- Photo courtesy of Peter Boyle
Kingston’s political season kicked off, as usual, with early September’s Labour Day parade and musical picnic in leafy Skeleton Park. Billy Bragg and Utah Phillips were singing songs of union battles, their militant messages piped across the old boneyard from speakers mounted on a BMW Z4 sports car.
It was a day for this sort of curious paradox. Outgoing Kingston Mayor Harvey Rosen surprised many by showing up to address the workers in front of City Hall. He hadn’t joined the two other contenders for his job (Mark Gerretsen and Rob Matheson) in the parade down from the park. But the property developer did cause a few jaws to drop when he closed his brief remarks by attempting to lead the crowd of unionists in a rousing chorus of Solidarity Forever.
Mr. Rosen, it should be noted, is hoping to snare the Liberal nomination and succeed Peter Milliken as Kingston’s man in Ottawa. How else to explain Mr. Rosen coming out singing for the working class?
September is also when the United Way fundraising campaign gets going. The trade union movement is a big source of United Way money via workplace donations. So it’s traditional for the United Way leaders to show up at the Labour Day parade to raise the flag and press the flesh.
Sure enough, the United Way was there at Skeleton Park. Their former campaign chair Ross Toller had, however, diplomatically disappeared as chair of the group’s “Campaign Cabinet.” Mr. Toller, a Corrections Canada official, had just exited stage right, replaced at the last minute by Empire Life boss Les Herr. Toller had also been a front man for Stephen Harper’s prison farm closure policy. Given Kingston’s overwhelming onslaught of opposition to the farm closure, having Toller at the helm was obviously a huge blunder. Choosing someone so closely associated with the Harperite scheme was like picking the advance man for the avian flu. Not the best idea for a fundraising effort.
The United Way funding campaign and the interminable Liberal nomination process aren’t the only campaigns gathering steam as the leaves start to turn.
The municipal race is heating up. Many local left wing chins started to wag when former Councilor Rick Downes jumped back into the fray, having jumped in and then hopped out again this past summer. Seems Mr. Downes, who said he had to withdraw from the mayoralty race because of a bad leg, is running in the North End. He used to live in the Kings Town district, the area around Skeleton Park. This was his base for his tight race for the mayor’s job with Harvey Rosen back in 2006. The issue then was the LVEC, aka the K-Rock Centre but always known to me as The Big Rink. The Rink is, of course, doing what so many predicted. It’s bleeding public money. And now that longtime Rink booster Leonore Foster has decamped along with Harvey Rosen, the only developer-friendly pol left from that era is Williamsville Councilor Ed Smith.
Mr. Smith kicked off his campaign with a remarkable display of ethical flexibility. His website at first listed as a top “endorsement” that of Kings Town Councilor Rob Hutchison. Turns out that the quote from Hutchison was not an endorsement at all but a quote from a magazine article. Mr. Hutchison, a longtime social democrat, would hardly be endorsing Smith, a fervent right winger. When Hutchison objected, Smith simply changed “endorsements” to “endorsements-testimonials-quotes.”
Mr. Smith’s sole Williamsville opponent this time around is former councilor Jim Neill. The loquacious Neill is a Labour Council activist and a hard-working, experienced campaigner. Smith won Williamsville in 2006 in a crowded field. The head-to-head tussle this time will be one to watch.
Another tussle between left and right is in Lakeside, where Dorothy Hector is facing off against Joan Jardin. Ms. Hector consistently sides with Rosen & Co., voting to contract out waste collection, keep selling bottled water in public facilities and bend over for hardware giant Lowe’s original plan even though it violated the Official Plan. Ms. Jardin has been treasurer of the Labour Council and active in the teachers’ union. Unlikely that she would support contracting out. Two others with lower profiles are after the Lakeside seat.
Finally, a two-way contest that pits Vicki Schmolka against Bryan Paterson. Schmolka consistently voted against the Rosen-Hector-Smith faction. She’s being challenged by Bryan Paterson. How do we know where Paterson stands on the political spectrum? Look no further than Paterson’s glowing home-page support from ex-pol George Stoparczyk, who held the seat before Ms. Schmolka. Stoparczyk, a realtor, was a predictably fervent supporter of the Big Rink and a stalwart of the Council right.
Also of interest is the race that Rick Downes entered at the last minute.
The Cataraqui district includes the city’s North End where the Meers family has held sway almost forever. With Sara Meers leaving electoral politics, her father Dave – he held the seat for four terms – has endorsed Jeff Welsh. Mr. Welsh recently helped the successful union campaign among Queen’s teaching assistants and seems to be the favoured candidate of the local left. With five people in the race and everyone except Mr. Welsh leaning to the political starboard, it had seemed that Mr. Welsh had a good shot at the seat. So when the former NDP candidate (federal and provincial) Downes decided to run, local leftists complained that Mr. Downes consulted no one, criticizing him as a loose cannon. It all makes for a fascinating contest in a district that has historically had low voter turnout.
In Portsmouth, think about the division between Harold Hemberger and Bill Wornes on the one hand and Liz Schell on the other. The men are big fans of the Span To Sprawl (aka the “third crossing”) although their websites offer no explanation of where the budget-busting $150 million – or more – will come from. Unlike the Span supporters, Ms. Schell wisely asks about its sky-high cost and the effect on Kingston’s urban development pattern. Kingston’s new Official Plan aims to alter the historical pattern, finally getting away from Sprawl.
That’s all for now. I’ll be coming up with more election ruminations as October 25 approaches.
Jim Neill
September 25, 2010
It is an interesting time running against Mr. Ed. First, despite fervent denials from Lisa O. and Rob H., Ed continues to cling to the two out of context quotations from both. Where is Harvey R.’s quotation? Dorthy H’s? Ed’s usual playmates? I think he recognizes he’d rather have a quotation from a progressive than one from his political kin.
And speaking of progressive. At the Chamber/Cogeco debate he actually self-identified as a ‘progressive candidate’. There’s a deep closet he’s been hiding in a long time!
Harold Hemberger
September 25, 2010
Regarding how it will be financed. I have mentioned on my website that I would suggest federal funding. The federal government frequently introduces programs for this purpose. I have listed a post below
http://kingstonelection2010.com/third-crossing-update/
Martha Rudden
September 25, 2010
Interesting, Mr. Hemberger, but can one absolutely guarantee such funding? And even if one could, do we really want to encourage yet more people to move further away from the core, spreading resources yet thinner, increasing the number of people needing to drive cars? Perhaps Jamie was a bit subtle on this point.
It would be really great if instead of worrying how to get all those cars back and forth, the City considered how to encourage all those drivers to behave in a different fashion, like, hmmmmm, maybe taking the bus. Or, brace yourself – walking or biking. Yes, I know these last two are not always practical, especially in the middle of winter, but why are we trying to make it easier for commuters?
We need to rethink the way we do things, Mr. Hemberger, and the third crossing is a prime example of this.
dogma
October 13, 2010
I really cannot speak to most of this articles “conspiracy theory” that lacks any research and critical thinking, which that is mostly born from frankly pernicous, fear mongering heresay.
One does not need to look very far back into this writers contributions to local misinformation. The Whig Standard to the now defunked and “full of fodder” PIC press, are just two of his favourite “conduits of conspiracy.”
This independent “reporter” on the street is not as Swift as he may thinks. Turning over rocks, hiding behind bushes at night, or over juice at “the goat” , looking for local juicy gossip, to cultivate (his) small town/neighbourhood conspiracy theory, to make the morning coffee as(he) likes it fully and completely black/white.
The facts: are the LVEC is doing just fine thank you very much, given, the state of the economy and the final location at the North Block. (Naysayers Downes, KCAL and alike moved and marginalized), and not only its orginal size by 30% (compared to Anglan Bay Site) but its capacity to house several (now none existing) conference rooms, floor event space, and allowing more “big name” acts to put more “bums in seats”.
The LVEC/KROCK Centre has never been nor ever will be a “big rink”. (especially now)
It is a multipurpose centre that infact hosts events, concerts, and includes a small rink for OHL games and public use. On a very small scale compared to much large urban-centers.
Finally, the “writers” personal leanings (obviously left) on the election race “under-coverage” with Mr. Patersons potential district , or his buddies Downes, and finally Jamie’s employers district, ofcourse endorces Jeff Welsh a locally known militant unionist with ties to Queens elite, make one truly understand the nature of his ubiquitous exaggerations, as a “fictional public gossip girl/boy” , rather than a “critical and responsibile” writer that culivates public discussion, or reflection, at least, for the foundations of democracy and public good, that
is so sadly perpetuated by such heresay reporting into a downtown Kingston’ “sound bite” society.
Martha Rudden
October 17, 2010
So many of your arguments are silly “dogma”- not to mention riddled with incorrect uses of apostrophes – that I’m not even going to bother responding. Being a leftie pinko myself, you’d just dismiss it or ridicule it anyway.
Let me just say this: it’s only a matter of time before your negativity catches up with you. I can imagine the headline in the paper: “Nasty Dogma hit by Bad Karma.” Now there would be a reason to read the Whig again!
And for the record, Jamie signs his posts. At least he has the integrity to stand behind his words, and not hide behind a pseudonym.
Peter Boyle
December 14, 2010
Cheer up “dogma” don’t let the left leave you crying….. fact is… the facts in the article are quite correct. Come out from behind your “Mr. Sad-Mad” mask and prove me wrong.