Clowncil should try honesty, not more secrecy #nlpoli

The problem at St. John's city council isn't the recent budget.

Council is a nest of ego and ambition.  Not so very long ago,  council members fought among themselves privately and publicly.   Some of it wasn't very pretty.  Some of it was often very petty. But in the clash among councillors the public found out about what was happening with their city.

The current crop of councillors decided that the best thing for them to do is take decisions and debate out of the public view and to move it behind closed doors, into the shadows.  They caught the disease of arrogance and entitlement that infects provincial politics. 

The budget was nothing more than a symptom of the deeper problems at city hall.

You can never go home again

Ron Ellsworth lost his bid to sit on the eastern school district board, the place where he began his short career in elected politics.

That’s hot on the heels of his humiliation at the hands of Doc O’Keefe in the race for mayor of St. John’s in September.

All that bodes extremely well for his opponents if  Ron gets the Tory nod in any St. John’s seat in any upcoming provincial general election or by-election.

-srbp-

Zombieland

Fresh from his humiliating defeat at the hands of Doc O’Keefe, Ron Ellsworth is not content to be politically dead for a moment.

He is playing the political zombie card.

Ron is trying his hand at getting elected – again – to the Eastern School District board. 

He’s running in the zone that matches Ward Four in the City of St. John’s.

Lest you think this makes Ellsworth something special,  Ronnie isn’t alone in being a defeated candidate trying his hand at another elected office. 

Over in the board zone that matches Ward Two, voters can find Scott Fitzgerald.  He ran in said ward just a few weeks ago and was soundly defeated by incumbent Frank Galgay.

Meanwhile, in the zone matching city Ward Three there is George Joyce.  You may recall George ran in the last provincial election against Sheila Osborne in St. John’s West.

And, of course, the guy from Avalon West who is currently the board chair – Milton Peach – is a former Tory cabinet minister from the Peckford years.

Now for people who haven’t held elected office before, the school board can be a way of getting your name around and building up some contacts for a run at something else.

For Scott and even George, then,  there is some sense to this if they have future political ambitions.

But as for Ron, it seems a  bit odd to go backwards  - so to speak - like this.

After all, if he loses this one, where else can he go?

-srbp-

Keeping the Old Team Together

Deputy mayoral candidate Keith Coombs decided to build his campaign team around a trusted core.

The man who helped bring taxpayers the Wells-Coombs Memorial Money Pit -  a.k.a Mile One -  is using Lisa Neville as the media liaison for his election campaign.

Neville was unceremoniously turfed from her job as council and the Money Pit board tried to staunch the seemingly never-ending flow of red ink at St. John’s Sport and Entertainment. It remains mired in debt despite Neville’s commitment in 2006 to see the centre “debt free and subsidy free by 2010.”

In 2008, the Mile One crew claimed to have a surplus of $110,000.  However, when the increased taxpayer subsidy was taken into account, the red ink still totalled almost $2.0 million.

Since 2005, the city has increased its subsidy to the centre which has – nonetheless – continued to lose money each year. Way back then – when just by the purest of pure coincidences the stadium was a hot election issue -  there was even a claim the thing might make money in 2005. 

Of course, in the spirit of being responsible with taxpayers’ money,  at least one candidate has been known to endorse the red ink.  In December 2007, Ron Ellsworth apparently felt that bleeding taxpayers is okay since the centre pumps money into the pockets of local businesses:

"As a businessperson I certainly wouldn't take it on and run it as a business, because it wouldn't put money into my pocket as the owner," said Ellsworth, who represents the city on the board of St. John's Sports and Entertainment, which governs Mile One.

"Why the City of St. John's can do it, and why we are doing it, is that it's an economic development engine that's been created."

Talk about keeping the old team together.

Imagine Ron as mayor with Keith as his Number Two. 

Now that would be a dream team for someone.

But that someone wouldn’t be the average debt-burdened taxpayer.

 

-srbp-

Visions are nice…

Ron Ellsworth has a plan.

Well Ron claims he has a plan in slick little web ads that pop up on some Telegram pages.

Ron calls it The Ellsworth Essentials.

Ron says he has a vision.

A vision of Ron as mayor, apparently.

Ron thinks that this slick little campaign will serve to help Ron fulfill his vision.

It might.

But that doesn’t mean the city will be better off.

That’s because Ron doesn’t have a plan for the city itself.

Ron says the city needs a plan.

He’s right.

It needs a plan badly.

And Ron is ready to provide such a plan.

In fact, having a plan for the city is so important that Ron’s first plan is to develop a plan.

But not before the election.

He’ll develop the plan later.

When later?

After we’ve elected Ron and his vision to be mayor.

How long after that, then?

Ron won’t say.

But did I tell you Ron has a vision?

Oh.

I did.

Well, he does.

So while Ron has a vision and doesn’t have a plan, he does plan to get a plan.

Sometime.

Meanwhile, Ron will be doing other stuff.

Without the plan he should have now, before he gets elected.

Stuff  like spending your money.

How much money is a mystery.

Apparently telling you - the people of St. John’s  - how much of your money he wants to spend on his “essentials” is not essential to Ron’s vision.

Or his plan.

When he finally gets one.

Eventually.

Ron will spend your money on snow clearing, which, as part of Essential Number Three Ron assures us will be “better”. 

It will be “better” because Ron “will shorten plow [sic] routes to provide better snow clearing service for the city with intensified efforts to get to the curb the first time, thereby reducing the number of plow [sic] passes needed to get the job done right.”

Good, sez you. 

We need “better” snow clearing.

We do.

“Better” snow clearing sounds great.

It does.

Except for the few minor problems.

First, getting to the curb the first time is not a function of how long a route the snow plough has to travel.  It is a function of how much snow falls in a given period.

Very little snow and one plough can do the whole city the first time, right back to your doorstep, let alone the curb.  Tons of snow coupled with high winds and freezing rain – a typical St. John’s storm, he said on somewhat tongue in cheek - and the entire snow plough supply of Canada won’t get you to work in 15 minutes.

So Ron’s vision is – shall we say – just a little  fuzzy on this crucial point of how shortening the length of a route will make snow clearing “better.”

Second, we don’t know how many snow ploughs will Ron need to “get the job done right.” 

Ron doesn’t say.

Ron doesn’t say likely because Ron doesn’t know. 

Ron just has a vision.

So let’s just say  - for argument sake – that Ron thinks that in order to get the job done “right”, a snow plough route should be 11.5 kilometres long instead of the current 23 kilometres.

That would mean Ron needs twice as many trucks and twice as many employees as the city currently has.

This will not make snow clearing “better” because  the route length isn’t the key thing.

But let’s humour Ron.

Doubling how much you pay for snow clearing doesn’t work out to “better” snow clearing.

It just means you pay more.

Which brings us to point three:

How will Ron pay for all this?

Ron doesn’t know.

That’s something to be worked out.

Maybe.

because nowhere in Ron’s vision does Ron say he will ever figure out how much all this stuff will cost or how much he’ll get you to pay for it.

Meanwhile Ron is concerned about public debt.

He wants to be responsible “with your tax dollars.”

No plan.

Lots of promises.

That’s how taxpayers got the huge debt in the first place.

More of the same is not a vision.

It’s a nightmare.

So where will Ron find the money for snow clearing?

Look at your wallet.

That’s where Ron will get the money for his vision.

Keep looking at your wallet.

Ron has more ideas.

Remember the para-transit tax grab?

That’s just the beginning.

Now Ron thinks it is “essential” to put together buses, para-transit and – wait for it – commercially run taxi cabs –  in a single transportation system paid for, presumably, with your tax dollars.

Ron also wants more affordable housing.

Great idea. 

It’s a federal and provincial responsibility.  Let Danny and Steve figure it out. 

Let Danny and Steve tell Len to pay for it.

But if Ron gets together with Danny and Steve, those three won’t be footing the bill.

You will.

Ron Ellsworth has a vision.

No plan.

Just a vision.

Lots of people have visions.

Visions are nice.

But if Ron Ellsworth thinks he can reach into my pocket and suck out whatever cash is there to pay for stuff without a real plan, then Ron isn’t having a vision.

Ron is seeing things.

And hearing voices.

People who see things and hear voices don’t get to be mayor.

They should be under a doctor’s care.

-srbp-

Why…

1.  Does Ron Ellsworth, wannabe mayor, keep referring to himself in the plural as in “we” received information or when “we” got into politics when he is referring to himself, singularly and personally?

The “we”, something he copied from his model’s speaking pattern along with referring to things as this “piece” or that “piece”, sounds pompous, arrogant or – worse – deranged.  [word replaced;  see note below]

And while we are at it, why…

2.  would Ron Ellsworth, wannabe mayor, bring up optional blind trusts for city councillors when there are other ethics issues he’s clearly ignoring.

Like campaign finance reform.

Far better for people to know which monied interests in town are backing candidates than giving councillors the option of putting their interests at arms length.

But in the spirit of disclosure and accountability, maybe Ron could disclose publicly his own local business interests for starters and a complete accounting of his campaign donations and expenses for the past two elections.

We are not talking about the ones required by the laughable city election rules.  We are talking about full and complete disclosure using – for example – the federal campaign spending and reporting rules.

Ellsworth has made a rod to beat his own back, but his rival for the mayor’s chair – Doc O’Keefe  - isn’t likely politically swift enough to use it. 

Others might not be.

-srbp-

Change update:  There are two parts of that post that require correction, elaboration and clarification.

The first is the use of the word “mentor” in reference to Ellsworth.  That wasn’t the right word since it could suggest a conscious collaboration by both parties. The word “model” is better since it merely suggests what seems to be obvious, namely that Ellsworth is modelling himself on a certain well-known politician.

The second is to replace the words “but Doc is too stunned to use it, most likely”.  Stunned is a common enough local word and while that phrase would come across to someone who got the point using dialect, the potential for misunderstanding is too great to leave it alone.

The phrase could be taken the wrong way so best to change it to one that more accurately reflects the meaning intended:

As it now reads, the sentence should convey the point that while Ellsworth has essentially handed his rival with a political rod to beat him about the head with, Ellsworth’s rival hasn’t displayed the sort of political savvy and moxie – the political swiftness – to capitalize on his opponent’s blunder.

Now for those who think your humble e-scribbler got calls, be assured that there were none.  Also be assured that Doc’s crowd won’t like the revised version any better than the one before.  Nor will Ellsworth and his crowd.

This just makes plain what was meant.

Polling bullshit from mayor

If Doc O’Keefe, the mayor of a Great Sittee, actually has a poll that shows him with numbers he is very comfortable with, then he’d release the whole thing.

The fact he won’t release the poll to local media suggests the numbers are a lot less rosy than O’Keefe is claiming.

That would also explain why the deputy mayor  - Ron Ellsworth - is getting his team ready for a run at the Barking-Lounger job made famous by Andy Wells and now occupied by the less-than-impressive O’Keefe.

Show us the numbers, Doc and maybe we’ll believe you.  Otherwise, that clocking noise we hear is probably your knees knocking together.

Or maybe the clock ticking out on your time as head of the Great Sittee.

-srbp-