LRT City Lesson? Don’t Get Caught: THE VOTER

The LRT inquiry report should have been mandatory reading for anyone on Ottawa City Council, working in a councillor’s office or in the top four levels of any city department that had any involvement in the LRT process.

There should then have been a test administered to see what they took from it and how deep their understanding was.

I’m fairly confident in saying that there are those in the three groups whose reaction was that the problem was that they got caught and, next time, they need to be more careful. Others believe that mayor Jim Watson, Transpo GM John Manconi and city manager Steve Kanellakos took the fall for it, it’s over and so everything should go back to the same-old same-old. Then there are the people who are wiping their brows saying: “I’m glad it wasn’t me!” and going back to work. Some are thankful that they were not named although they knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it. Some genuinely had nothing to do with it and were unaware it was going on.

Anyone who doesn’t see the moral and ethical transgressions listed in the report as wrong should be immediately relieved of their position.

CITY HALL: Names Change, Actions The Same: THE VOTER

One of the realities of politics is the horse-trading that goes on behind the scenes. If you vote in favour of my motion today, I’ll support your position on issue X. I was struck by the speech that Alta Vista Councillor Marty Carr gave to explain that her position was “No” but she’d be voting “Yes”. She sounded like she badly wanted to vote against Lansdowne but was searching for something. rational or not, that would allow her to do otherwise. She obviously found it because when it came her turn to vote, her opportunity to do what she knew was right, she flipped from her original stance and voted yes.

It will be very interesting to watch what happens with the shelter being installed in the Heron Road Community Centre in her ward which requires that the community programming that was supposed to happen through the fall and winter be cancelled or moved. Could it be that some other location will be found for the shelter or, by some miracle, it will be discovered that the shelter and the programming can co-exist?

Another Christmas miracle at City Hall! Or will it be the reward for holding her nose and voting for Lansdowne?

The Voter is a respected community activist and long-time Bulldog commenter who prefers to keep her identity private.

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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Who Lost On Lansdowne Deal? You: DOUCET

Who Runs The City? Wile E. Coyote: PATTON

Lansdowne: What Would Have Been Better? BENN

Councillors Should Be Demanding Answers To These Questions

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