CFN – This term of City Council here in Cornwall has shown the holes in the council system. In a time when the City of Ottawa even is considering dropping from 24 councilors it’s starting to make a lot of sense. LINK
We have ten councilors currently. There is no ward system in Cornwall so representation isn’t an issue although it probably should.
Recently we have had Beavergate and the Bilingual nurse protest. Both issues councilors sat on their hands.
We have Councilor Thibault busy chopping up and planning the waterfront with some developers and a few stooges on the Waterfront Committee.
Here we have a video regarding the committee allegedly trying to force Stephen Alexander, one of the most competent managers in Cornwall off of the Waterfront committee. Watch Mr. Menard spin 🙂 Libel chill from a committee member, many questions, not a lot of answers . Interesting video if you care about Cornwall’s waterfront.
We have councilor Carr with his Heart of the City initiative. HOC does some good in Cornwall, but surely some of the bluster about conflict of interest has some merit? Should Mr. Carr have to make a decision about whether he wants to run Heart of the City or be on Council when Cornwall has a policy that does not allow city workers to be on Council?
Councilor Grant is busy leading many of the committees, but from there it spins downward with most councilors participating on many committees, but not really having much of an impact in moving the city forward.
As a matter of fact council at the moment is starting to go partisan with Conservative members smelling blood in the water of long former Liberal MP Bob Kilger who is fighting off scandal after scandal while sitting as mayor and dealing with health issues.
Murmurs at city hall of a putsch to land Councilor David “Mellow Yellow” Murphy into the mayor’s seat have many following Cornwall politics cringing.
Voting at council has shown this year to be done by bloc or clique; especially during the issues surrounding the CAO Paul Fitzpatrick and the alleged wrongful termination of HR manager Robert Menagh.
So the question is why have ten councilors? If the city is going to be run as it’s been run this term of council why have more than two or three?
Where are the issues that councilors should be leading? With Councilor O’Shaughnessy quitting in disgust; the gang bang of councilor Rivette who has been very quiet since his complaint has stood up after sitting for a video interview with CFN; councilors MacDonald, Dupelle, and even Queen Bernadette Clement have been all but silent on issues impacting the city, are having that many councilors just dead wood and a waste of tax dollars?
Add in refusals of council to allow citizens to present to council and it seems a very shady version of Democracy being practiced in Cornwall Ontario…
What do these councilors stand for?
What do you think Cornwallites? You can post your comments below.
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A person from Welland Ontario once mentioned to me that Cornwall and Welland are considered sister cities, or comparators, in terms of population, number of households, demographics, industry, etc. I believe Welland has 6 councillors. Just a point of interest.
Also quite the little warning growl at the end of that videotape:
” …take the info as it is presented and reflect it without twisting it…otherwise it will be the first and last time…”
Greetings:
With regard to the question (at 5:10 on the Guy Menard video) in reference to the waterfront, “where can one go to get a coffee, beverage or a meal, (his answer) nowhere”, is not correct.
The RCAFA WIng 424 is open to the public and often holds special events that showcase the sacrifice that some brave men and women have made to keep us safe.
I would have thought that the Waterfront Committee would have known this already.
Here in Ottawa the taxes are enormous and our mayor Jim Watson is looking for savings wherever he can. Cornwall is literally stealing from the people. Why on God’s earth does Cornwall need 10 councellors for a tiny population of 45K or less. All that mostly exists in Cornwall are seniors and a lot of them are living in LA LA land not knowing what is going on and how they are being screwed to the hilt in taxes, etc. etc. etc. Here in Ottawa we are close to a million people and more with people in the surrounding areas and it is crazy with the traffic, etc. We have roads and sidewalks with big holes, sewars that need to be replaced, bridges that are worked on every year and I can go on and on. Taxes are so mighty high that rents are mighty high and the cost of houses ar beyond belief – something that I have a good laugh at because it makes no sense at all. Building condos in parks has absolutely no sense at all and it shows how council are insane and the only sane and logical person there is André Rivette and the others are to be thrown to the ditch. Council is like dealing with dumb and dumber.
There is something that I wanted to add to this. You had the former police club at one time and my husband went there with a friend of his and said that it was a nice place to eat and meet up with friends. We have always gone through that park and I saw the old building it was in and yes that would be a nice place for a restaurant BUT I want all of you to consider all about what I am going to tell you. How many people can afford to eat out and in a nice place. The majority of people in Cornwall are of very low income or welfare and these people will not be able to afford to go to a nice place. If you are going to cater to a certain few then how many of those certain few are going to afford it as well since everyone is squeezed to the gills in mortgage payments, etc. etc. etc. The location of the former police club is superb and the view is great BUT like I said you have to consider many things before building anything and ask youselves who are going to use those facilities. I myself would be for such a place but ask yourselves how many would go for that before you put up the bricks and mortar. This area is beautiful and we sure don’t want to wreck the waterfront and putting up structures that will not be in use by the public. Otherwise put up a chip and hot dog stand. Condos should not go in the park and especially not high rise condos. About the parking we use that parking lot when we are in Cornwall and so do a great many people. Don’t build in that parking lot. If you want to build condos build them like Mr. Markell on Water Street. Sell the old arena and the old radio station and put up condos and you can buy those old delapidated houses from people and build those things there. There is a great deal to think about before you put up a structure and not to repeat the boondoggle mess you did with the Domtar “cancerous dump” that you bought to put up the “tax mahal” that you call a Benson Centre that is illegal – not cleaned up. Think before you do something. We know people here in Ottawa who own property all over town “multimillionaires” and there is one property that they cannot sell because a gas station was there before that they owned and it would cost a great deal of money to clean it up and they are stuck with it. Think long and hard before undertaking a project.
We had lots of places for people to get a bite to eat. The first was Morty’s, then changed to the Blue Room, then to something else, then to a greek restaurant, then to Don Cherry’s. Guess what they all went bankrupt except Morty’s cause he sold at he right time. At least three closed while the Royals played a few nights a week in town. The place is still there filled with city files.
Not exactly on topic but re Ms Brink:
On her Observations of a newsjunkie Blog she has deleted all negative comments and left up one that is somewhat positive on May 14th City Hall blog..not NEWS
Real Journalist like Marie Colvin die reporting the truth from Syria and this lady
from the city daily, who doesn’t hide her religious feelings, does this!
Wow. Wasn’t that the restaurant that is in the Civic Complex. I remember that place and went there twice and yes it was under different hands. That was a nice place but if a place is not loaded with people then the business will not survive. Here in Ottawa we have a million people or near it and restaurants come and go. We know a man who wanted to open one and so many of us who know him said no to him because none have stayed very long. What do you think would happen in minuscule Cornwall? If a person wants to put up a little chip and hot dog stand then try that. Here in Ottawa at the park we go to they have a place where people purchase chips in a bag, soft drink and ice cream. Not many buy these things. A lot of the people use the park for walking, and jogging and picknicking and barbecuing. The police club is a prime piece of real estate and that didn’t continue to succeed. Young Korey Kennedy who was a former councellor had some very good ideas but they would not have worked in Cornwall but they work in places where it is tourism like Brockville, Kingston and Belleville and such places but not in Cornwall. The councellors in Cornwall are dead wood – a bunch of losers all there to collect a pay cheque on the backs of the people of Cornwall. There will be no changes at all in Cornwall as long as there are no by laws of any sort and to do away with certain families who have all the say and the same ole good ole boyz club. Everything has to change otherwise things will be dead and even worse than what they are now.
Loser city, loser council. We get what we deserve.