Monday, November 26, 2012

Municipal politics is serious and should be treated as such

Losing mayors is not just a Québécois thing, examples in the Cities of Montréal and Laval where made earlier this month, now in these later days of November we see that Ontarians from both the Cities of Toronto and London are quite susceptible to exactly the same politicus modi operandi, perhaps at a more reduced rate and style, however similar in professed substance they may be. Corruption, virtuelessness and lacking of integrity at the worst and basically running the show as though you were beyond and above the conflict of interest rules, regulation and laws of the land at the best. Playing from a political method of operation game playbook that is not allowed for any other average upright citizen of the country, given advantages others could never even dream of at the more parochial and anecdotal level, but nevertheless an even more insulated and controlled community position of leadership by those on the throne which then can be used, abused and misused by them to a point we the people all refuse to go along with it all.

All of these high profile mayors, being Gérald Tremblay, Gilles Vaillancourt, Rob Ford and soon enough Joe Fontana, will have fallen late this year on the same kind of alleged ethics, or lack thereof, which has creates the individual situations each are embroiled deeply within and yet still create a collective symptom, that holds the voting public and its civic infrastructure, like a social Stockholm syndrome.

Extra compassion and care for the municipal political agenda by each likely could have avoided their separate demises, by carefully looking at the agenda, listening to other political colleagues whether friendly or foe for advice and thoughts then finally stepping away from any pitfalls whether probable or possible for their municipality, none of these situations would have went past a first stage alert. One of the first rules of political operations, electoral organization and campaign management is that any global, world or international issue, brand or body that is political originates organically or locally, so whatever small pond they believe they are swimming then polluting unnoticed in likely is not the case. As Olivia Chow, Doug Ford, Adam Vaughan, Doug Holyday, Michael Layton, Giorgio Mammoliti and John Tory all prepare to flip through each of their electronic rolling memodexes, one should wish that each hopeful from Hogtown thinks about the pressure of higher political standards and ethics now placed upon them by their predecessor, as he takes his varsity high school football yeam to the 31st Metro Bowl O.F.S.A.A. finals in the same domed stadium in which the T.O. Argos sacked the Cowtown Stamps 35-22 for the 100th Grey Cup, because though you have to be in it to win it, you should also check yourself before you wreck yourself and that at the end of the day always balances out just right.