Cornwall Ontario – I live in a very strange community. Here in Cornwall the people that clean city hall can’t run for council. Yet Elaine MacDonald, President of the Labour Council, can.
That’s letting the fox in the henhouse when it comes to the staff that make the city work.
Likewise it tends to lead to heavy block voting with organized labour, which make up a far larger percentage of those working in this community than the norm, voting for whomever will rubberstamp their wage increases which is a huge factor in the disaster that is this city’s finances.
In the latest budget fiasco which only saw a near 2% increase instead of a cut, it was Elaine, her pet monkey Carilyne Hebert, and Bernadette Clement voting for a near 3% raise. All were given the Labour Council’s thumbs up at the last election. Mayor O’Shaughnessy, deviating from his Conservative roots also voted for higher taxes.
Elaine was actually quoted saying that we dirty public folk have it all wrong and that more taxes were good.
She failed though. Council didn’t support the higher tax hike because…an election is coming, but now the question is how will the city’s unionized employees react to a wage freeze, especially in light of the huge salary bump given to HR Manager Geoff Clarke recently and other managers?
They might even question what some managers like Mark Boileau and his $150K per year actually do?
The Standard-Freeholder is suggesting that HR Manager Clarke and council have done some voodoo budgeting, by cutting monies put forward for wage increases that employees can’t get a bump without deficit funding.
Now apparently Elaine has turned on her own council and suggested wrongdoing of a potential law breaking nature.
Hello! Pot meet Kettle! Ms MacDonald has been an active member in council’s past that have broken many laws and been sanctioned by the integrity investigator. Where was her voice then? She still was in conflict of interest over her belonging to a group seeking funding for a vanity university and voting to give up said funds.
Is her loyalty to Council or organized labour? Is she simply lashing out like the petty person she is and potentially putting council into a liability position by suggesting her council and government have broken some mysterious law that she won’t specify?
“I think there is something egregiously wrong about the budget as it stands and it has something to do with the closed-meeting motion,” declared MacDonald. “I think we crossed a line and we’ve entered into a realm of illegality, unconstitutionality …”
Those are incendiary comments at the very least. At the most it could lead to a big legal bill.
Of course this writer might suggest that the city wouldn’t have to play hardball with its unionized employees if said employees hadn’t given council and senior management the slack they have the last dozen or so years. That by sanctioning puppets it’s led to a weaker government locally that has allowed a delicate local economy to falter.
In the end you do reap what you sow.
The question is how much this will impact the next election and if we’ve finally seen the end of corrupt politicians like Elaine MacDonald, and those that simply vote the way she wants them to in Cornwall?
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
Why the high tax bills every year when there is nothing in Cornwall at all? If you are not working for the town or being a teacher or a nurse or something like that then you are on the welfare dole. This is completely rediculous to pay for such idiots on council who know absolutely nothing at all. The mention of Caroline Hebert made me very sick as well as Elaine MacDonald.
City of Cornwall has to save MONEY. They have to change the way they do business
This City Council KNOWS the Money pot is never ending, just raise Taxes
Blake you are absolutely right. Take the welfare people and put them to work picking up garbage, etc. Cornwall is as dead as the word dead can ever get and putting up taxes for what to keep cops swatting flies all day and don’t to their jobs and let criminals go. I can’t get over that fire on St. Felix St. A slap on the hand is all they get. Shame.
Jules…seriously?? Everyone is on welfare unless they work for the city, a teacher, a nurse or something like that?? You are oh so wrong, but will never admit it. There are good people here. But you can’t see / won’t that due to your constant sledge hammer approach to Cornwall.
Hugger haven’t you figured out yet that Jules is a senior who grew up in Cornwall? You’re not debating with a university professor. I don’t think any reasonable person would believe her hyperbole, but why the need to correct her?
What do you expect from Elaine MacDonald? She has no concept of what conflict of interest is. If there is one person who should have excused herself from council meetings in regard to any dealings doing with labour and / or budget talks regarding possible labour negotiations it is Elaine MacDonald. But she thinks conflict of interest is fine. Arrggghhhh!!!!!
Because a person can only be hit over the head so many times before it begins to piss them off. We get it Jules doesn’t like Cornwall. No need to mention it as often as she does. The song remains the same and the tune never changes. From her postings I think Jules really would like to relocate back here and buy a house. I can play that game too.
Now now Hugger do you have a crystal ball about me? Honest to God my daughter wants out of Ottawa as well as my husband. LOL LOL. I am stuck! I am sitting here laughing myself to pieces and my arthritis is killing me. I gave you a thumbs up and I can’t stop laughing. I have quite a bruise after my daughter pushing me off the seat in the bus and arthritis besides. LOL LOL.
Hugger I am not pointing out to teachers, nurses, etc. on welfare and yes there are a lot of good people and yes I admit that and you and Jamie are some of the good people in town. I am really upset on how good people are treated by that dirty clique that has destroyed Cornwall and the good people in town and people are kept down and the clique elevated. People are scared out of their wits.
Hugger I am a senior citizen a woman of 66 years old. My God I am not far from 70 and I feel depressed about that lately. LOL LOL. The grave is coming closer. LOL LOL. I would haunt the hell out of that clique and all the other bad ones in Cornwall and area that they would never sleep a wink at night or day with me around. LOL LOL. ROLF! I would fly around on my broom. LOL LOL.
No Jamie I am no university professor at all and they are more wacky than I am and I know because I have met a few. It is more fun being wacky naturally without anything to get me going. I saw a nutbar today and believe me compared to a great many I am very normal. I love being wacky because being completely normal is not my thing. LOL LOL.
In speaking of the HR manager, what many employees want to know is what actually does he do? Besides spending a lot of time hanging out with the CAO? There is a clique that believe they are better then employees who do work, this guy is one, Mark Boileau certainly is another and new employees from out of town, great succession planning, the new joke employees laugh at besides this leadership BS.
Jules…I’ve come to the realization that age is just a number. Once you realize that life becomes so much easier to deal with. The point in my last few points was that I too can get under people’s skins, as Jules does (it seems like on a regular basis). Jules’ latest posts prove the point. But I do value her opinion, to a certain point.
To hear Elaine MacDonald complain about closed door meetings is indeed weird.The queen/leader of conflict of interest saying they may have done something illegal by using the closed meeting process is indeed weird. I find Cornwall council uses, probably illegally, closed door meetings when they want to discuss/pass something that won’t be popular with the citizens of Cornwall. Shameful really!!!