LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

A Day and An Eternity: On Leaving the City for a Week

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted February 19, 2008)  

They say in politics a day is a lifetime, and a week is an eternity. This past week’s events in Hamilton give meaning to that old political adage.

I left just over a week ago to catch some rays and play some golf with a group of friends in Florida. It is the first time in my life that I have permitted myself the luxury of a winter holiday mainly because til now I have been otherwise deeply occupied either in education or politics. It is nice to be temporarily unshackled from both.

When I left, the tenor of the conversation in my circles revolved around the impending Federal election and the municipal budget process. Now that I have returned, it seems the conversation has drastically changed at the municipal level. Councillor Dave Mitchell seems to have imploded. Robert Pasuta seems to have been entangled in a difficult situation. Mayor Fred has been calling on the police to stop city hall leaks. And the press, from the articles I read, seems to be doing what the press does best: alerting the public to the scenes behind the scenes, skewering individuals, and bemoaning the image of the city because of transpiring events. Meanwhile bloggers have weighed in with a vengeance. Let me add my two cents worth.

Robert Pasuta is an honourable man. I got to know him and admire him as a solid member of the Flamborough community and bona fide farmer, having won kudos for the work he did in his community. I was extremely pleased to see him win the election and I am sure he is representing his constituents well. He confided in me his concern for the steep learning curve ahead of him, but was looking forward to making a difference. It seems that he has already, having set the bar quite high for personal integrity in his dealings with colleagues. Good for Robert.

David Mitchell, too, I have known for many years now. I watched him closely on Council as a colleague and when I was Mayor. He plays the ‘aw shucks, I’m just a country boy’ routine well, but I never underestimated his keen mind, ability to finesse and sophistication. I also never questioned his interest in wanting to do the right thing for his constituents. Even during the ‘traffic ticket’ fiasco and subsequent ‘police corruption’ allegation, I never sensed a willingness to do damage to the community. I thought his statements were a lapse in judgment by him rather than an attempt to undermine. It may be that his ill-advised land severance misadventure is another example of the same. In politics one is lucky to be given a second strike, let alone a third. I hope David learns from this third chance and continues to contribute. He is a talented Councillor when he focuses on relevant issues.

What intrigued me about this episode, as well as the content of the story, was the speed with which Councillor Pasuta’s comments were ‘leaked’ to the press. I bumped into a city hall staffer yesterday and asked for his take on the issue. He wasn’t pleased with the happenings. They have a way of disheartening staff when Council, which should lead by example, trips up. However, his most telling criticism was for the Councillors who ‘beat up’ on Councillor Mitchell. This staffer described a ‘feeding frenzy’ by hungry sharks circling a wounded colleague. Pretty stark imagery! Is it accurate? I don’t believe it is for every member of Council, but one has to wonder about the speed of relaying the information to the press wanting to get major exposure on this issue. In this case it may have been justified. However, leaks are a matter of life at city hall, and the public interest isn’t always served by leaking confidential information.

There have been some examples in the recent and more remote past. Recently, the press told us that a Councillor leaked confidential information to the Union during the recent negotiations. This ‘leak’ apparently led the Union to change its negotiations tactics. Was this leak in the public interest? It would be hard to justify.

As well, over ten years ago a Councillor leaked a confidential report on the status of a particular senior’s care facility to the press. The press ran with the story which led to a multi million dollar, ten year law suit against the then region and City. This leak was clearly NOT in the public interest. The press should have known that, but ran with the story anyway because that is what the press does when given exclusive information.

And this, of course, has plagued and upset Mayors right down the line, the latest being Mayor Fred. That is why he called for the police to investigate. They won’t, of course. There are only two ways of stopping unwarranted and damaging leaks. The most obvious is for Councillors to stop the practice. The second is for the press to ‘out’ Councillors who leak information. Both of these remedies have about as much chance of being implemented as the proverbial snowball’s chance in the hot Florida sun I left a few days ago!

BACK TO LARRY'S CORNER

HOME