Dear Bob Kilger. It really is time for you to resign. It’s Been a Long Two Terms by Jamie Gilcig

CORNWALL Ontario – Bob, Bob, Bob.   It’s time to hang it up.   I know the buzz is your busy helping the Feds dump the harbor properties on we poor taxpayers of Cornwall.   I get it when you sleep more nights away from Cornwall than here that you can lose your priorities. Your two terms as Mayor have included: Allegations of Conflict of Interest that you’ve only ducked because you’ve used tax dollars to metaphorically beat down not one, not two, but three whistle blowers; two of whom were long time managers with years of loyal service to our city. Running the most corrupt of offices that has led to millions of tax dollars used to cover up scandal after scandal.  Did we really need to pay for two HR managers while not having money to fund  snow suit for those in need; especially after the winter we just had? One of your councilors resigning; clearly communicating that he had not been told the truth multiple times. How much have you raised taxes in Cornwall during your two terms as Mayor?  When neighbors like South Stormont haven’t raised taxes since 2009 and many of your management live? Your personally handling the “Executive Leave” and “Retirement” of your “Good Friend” Paul Fitzpatrick instead of calling in law enforcement.  Of course doing so might have resulted in you yourself being investigated including for your first scandal of your second term, the whistle blower letters not being delivered to council.    That resulted in a wolf hunt and suspension of the person that sent in those letters that pretty much turned out to be true. Remember that meeting in your office with Councilor Thibault and Bob Peters where you dropped F bombs on me for simply protesting your council lying about CFN?  To this day your boycott is in effect and you refuse to allow us to present information to council to rebut the utter lie that you presented into council and was picked up by other media.

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The 100 Letter Campaign where we were going to spend three months having people write in about how amazing Cornwall is and they’d win local shopping sprees.   A campaign to make our city look great and help local business.  You attacked it including calling it a security issue at a live council meeting when your team refused to put a link on the city’s facebook page. The complaints from some of your opponents regarding the last election; the one with no polls in the East End to speak of. Your favorite Monkey Bob Peters working on your campaign during office hours; from his office. Your clerk and person in charge of the election posting that on her facebook page with no punishment.  Even suggesting that somehow it was photo shopped.  She also was allowed to retire rather than be investigated. The closed meeting where you led your council in attacking Councilor Rivette for granting an interview to CFN where he outlined the tip of the Paul Fitzpatrick scandals to the public.  You were sanctioned by Closed Meeting Investigator Stephen Fournier for that one. Telling generations of residents who had donated so much to the Cornwall General Hospital that you weren’t “In Love” with the facility.  When your opponent in the last election; Mark A MacDonald organized a group to help save it you yourself organized a group from council that is alleged to not have a single meeting. Your ducking the nurse protest.   One hospital staffer had a heart attack after learning they’d be losing their job before retirement.  How many unilingual English speakers have lost their jobs or not been promoted because of the Bilingual policy being enforced in a non bilingual province, Ontario? And this gem that embarrassed our entire city when you had this writer removed from council because you didn’t like my t shirt by hitting the panic button like a baby.  I was not causing a disturbance.   I was seated and you called me out in front a council meeting.  After all the names you were called during your NHL career that image caused you to lose your cool in front of your community and draw such negative attention?  (or the allegations that you couldn’t actually see the shirt and thought it was a different image) Conflict of Interest?  Being on the board of the Benson vanity University project and not recusing yourself when Gerry and his buddies came to ask the city for over $50K to help fund a first study; which still has not been published.   And you voted on this issue as well.   Let’s not forget the biggie, the Chem Tanks, and the bad drama as our City’s future was sold out by you and your supporters.  Imagine, all those dollars in plans for our waterfront and you allow a prime property next to a Little League Park to be used for chemicals which also include a heavy truck traffic which will only burden our roads and infrastructure while making nothing for the city.  Have you to date, yourself stated that you personally don’t want the tanks there? Your own memo that you released stated that Economic Development knew of the lease in June 2013, yet nothing was officially ever reported to council and the public until December and the tanks were already in the ground. Your first response was to feign surprise yet you managed to say that they wouldn’t stick out of the ground much.   You feigned this response even though you admitted weeks before at the WFC meeting that you knew of them to multiple witnesses. And now you’re secretly negotiating divestiture of Crown lands to some partnership with Akwesasne which you have not been mandated to do at any point in the election process.   You did not campaign on it or give interviews about it.   Why the urgency?   And are your negotiations why the RCAF Wing did not have its lease renewed?  Was it just another attack at Mark A MacDonald again as he was championing the facility and on its board? And speaking of Little League, Under your watch your waterfront committee tried to green light a condo project in the parking lot of Lamoureux Park.   Over 500 people showed up to tell you and your friends to jam it. And finally, well we know you’re stubborn, so you probably have a few more tricks in your hat, Thursday’s Waterfront Committee meeting.  This same group that “missed” the tanks with you attending more of its meetings than most likely all your other city committee meetings in total, that wants to spend nearly $100K in tax money with only a few months left in this term, decided that CFN was not media and you sir, after brought up by long time Councilor Glen Grant, decided to have some fun and put a motion to strike CFN from the minutes as attending as media.   Something Rob Ford wouldn’t do and he’s been proven to be drunk or on crack! You added to the fun and tricks by supporting a motion to move into closed session during the meeting even though you sir have already been sanctioned this term for wrongfully going into closed meetings and even had your council take training. Your response in other media was to point out the volunteer committee members needed more training, but the chair asked for advice, but you sir and councilor Grant voted to move into closed session.  You both have to own that one. Bob it’s time to give it up.   I know your council is under your thumb and clearly afraid to call you on your actions or cooperating and accomplice to it.  Already your supporter Councilor Thibault has stated that he would not run again. The scary thing Bob is that this is only the tip of the iceberg.  We both know that right?  There’s a lot more. As do many others. So why hang on to the bitter end?  If you care about Cornwall why not simply resign and go chill with Courtney in Ottawa?  While you’re telling a lot of people that you’re still running you missed that target that your good buddy Claude McIntosh published over a month ago. You’re now facing another round with Mr. Fournier; and at least one if not two or three lawsuits.

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Your good friend, as you described him to me, Dalton McGuinty, knew when it was time to fall on his sword.   I know you’re not as well educated as he is, but surely you’re past due?

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