizen committee reps and those who’ve benefited from Corporate grants ever ready to generate “Hail Hazel” letters to newspapers or act as “talking heads” parroting the Party Line. Indeed each winter, posters of Hazel McCallion complete with snow shovel grace our bus shelters with “Together we will weather the storm”. Vast banners with McCallion’s image hung from Trillium Hospital during the “I [heart] Hazel” campaign. It wasn’t possible to order a coffee without being reminded who our mayor was.” The Mississauga Muse Aug 23, 2009 10:11 PM (Cut-and-pasted from original my original Letter) Good Lord “doesn’t even bother to campaign”. All that our local elected need do is ensure that their municipal employees are happy and they’ve guaranteed highly motivated campaign workers and shoe-in votes. It’s no accident that even in this economy, all City of Mississauga contracts were quietly negotiated resulting in 3% raises and benefits kept at least as is. Add to that, the now well-documented fact that Mayor and Councillors instruct Staff to inform them when Staff don’t follow Corporate Policies –in short, expect Staff to monitor themselves, and Mayor in Mississauga is purely a symbolic role to create the illusion of democracy. The Mississauga Muse Aug 23, 2009 10:10 PM (Cut-and-pasted from original my original Letter) Two years’ worth of Freedom of Information documents tell the tale. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not just singling out Mississauga here. Citizens are duped by their city halls right across this province –likely even Canada. Indeed even the Media are duped, although in some cases know about Mississauga’s Reign of Barrier but prefer to look the other way and not out our city’s Inconvenient Truth. Signed, The (“Barber”ed but not yet Nandoed) Mississauga Muse Home Page - Main Table of Contents - Back up a page - Back to Top [COMMENTS BY DON B. - ] |
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