Claude McIntosh Sends CFN his Birthday Wishes in his Saturday Column and City Hall Fuming? February 4, 2012

CFN – Birthday gifts come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.    This morning I guess I received one from Claude McIntosh and the Standard – Freeholder in his column.    LINK

As we celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of CFN, a very proud moment for me personally, I read this column by the esteemed veteran media person in Cornwall and kinda smile.

What he’s written is very serious; but it truly shows the soft underbelly of the ruling caste here in Cornwall.

Yesterday; while we were chatting on the phone about this story, Mr. McIntosh suggested some sort of personal bias or grudge I had in publishing the poll.

I said:  “Claude, almost all the names in the poll have had run ins with you too.”     I also told him that  his suggestion or some of the names on the polls suggestion of some personal bias was utter nonsense.

Anyone that’s worked with me knows I don’t hold grudges.    Case in point Mike Guimond of Mix 96 and the Fox who I litigated against last year.   Mike and I had a chat afterwards, and he’s advertised his business on CFN and if you listen starting Monday you’ll hear our birthday ads on the Fox.

Also, anyone that’s read CFN for awhile will find a lot of articles expounding the positive virtues of almost everyone in the original poll.   I don’t have personal bias against anyone.   Life is waaaaaaay  too short, and I’m way too professional.

I think Mr. McIntosh’s column was wonderful in that it really outs some people that probably should not be in positions of power or public office.    I really do.   This community is truly so wonderful that it’s sad to see some of these people holding back growth in Cornwall.   All you have to do is look at the Communities in BOOM report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business or those struggling to open businesses in Cornwall who get mauled by the permit people.

To clarify a few points in Claude’s piece:

“Connecting politicians with corruption is bad enough, but trying to brand people who run businesses and do a lot of good work for the community on their own time and dime is beyond crossing the line. This really hurts,” said one of those on the list who didn’t want to be named.

If you don’t have the testicular fortitude Gilles Latour to state your name in an allegation like that I’d ask why it’s being printed?   It also shows a disconnect to the question that was raised and answered by the public.   So many of the issues we bring to the front are hot topics at Timmies.    What I do as an editor is bring public discussion to the printed page because what people think and talk about truly is important.

“He (Gilcig) has a problem with everybody on the list. That’s why we were put on it,” he explained.

For Councilor Murphy to suggest that would suggest he has psychic powers. Of course he also writes for Chris Savard, my former contractor, who started an online “Hub” which was politically motivated to try and hurt CFN.   Again, someone writing for a competing online site’s opinion has to be weighed too; especially when not supported by facts.

As for Gardiner, who said he had a run-in with Gilcig over not buying advertising on the CFN website during the election: “I know I’m not a crook. Everybody who knows me knows I am not (corrupt). I sleep well at night.”

As for the Councilor Gardiner I probably would have a better chance of winning suit for this statement alone which is grossly false.  Councilor Gardiner has attacked me because I gave endorsements out in the municipal election.   He stated that it was because he didn’t buy advertising from us which is total poppycock.  Anyone that looks at who we endorsed or did the opposite of can clearly see that we endorsed candidates that didn’t advertise with us and didn’t endorse some that did.    Mr. Gardiner’s allegation is utter nonsense.

Gilcig says, to date, he hasn’t received one single complaint about the poll.

Not a single email or phone call from the public was made to CFN on this poll.   What we have is the public communicating with a media outlet, we get a lot of that; and we listen.   CFN serves the public and champions many causes other media refuse to touch.

A poll question was created and the public voted.    It canvassed public opinion which was pretty clear.   We have over 135 polls in our library LINK  and some of them are very interesting.

I guess though that this was a distraction from the Diane Shay and Pilon cases.  From the firing of Robert Menagh without cause; from the secret city council meetings, and from the $1 Million plus that Mr. Fitzpatrick has cost the city of Cornwall via his performance as CAO.

Thanks for the birthday gift Claude.   Thank you for helping to celebrate something that was created here in Cornwall from almost nothing and with no resources.

As we celebrate our 3rd Birthday we have now published over 5,000 items; 15,000+ comments, over 800 video clips; over 3,000 photos and done over 100 episodes of radio; many of which promoted some of the names on that list.   And they say good things can’t happen in Cornwall!

Isn’t it interesting that instead of celebrating a local achievement that so many of our civic leaders seek to extinguish it?

Maybe Pat Finnerty was right?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OgwXvHvXA

The Cornwall Free News may not make it to its 4th birthday.   We may get inundated with lawsuits, or I may just get tired of beating my head against a wall and walk away from Cornwall like so many others have.

In life the Good Guys don’t always win; but for today, for just this moment, they do.    🙂

And this column has inspired a new poll!   Enjoy and a HUGE thank you to all of our viewers, our contributors, especially our sponsors whose loyalty not only helps keep on the lights, but motivates me and inspires me as much as the support I receive via phone and email regularly.