Thursday, October 10, 2013

Let’s talk about the Mayor Forum and some class.

This afternoon I made a mistake at approximately 4pm I was send a link to a video on Youtube of a alleged conversation between our Mayor and his council. I posted that link probably a rash decision done in haste, at 6pm I checked that link again and there were further conversations posted about an alleged deal where a councilor had a invoice from the municipality that was written off. My response at this point was “holy shit” this is bad so I deleted the link.
Took my wife to the Mayor’s forum where she and I sat for two hours listened respectively to each person speak applauded and paid attention to where everybody stood on the issues. In the closing comments the Mayor decided that he was going to make an example of me. He choose to talk about the new lows of politics and invited everybody to check out Dean Ward’s blog and see the American style attack ad. Well I was a little shocked that a man who spent the better part of laughing his head of every time somebody said something contrary to his positions for three hours last night at the councilor’s forum, would slam somebody else about class.
I was especially upset when I saw Ed Strembicki stand up last night (actually somebody I have grown to  respect a lot over the last six months) and speak about how he did not appreciate the Mayor calling him a CAVER and a REDNECK, then I looked across the room and saw the Mayor hysterically laughing another a new low in politics. That’s class.
Let’s talk about the incumbent councilor, I have attended 95% of the council meeting in the last three years and watched this incumbent stick up his hand and usually start with. “Well all the questions I was going to ask have already been asked but I will ask something really insignificant to the conversation now”. At the same time watching some of the other councilor's smirk or roll their eyes. Suddenly he is standing up at the forums asking more questions than he as asked in the last three years. If you were that concerned about this community and that much in support of your "team" why are you not running? And yes Mr Rosner’s assessment of the way he worked the crowd was bang on.
Back to the start well if the man, that I watched attack the press in a bully type approach because they were not "accurately" reporting his council meetings then gave them no chance to respond. That attacked residents at public forums at the Elks Hall because they disagreed with his directions. That attacked anybody that disagreed with him in his newsletters with childish name calling, wants to talk about my level of class go ahead.
Then tonight he attacks and attempts to embarrass me in front of the most important person in my life go ahead. I hope you feel like a hero, but to you I say the people that matter will pass judgment on Oct 21st. To the incumbent councilor you put up the good fight for your "team" but obviously you could no longer stand the heat in the kitchen.

P.S it was a neat trick to burn up my three questions quickly last night and then have one of your supporters attack me about a tax increase in 2008, (that I did not support) and leave me with no opportunity to respond.

To the residents of the Crowsnest Pass Thank you for your support.

Debbie and Dean    

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dean, you got my vote. You took a lot of hits about your position on closing the ClC center for which current Council is claiming credit for changing the skyline of the Crowsnest pass. As far as most of us are concerned, the weak logo does not replace the skyline of the Crowsnest Pass, which it THE MOUNTAIN ITSELF. Being right sometimes is not popular in the short term, but Dean, being right is always recognized in the long term.

Anonymous said...

Bruce should clean up his own backyard before he talks about somebody else's. He also was very weak tonight a clear third place. Amazing how he suddenly realized that he as a communication problem.

Judy said...

Dean, Terry and I support you all the way. The mayor bumbled his way through tonight and showed absolutely zero class with his closing remarks. He should be ashamed of himself instead of trying to lead the Pass into total destitution.

Anonymous said...

I was disappointed to hear Strembicki say that councillors role was to support the mayor (did you hear it that way?).

The mayor is just one vote out of seven and a councillor should stand up for what he/she thinks is good for the community regardless of the mayor's agenda.

Also, maybe I'm nit-picking, but I didn't like statements by some candidates (for mayor or councillor) that Council or Administration's role was to run "the community". The municipality's role is to provide streets, sewers, parks, bylaw enforcement, development planning, etc. Otherwise it should butt out of our business. The municipal government is not "the community".

Anonymous said...

What the heck is this community connections group? Is this similar to the group that Bruce put to together in august of 2010 at the Elks Hall. Who could be on the team.?

Anonymous said...

Sorry that was the Blairmore Lions Halls, hope I do not want to get scolded for inaccurate "reporting".

Anonymous said...

In a shocker Bruce announced that Franchise fees had gone up enough.he failed to tell us that they debated for two months about raising it another $200,000. Then like finding nirvana he now see that we have neglected the municipal employees for the last years. This buy is a real pro.

Sasha said...

Keep your head held high Dean!! You bring a lot to the table!! Be proud and keep doing the things you do for this community!!

Anonymous said...

12:44 think of the weiner roast up at the Bellevue Fireman's Park a month or so back, where all the elite's dined on weiner's and wine. (Ran out of cheese)

Anonymous said...

"This afternoon I made a mistake at approximately 4pm I was send a link to a video on Youtube of a alleged conversation between our Mayor and his council. I posted that link probably a rash decision done in haste ..."

If this is a "Dean for Councillor" site it was a mistake.

If it is an "information, opinions and views" site then you should have published it.

When this is a Councillor Dean site you will need to figure out different standards for what you will publish.

Anonymous said...

Dean,
My thoughts on the mayor's closing comments were that he was referring more to the error in the video than anything else. He was attempting to make light of the reference to him having a "law degree". His attempts at humour were off the mark through the evening.

As an unbiased and undecided voter, I didn't take his comments as an attack on you, but a reference to an error in the video link, The bigger concern for me is that we had someone "covertly" recording meetings and conversations, as mentioned in the inspection report.

I encourage you not to get into the mud over the next two weeks- your previous experience is an asset, but it also makes you an easy target.

Regards,

Thomas

Anonymous said...

The Mayor talks about using USA style politics. Well, anyone who watched last years Vice President debates saw VP Joe Biden laugh his way through the debate with his challenger Paul Ryan. The Mayor took a page out of Bidens book, and is the one using the USA style politics.

When you have no communications skills or no defense for the actions taken, what other defense is there but to try to humiliate your opponent, or admit your faults. You'll never get that from this dude.

The Mayor was a d**k when he was brought up here in the Pass and he still is one. It shows that you can paint the wood but the grain is always there in the wood under all those paint layers.

Anonymous said...

Dean to be honest the forum made me want to puke there were so many planted questions that it became obvious what was going on. I fully expected it to get to the point where they would ask candidates they did not like to explain Einstein's theory of relativity then ask one of their team let's say Tim Juhlin what his favourite color was. Little surprise to see that the Mullen's had no interest in what the Mayor had to say last night. Keep up your chin Dean you have my support and remember you don't change 70 years of pompous.

Anonymous said...

To be honest, if you are willing to dish it out, you must also be willing to also take it also. Two way street.

Anonymous said...

If the tape recordings are accurate we have a major problem here. Not only did the CAO lie about decisions being made but whole council and Mayor. I attended the meetings and was totally disgusted with the way the Mayor behaved. I was one of the undecided until last night. To personally attack some one who can not make a response is wrong. I thought Mr. Prince and Mr. Painter handled themselves with respect and class.

Mary said...

Dean, after last night my family and I(4 VOTES) are behind you 100%.

Anonymous said...

I did not attend the forum but by the obvious remarks it sounds like it was an act of desperation by the mayor to laugh away his months of insults, innuendos and his commands of this is the way it is and this is the way it is going to be and to hell with what you the taxpayer likes or wants.
I will be leaving the crowsnest pass if Decoux becomes our next mayor or even Prince for that matter. Who needs a rude, crude, dude with an attitude.

Anonymous said...

Anon 09:18 AM : Normally we don't need a rude, crude, dude with an attitude -- except these are not normal times. We have been driven off the road and into the ditch and have get back on the road.

Many leaders who did not fair well during normal times rose to the occasion during times of need. One in mind is England during the Second World War. That leader did well and as turfed out after the war was won. That's why we need an unconventional person in the mayor's seat at this time and that is John Prince.

The same goes for Dean for council. These are the times we need people like him.

Anonymous said...

I hear that Sig is promoting Tim Juhlin. After watching Sig over the last two nights with all of his antics. It really makes me question supporting Mr Juhlin.
Now really who wrote all of those questions for Sig I have not been to many council meeting but the few I did attend certainly showed me nothing that would lead me to believe that he did them himself.

John

Anonymous said...

To the person who wanted to puke because of planted questions, I just want to say you are full of s**t as far as I am concerned - I asked several questions OF MY OWN because I was concerned about the apparent anti-incumbent hysteria and lack of thoughtfulness when considering the challenges of governing such a fractious community. I agree the mayor has crappy communications skills, but I also think that virtually any of us would have made nearly identical decisions to those of this council - but we would present them better. It is the crass hypocrisy of current candidates (particularly the "more for me, never mind the impact on the quality of our community, ratepayers/tea partiers) that make me want to puke. They know damn well that the Farmer report presented a solid endorsement of the council and the vast majority of it's criticisms were aimed at the administration (and yes, council needs to correct the CAO's performance). These councilors are well intentioned people who basically volunteer for their community and all you can do is crap on them - open your minds just a tiny bit, and challenge your assumptions; it's good for you!

Here's the deal - I used to volunteer a lot more in this community. But the culture here is clearly one of "if you are new, you don't count, only we locals really know how it works". I could not handle this small minded provincialism, and all the petty corruption that pervaded these boards - many of which, including the skill hill authority Painter so proudly served on, were dissolved because of incompetence - just look at the ski hill performance SINCE he left - all uphill.

If the mayor is dismissive of some of the reactionaries who want nothing but the good old days back (want real stories? I've got real stories), then I find it hard to blame him. When I moved to this "community", I never expected to find such a high HICK content. I damn near left after a year.

You want volunteers back? Grow up as a community!

I suppose we will get a new mayor and councilors anyway - just remember four years from now to loudly proclaim that you voted for this council.

And Dean, if you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen - I like you personally and your passion for the community, but stop all this populist nonsense. And don't pretend that by voting against something you know must be done and which will pass anyway, is somehow noble, rather than just a way of avoiding blame. Good luck on council - you will win - but you will be watched and challenged.

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

Sorry if I am wrong on the times but 6:55 and 7:45 I choose not to post your comments.

6:55 You want to slam the hell out of me using those kinds of terms it is not getting posted

7:45 I agree with your comments about the Mayor but I am not going to allow them to be posted on my blog unless you find more appropriate words to say it.



Anonymous said...

There is no doubt that some of the questions were legit. I know that, but there is also no doubt that some of the questions were plants. The performance of some people and the way they moved around the room was obvious. Mr Rosner hit it right on the head.
The Mayors reaction to Ed S said it all.
I will be voting for you on the 21st and thanks for all your time and effort.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor did not perform well and it is very unlikely that a "gentle and more sophisticated" approach is possible with the current crew. Blaming the administrators is hypocrisy.

A report which gives more than 80 recommendations for improvement, in almost every area of the operations, is not a vindication of anyone or anything.

And where did you ever see an executive summary running this many pages? Bunch of bureaucratic language and most important points are between the lines.

Anonymous said...

12:09 wrote:
"I asked several questions OF MY OWN"

We've been asking questions about the Hotel thing and costs of Strategic Plan programs for months. The report recommended they come clean but didn't impose a deadline.

They are supposed to disclose everything that is not confidential according to FOIP. That means that whatever they eventually disclose is not confidential, they could tell us now, or could have told us months ago. In fact any councillor could have told us the facts, but they have agreed to a code of silence.

"...we would present them better"

We still don't have the information on which they made their "informed decisions". The report says

"Furthermore, it is important that the public be allowed to provide input to the decision making process and that members of council do not reach conclusions before all information is provided and a public debate can occur. Transparency should always be an underlying principle of good governance."

Do you think they have yet got that message? Their idea of public input is their wine'n'cheese galas.

I wouldn't call it a communication or presentation problem, it's obsessive paranoid secrecy.

Anonymous said...

Chatter in the lunchroom today.
The guys that attended the forums were very impressed with both Painter and Prince. Not very impressed with Decoux apparently he took about 60 seconds to prove that he is the bully that he claims not to be.
They were also a little confused to see Councillor Gail working so hard to make his soon to be ex team mates look good. It appears from talk around town that the team groomed Tim Juhlin to take his spot.

Anonymous said...

Funny, in my comments, beside Tim's name, after listening to his "intro" or "speech", I put "Siegbert like". Looks like I might have pegged that one.

Anonymous said...

Painter and Prince did well last night both spoke very professionally. I was impressed there was some very tough questions.

Anonymous said...

You do not deserve to be in council. You are ALL about yourself and not the community. Funny how you can bash council and specific councillors in the past three years on your public blog and one shot at you and you waffle and cry.

I know you don't courage to post this or to do the right thing for our community.

Anonymous said...

Val Danielson seemed to fairly moderate the event until she let Bruce take that shoddy off-topic shot at Dean. Bruce was out of order according to her rules. She had shut down others who did that.

Anonymous said...

I would like to thank Val for moderating those two evenings. Not a job I would have stepped up for. I think she did an awesome job, and I have nothing but praise and admiration for her. What an asset she is.

THANK YOU VAL DANIELSON!

Anonymous said...

Prior to this forum I did not have a lot of respect for John Prince. After watching him perform Thursday night I have now changed my position.

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

10:02

First of all if I post something on my blog people have the opportunity to respond. Not wait until the end of a meeting where a person does not have an opportunity to defend themselves.
As long as they do not get ignorant or derogatory I post it.
Second when I make a mistake I have no problem owning up to it. Did the Mayor ever fess up to any of his short comings.
Third everybody as a option to read my blog or not. Nobody in that gym knew that was coming.
But that is ok as one person said to me the Mayor took 60 seconds to prove he was everything he is trying to say he is not.
In six years as an elected official I never once purposely attempted to embarrass somebody that sat in front of me.
And lastly I would challenge you to find one example on my blog where I have written a personal attack.

Anonymous said...

The Voice has videos

http://www.crowsnestvoice.com/2013/10/crowsnest-mayoral-candidates-debate.html#more

3 x 30 minutes.

Anonymous said...

Both Painter and Prince did quite well in the debate. Bruce looked uncomfortable and fidgeted a lot. He tried to obscure his insecurity by laughing a lot. I voted for this guy in the last election thinking he was legit, not so.