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Comments by others to this web-page - 10 - to this web-page at time of posting.
Mississauga News - Oct. 5, 2010 - By John Stewart - jstewart@mississauga.net
Debates generate complaints
Mayoral candidate.
Donald Barber, a candidate for mayor, speaks at an all-candidates' meeting on Monday.
He's one of several mayoral hopefuls complaining about the format of all-candidates debates.
Several of Mississauga's 17 mayoralty candidates want to hold their own all-candidates' session because they find the formats of the meetings held so far to be too restrictive.
"We want to do it ourselves and have our own public forum," five-time mayoralty candidate Donald Barber said. "We want to have the public there and let them ask questions. We want to engage the public."
Because there are 17 candidates for mayor, most all-candidates' forums held so far have been forced to restrict the speaking time of would-be mayors to just two to four minutes, with no opportunity for questions from the floor.
Barber said he and several other candidates feel a debate being held tonight, sponsored by the MIRANET association of ratepayer groups, is too restrictive. It's being taped for later broadcast on Rogers Community Television.
"If it's supposed to be a town hall forum, then it should be at the town hall and the public should be invited," Barber said.
Representatives of ratepayer associations will ask specific questions about local issues. Some questions will also be asked by students at University of Toronto Mississauga, where the event is being held.
Ten candidates were originally scheduled to take part, but the number has been reduced to six. They are Dave Cook, Hazel McCallion, Peter Orphanos, Andrew Seitz, Ram Selvarajah and George Winter.
Several candidates objected to the conditions laid down by MIRANET, which include a "civil behaviour" clause forbidding heckling and a restriction on recording devices.
Barber, a citizen blogger who wanted to have the event recorded for his website, was upset that candidates were not allowed to record it. He calls the rules "dictatorial."
MIRANET secretary Dorothy Tomiuk stresses that all candidates were given the same deadlines for signing on and the same set of rules to follow.
Candidates "fiddling" with recording equipment could be distracting, she says. Because candidates will be getting up from a conference table for mini-debates among each other, they could trip over wires. The event will be televised later, in any case, she said.
Tomiuk feels some candidates "chose" to make the recording restrictions a bone of contention.
Former City councillor Cook sees no problem with tonight's format nor any need for a separate debate sponsored by mayoralty candidates.
"There's nothing wrong with the debate that is planned tonight," he said. "Just because there are one or two who refuse to abide by rules, doesn't mean we have to do another."
Orphanos, a Streetsville resident, is looking forward to the free-wheeling opportunity for discussion. But he'll participate in another debate sponsored by fellow candidates, "as long as it is fair to everyone."
Tomiuk says MIRANET is "not trying to trap or trick anyone," but wants the event to be a conversation about Mississauga, "like you would have in someone's living room. We don't want to be hijacked by personal agendas.
"Some felt they were not able to handle a true debate format," she added.
Barber says other mayoral candidates supporting an alternative town hall-style open mayor's debate include Bryan Hallet, Seitz, Ursula Keuper-Bennett, Ghani Ahsan and Paul Fromm.
The group is looking for a central meeting place, such as a church or mosque, where they can hold the debate for free, or at minimal cost.
It would likely be held over several hours on a weekend to attract as many people as possible. An independent person would moderate.
Barber says there simply hasn't been enough attention paid to the mayor's race in the Oct. 25 municipal election.
"We're the sixth-largest city in Canada, but we're sleepwalking through this like it's an election for dog catcher," he said.
Comments by others - 10 - to this web-page at time of posting;
The Mississauga Muse
Oct 6, 2010 12:44 PM
I suggest you-all email the City Clerk's office and ask for the By-law agreement between the ROGERS and the City!
ROGERS. City. One-and-the-same. And examine the photos of the "Citizens of the year" gallery outside Council Chambers. Ron Lenyk Mississauga News publisher. Jake Dheer, Manager ROGERS Cable 10. J'es sayin'.
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ComeOn
Oct 6, 2010 11:41 AM
Soo CR/Mantis Can Read? Now read the part where Hazel McCallion Scandal a McCallion Production
It is a disgrace that we are not hearing from the candidates for Mayor in proper debate format robs every voter of the right to hear from the contenders for one of two people on council who will claim to speak for them over the next four years. What is the Mayor afraid from facing her opponents?
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msm
Oct 6, 2010 12:51 AM
Tomiuk is the One Fiddling, With Our Intelligence
As a voter, I don't want a debate to be held like it's "in someone's living room" and the entire point of these debates is precisely so people can learn about the candidates' "personal agendas." I doubt she is at all familiar with modern recording devices because there is no "fiddling" involved. Most require nothing more than one or two buttons to record and can be ignored until the debate has concluded. They are far less distracting than paper shuffling or pen tapping. Dave Cook is clearly out to lunch in thinking there is nothing wrong with a debate that excludes more than it includes.
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Uatu
Oct 5, 2010 10:01 PM
Dear Mantis,
Guess what, I answered you weeks ago and I'm not going to do it again. I'm not telling you where, either. By the way, anyone who has been reading here knows I haven't complained about your insults or anyone else's for a long long time. Repeating that I have won't make it true--but it does make you a liar. Now, why don't YOU explain why Hazel can claim under oath that her behaviour was completely ethical when she just passed a policy that says it clearly is unethical? I'm dying to see your explanation. Oh one more thing, about calling you a liar? I seem to recall that you firmly believe it's fine to say something if it's the truth.
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Think About It
Oct 5, 2010 8:30 PM
Right on Muse "No Holds Barred" the Spam Ganger Bangers are running away from CanSpam Compliance #4 disclosing address for starters
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-Compliance-Guide-for-Business
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Mantis
Oct 5, 2010 8:13 PM
@Donald Barber
Yes that's right...everything is a conspiracy....what an utter nutcase you are. All I can say is that heavens that there is no chance at all that you'll ever be mayor of this city or any other.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 7:59 PM
I've just discovered that I misread something else today so I've gone back to this for a more careful read.
Quote, "Several of Mississauga's 17 mayoralty candidates want to hold their own all-candidates' session because they find the formats of the meetings held so far to be too restrictive." "Several"? Am I misreading this? What's being proposed is an open forum for ALL mayoral candidates not just me, Hallet, Seitz, Ahsan and Fromm, right?
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ConcernedResident
Oct 5, 2010 5:31 PM
@Think About It aka Wayne Nagy
The only spammer around here is you. Again, you post a link that has nothing to do with the conversation.
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WatcherOIO
Oct 5, 2010 5:20 PM
Dave Cook sums it all up!
Dave Cook says - "Nothing wrong with the debate that is planned tonight," - this means he is OK with a Mayor's debate without the voters, taxpayers and most of the Ratepayers shut out! Good to know how Team McCallion operates!
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ConcernedResident
Oct 5, 2010 5:08 PM
@Uatu
At least if you are going to insult me, learn how to spell. Talk about blowing it big time. Oops, did I say big? For you I meant small. Really, really small. Toddle off now.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 4:55 PM
Mantis doth PERVERT. (again)
First off I would support/urge a venue like Donald Barber suggests even if it's just limited to the six candidates that managed to run the MIRANET gauntlet. Can't find the comment or recall who the commenter was but someone said that such a forum would show what candidates are quick to think on their feet (leaves me right out!). Canned speeches do not a mayor make. That said, on the negative, FOHs and HH's would pad the place. That said, a *real* Fleet of Foot and Mind would be able to handle a roomful of blind sycophant #@#^%@^@#$%!@##$%^^##@#@$%&s. One thing I've confirmed though is that Councillor Nando Iannicca suggesting that if people don't like what Council is doing, then run for office is just plain wrong. Like handing some rube a rifle and suggesting he leap over the wall and into a seasoned pro armed with a gattling gun. And back by a battalion of artillery.
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Mantis
Oct 5, 2010 4:29 PM
@Uatu
Tell us Uatu, why do you complain more than anyone else on this site about others using insults and attacks while at the same time you are the single worst offender? On an aside note, the huge uptick in apopolexy among the ususal wacky suspects around here makes me wonder if some sort of mass suicide might be coming in the wake of another ovwewhelming McCallion victory or after an inquiry report that logically fails to reach your pre-determined conclusions.
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Uatu
Oct 5, 2010 4:12 PM
Today ConcerenedLiar is cowering in this thread
Still afraid to admit you lied, still making up stories to attack, still tripping over your own fabrications.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 3:50 PM
@ Therese
You wrote, "I would rather associate with some one who swears than someone who swears on the bible and lies through their teeth." Funny you should write that. As an artifact of researching graffiti since April 2009 I've had email from taggers and graffers. And honestly I can't begin to describe some of the language! "Decent folk" look down on them. But in the course of emailing/communicating it became all-too-clear that "decent folk" insist on decorum and civility while in secret they're workin' the nasty to the rest of us. "in the City's best interests", of course. :-)
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 3:24 PM
For the record, this other venue isn't for me, as I conceded defeat 5 minutes after I registered on January 4, 2010
But it would be great to give people a chance to see Peter Orphanos, Andrew Seitz, Ram Selvarajah, George Winter and even Dave Cook again. It should be one of these five challenges for no other reason that they actually managed to leap through all of MIRANET's Policy hoops! And I'm eager to see if Andrew Seitz will try and push that Insurance idea where the City of Mississauga runs its own house/car insurance scam. Can tell you this. They'd sure generate income... But what Andrew doesn't know is it's the paying out you can't trust past the period in this sentence.
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Therese Taylor
Oct 5, 2010 3:20 PM
@ConcerenedResident, Private et al
I would rather associate with some one who swears than someone who swears on the bible and lies through their teeth.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 3:13 PM
@ ConcernedResident
You wrote, "You wouldn't have the balls to go at the Mayor in person." Good gawd I should hope not! I'm female! You wrote, " You talk a great game here, but in a one on one, you'd cower like a scalded puppy. If you ain't got it written down, you ain't going to say it." That's true because I have an anxiety disorder. Sheer terror of public speaking. My hands were all cold and clammy yesterday when I knew I'd committed myself to the ROGERS debate. Terror, ConcernedResident. But here's the thing. It took COURAGE for me to even sign that ROGERS release and send all off to MIRANET. And had I crossed the T's and dotted all the I's, I'd be there tonight not chickening out. And the beauty would be it would've been Hazel McCallion's own words shoved back at her. Words from her Staff. And Tom Urbaniak's. And there'd be a laptop with all supporting videos if anyone questioned anything. McCallion's had over 30 years of (what were Mantis' words?) "f**ing" with people's heads. I don't operate that way. I say, here's the ev
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ConcernedResident
Oct 5, 2010 2:57 PM
@Muse
You wouldn't have the balls to go at the Mayor in person. You talk a great game here, but in a one on one, you'd cower like a scalded puppy. If you ain't got it written down, you ain't going to say it.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:54 PM
@ everybody.
Regarding Private's treatise on "integrity" ya might want to know the degree to which that cretin reports only what's in his/her interests. And Private! Still awaitin' for you to tell me what your filthy mind concocted with all those @#!@$#@#^%#^$&%^%##&^^&#%3^%*&*manIwishIhadmorefonts#@#$#$^%^. Keep ho'ing fo' Hazel, doll!
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:52 PM
Private is *ho*ing for Hazel
Private is definitely a Hazel Ho and it's soooo easy to prove. Private is just sooooo MYTHissauga. Recall how I warn citizens that it's not what Hazel's Hos say it's what they don't say. At 2:37 Private "informs" readers by quoting just a piece of what I wrote. This part, "I was going to go AT her. Shove her own words right back at here in front of the cameras and draw her honesty/credibility into question. Was prepared to be kicked out of the debate too. And the irony (smiling as I type this) is I failed to follow Policy". Then stops. Private purposely cuts out my next sentences which read, "I was going to go AT her. Shove her own words right back at here in front of the cameras and draw her honesty/credibility into question. Was prepared to be kicked out of the debate too. And the irony (smiling as I type this) is I failed to follow Policy"Now here's the difference between me and Hazel McCallion and her employees. I ADMIT TO THAT FAILURE! Whereas they lie that they "follow policy very, very very diligently"
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Private
Oct 5, 2010 2:50 PM
Ursula Keuper-Bennett is 'The Mississauga Muse'
One would think that any legitimate mayoral candidate with any sense of integrity would hopefully refuse to take part in any public event involving this trash talking filthy mouthed person. From a legal standpoint, I would strongly suggest that anybody participating in a public forum with this individual would expose themselves to damaging legal consequences/liabilities. Seriously, speak with your legal council before committing your participation.
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Mantis
Oct 5, 2010 2:46 PM
Fringe Candidates Debate
What Barber is calling for is a fringe candidates debate that he can stack with the few wackos who support him in order to try to gang up on the mayor and create the illusion that she lacks overhwelming majority support. If Barber and the rest of the fringe candidates - Mississauga Muse included - don't like the rules, then don't play the game. It's not as if any of those calling for a different format have any chance of winning more than a handful of votes anyway.
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:42 PM
@ Private
Look stupid. The words I was prepared to shove back at McCallion were her OWN WORDS... all documented on video. Like her lie under oath at the Judicial Inquiry: the Staff "follow policy very, very very diligently" and then match that with the multiple times she bemoaned Staff's "complete disregard for policy". Or McCallion's famous "honesty with the citizens" speech paired with her purposely withholding David O'Brien from that January 22, 2009 Enersource public information meeting where she lied right into the ROGERS camera that the purpose of the meeting was to given citizens "as much information as possible". Ya know, you wrote that I was "f**ked in the head". You still have to prove to me that you GOT one!
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Private
Oct 5, 2010 2:37 PM
Ursula Keuper-Bennett posted...". Was prepared to be kicked out of the debate too"
Oct 5, 2010 10:30 AM http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/881924--mayoral-debate-set-at-utm ". I was going to go AT her. Shove her own words right back at here in front of the cameras and draw her honesty/credibility into question. Was prepared to be kicked out of the debate too. And the irony (smiling as I type this) is I failed to follow Policy"
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:37 PM
@ Private
You wrote, "Ursula Keuper-Bennett posted... "you're "f**ked in the head" And YOU'RE a f**kin' hypocrite! Oh. And bend over. @#!$$#$#$#$#^%$^%^^%$^%^%@^$%$%@#$$#@$#%$%@$#%$#$%$%$@#%$^%&^*&(*(%^$@$%&^&^&^**^^&$@#$$^ *and* all your house pets!
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:35 PM
@ Therese. Have I got a video for you to check out!
You wrote, "A taped (and edited) debate with invited guests is not the proper forum Mississauga citizens need for a proper debate." I'm not against taped and editing. I edit to remove dead-time between one speaker leaving the podium and another arriving. But I sure as heck don't trust ROGERS CABLE 10 editing. I have the by-law agreement between ROGERS and the City regarding televising Council programs and stuff. You read that and ROGERS/CITYofMYTHissauga are as one-and-the-same as Nobrega/McCallion. Here. You gotta check this. ROGERS TV during the January 22, 2009 Enersource public "information" meeting. Title, "ROGERS CABLE 10 MISSISSAUGA (aka City of MYTHissauga TV) fluffing MYTHissauga since..?.. " (I'm laughing about it now, of course...) www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-UWodkfepk
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The Mississauga Muse
Oct 5, 2010 2:27 PM
DOROTHY TOMIUK STILL DECEIVING THE PUBLIC. It's NOT about "fiddling"
She's fiddled as saying, "Candidates "fiddling" with recording equipment could be distracting, she says. Because candidates will be getting up from a conference table for mini-debates among each other, they could trip over wires." This is MIRANET's rule: "Recording devices cannot be left unattended to operate remotely within the room." Hey you can add that I'm questioning the honesty of MIRANET with that "fiddling" with recording equipment" line two articles in a row.
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Therese Taylor
Oct 5, 2010 2:26 PM
Good Work John Stewart. I hope the News has more coverage planned than we've so far seen.
Barber's got it right. "We're the sixth-largest city in Canada, but we're sleepwalking through this like it's an election for dog catcher." A taped (and edited) debate with invited guests is not the proper forum Mississauga citizens need for a proper debate.
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