There’ll be no chance to run the wellness department around Kathy Dunderdale’s cabinet table for Mount Pearl wunderkind Steve Kent.
The Big Scout took a major kick in the parliamentary goolies on Thursday, getting punted from the Premier’s good graces to take up the job of deputy chair of committees in the House of Assembly/
Sure there’s a little extra in the pay packet compared to your average member of the legislature but as the third in line to the Speaker’s chair, Kent basically gets to do nothing more exciting than chair a few committee meetings when the House sits.
And under the Tories, that’s not very often.
Before this, Kent managed to finagle a job as parliamentary secretary for forestry and agrifoods, a sort of half-minister reporting to the natural resources minister.
Normally a parl sec gig is the gateway to a cabinet appointment but not for the ambitious young fellow from Mount Pearl.
Maybe his demotion had something to do with his lack of enthusiasm for the Old Woman who replaced the Old Man. We told you about Steve’s sudden website make-over back in August. He dumped Danny – after the better part of a year - but in the remake, there was no sign of Kathy.
Kathy’s absence was very conspicuous. As SRBP put it in August:
Aside from one side-on shot at some event or other, Kathy Dunderdale is a big black hole on Steve Kent’s website.
Talk about negative space. Kathy’s absence just screams at you.
Steve could even have links to government news releases and a reference to the department he works for.
But there’s nada.
As it turns out the nada on the website mirrored the nada for Steve in cabinet appointments.
Did anyone see Paul Lane picking up a new suit at Tip Top by the Village Thursday night?
- srbp -