Barbs & Jabs

Candidates face decision tomorrow

And the winner is:
Sorry. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out who the election winners are in the pumpkin poll being carried out at Newmarket’s Upper Canada Mall.
For the past two weeks, character-style carved pumpkins depicting mayoral candidates from Newmarket, Aurora, King Township, East Gwillimbury and Bradford West Gwillimbury have been on display at the mall.
The pumpkins are cute. If you voted for a pumpkin, why not go the distance and turn up at the polls on Nov. 13?
Some people are mean spirited. Is it their DNA?
A letter signed a “Newmarket Citizen”  landed on my desk. It demands an apology for reporting Ward 3 candidate John Bissonnette is a college professor. The no-name letter writer states Mr. Bissonnette is a mere mechanic and suggests I am either trying to make him more important and more intelligent than he is or that Mr. Bissonnette is a liar.
“Your intrepid reporter (that’s me) did a disservice to all professors worldwide,” the no-name letter writer states.
Here’s the truth, sad as it is: Nobody’s monkeying around with a candidate’s credentials, nobody’s telling lies and nobody’s insulting professors around the world.
Here’s the truth: Full-time faculty members at colleges, including Centennial College, are called professors. Since Mr. Bissonnette teaches in the college’s traffic department, he has a perfect right to call himself a professor.
People who don’t include their names when making accusations lack credibility and seldom deserve a response.
This letter was filed “G” until further notice.
It’s a different story in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Pierrette Grondin has no trouble identifying herself when asking that I write an “eensy-weensy”  bit about the election in her municipality.
Ms Grondin claims a candidate is going about offering Mardi Gras-style beads to young women and asking that they earn them.
“It’s small town stuff compared to the bucks and doings in York Region, nonetheless, you might find it in your heart to give us a bit of space,”  Ms Grondin writes.
I have to ask: Is this campaign gimmick limited to Bradford West Gwillimbury or can we expect to see it Ontariowide? I think it’s just too damned cold to catch on across the province.   
It looks like a slash and burn approach to many election signs.
Candidates across York Region are reporting serious sign damage. This type of behaviour has been going on since signs were added to elections. However sad, it  goes with the territory.
I’d bet the rent 99 per cent of it is done by youth vandals who view election signs as yet another target for mindless behaviour.
It must be stressed that vandalizing or removing election signs is a crime. If you have any information linked to election sign vandalism, call the police. If a few of the culprits were nabbed, it might make the practice less attractive.
I’d welcome the day when election signs are restricted to private property. Our roadways and intersection look like a dog’s breakfast. Besides, private property signs are the only real indicator of a candidate’s support. Signs on public property are nothing more than a very expensive eyesore.

Whitchurch-Stouffville mayoral race the one to watch

Who’s on the take in Whitchurch-Stouffville?
Two blog readers want to know.
While a loaded question, Tanis and Sandra are forgiven. Reading between the lines, the two Whitchurch-Stouffville voters simply want to know if local mayoralty candidates are accepting campaign donations from developers.
When I covered this topic in a previous blog, my main focus was on York Region’s northern municipalities.
My not covering the Whitchurch-Stouffville developer-candidate base is not tied to any monkey business. A personal message to Tanis: nobody controls me.
Still, since there’s interest in how Whitchurch-Stouffville mayor candidates bankroll their campaigns, here’s what I found out.
Whitchurch-Stouffville incumbent Sue Sherban and main contender and former mayor Wayne Emmerson are both accepting campaign money from developers.
By the rules of the election game, each candidate can spend about $20,000 getting elected in Whitchurch-Stouffville. “I couldn’t afford to wage a campaign without donations, including those from developers,” Mr. Emmerson said, but added, “Developers can’t buy a candidate for $500 or for $100.”
The reality is: Out of pocket campaign money has a limit, Mrs. Sherban stressed.
“You can only afford to take a certain amount out of your own pocket,”  she said. “Yes, I accept donations from developers.”
Pamela Courtot isn’t worried about how to handle developers.
“The developers don’t want to give me any money,” Ms Courtot said. “I will not accept a donation from a developer. For some reason, if you support the concept of environmental sustainability, the developers think you’re the bad guy.”
Randy Mole is running his campaign on a lick and a promise and his knack for performing well in all-candidate forums. Of course, Randy’s not cosying up to the developers. Instead, he’s collecting money in a jar. The only problem is: nobody can find the jar.
While Don Barker said he wants to do some “good old- fashioned bartering and horse-trading” to get the developers to do their fair share in the community,  it does not include him taking their campaign donations.
“I’m paying for my entire campaign out of my own pocket,”  Mr. Barker said.
Mayor candidates accepting campaign donations from developers has lost its flare in the northern part of York Region, while the practice still seems to be in vogue in the south.
I wonder why.
And finally, Jim from Stouffville asks why I pick Emmerson the winner in the mayor’s race.
Here’s my answer: Emmerson is not perfect, but he’s especially creditable, both as a politician and a person. Emmerson has an abundance of street smarts, works hard,  knows how to listen, respects democracy and understands the mayor’s job, including its limitations.
As well, Emmerson has an impressive track record at the regional government level. Some of his colleagues thought he had the makings of a regional chairman. Emmerson will win. It will not, however, be a landslide. Sue Sherban has tenacity and energy to burn. She’s running a flat-out campaign. In fact, Whitchurch-Stouffville is turning into the race to watch here in York. 

Town's compete for Dirty Politics Award

Markham mayoralty candidate Sam Orrico is in jail.
In Vaughan, there have been hints of sex scandals, red light-running, ticket-fixing, crashing cars into other politicians, funny money rumours, multi-million dollar lawsuits, people fearing legs will break and weird e-mails landing on the mayor’s porch. 
Let’s deal with Sam first. It’s easier. 
Sam is charged with threatening to harm rival candidate Frank Scarpitti.
The alleged threat was made through a third party, York Regional Police report.
Sam is being held in custody and is scheduled to make a video appearance at a remand hearing tomorrow.
Campaigning from jail is not without its challenges. Sam could touch base with former Newmarket council candidate Bill Andrews. In 2000, Andrews campaigned for a seat on Newmarket council while under house arrest. He’d been convicted of stealing $500,000 from the town. Andrews had access to the money. He was Newmarket’s recreation director.
Andrews did as was expected: He lost the election.
I fear that by getting arrested, Sam has seriously damaged his chances of  being mayor of Markham.
Vaughan, meanwhile, never stays quiet for long.
A while ago, somebody hacked into Vaughan mayoralty candidate Linda Jackson’s e-mail. Then these e-mails turned up on incumbent Mayor Michael Di Biase’s porch.
I’m jealous: the only thing that lands on my porch is the neighbour’s cat.
Di Biase said the e-mails between Jackson and an unidentified York Regional Police officer track improper and potentially illegal disclosures of information. 
As well, media reports have suggested somebody at Vaughan’s city hall made an inappropriate pass at somebody else.
Since the parties were not identified, there’s some doubt the sex scandal even took place. In fairness, it’s quite possible nobody’s having sex in Vaughan.
Back to the e-mails.
Apparently, the e-mails detail how a city employee misled police investigators probing the city’s fleet services department two years ago.
In the $7-million lawsuit, former city worker Paul Donofrio alleged a conflict began when he was asked by his immediate supervisor to send Vaughan vehicles to a Mississauga company for service, even though the city had a policy of using Vaughan companies.
Donofrio said when he refused to sign the work order, a supervisor threatened to break his legs.
The investigation ended without criminal charges. But the lawsuit remains unsettled.
The e-mail fiasco prompted Di Biase to call the cops. Then the media called the cops.
When asked if he was concerned if the York Regional Police was being used as a pawn in a political smear campaign against Ms Jackson, Police Chief Armand La Barge said the force’s role is to thoroughly investigate any and all complaints in the midst of an election campaign or not.
Take note: instead of saying, “I’d rather hang myself with a new rope,” our police chief took the politically correct approach.
The goings on in Vaughan certainly gives Aurora a run for its money. At least in Aurora  the politicians limit themselves to calling each other “stupid,” swatting each other with newspapers and lunging at each other in the council chambers.  To date, no knees have been broken, no sex scandals have surfaced, nobody’s suing the town for millions and e-mails from mayoralty candidate Phyllis Morris are not being wrapped in brown paper and landing on incumbent Mayor Tim Jones’ porch in the dead of night. 
In case you think such troubles are limited to York Region, just look to the north. Last night, a candidate running for Barrie council was arrested on child porn charges.
Or, look to the east where the incumbent mayor of Clarington is facing an uphill battle on the campaign trail. A few weeks ago, Durham Regional Police charged Mayor John Mutton with assault.
Democracy —  there’s nothing like it. But sometimes, a big broom is needed. 

Memories of Jag

For a second, I thought we might have another Jag on our hands.
Who can forget Jag Bhaduria.
The famous Markham-Whitchurch-Stouffville MP got kicked out of the Liberal caucus in 1994 for making threats and telling lies about his past, including his education.
Jag claimed to have an LL.B. (Int)., giving the impression he held a Bachelor of Law in international law.
In fact, Jag possessed no law degree.
Jag also came under fire when it was learned he was fired from the Toronto Board of Education for writing threatening letters to school administrators.
Many media folk, me included, were on Jag’s hit list. He threatened to sue me when I wrote other area MPs, including Dan McTeague from Pickering and Alex Shepherd from Durham, were straddled with Jag’s constituency work. Some residents of Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville refused to deal with Jag and sought help from neighbouring MPs. 
After giving Dan and Alex the old what-for, Jag yelled at me. He never did follow through on his threats to file legal suit. Since my story contained the truth, Jag lost the wind from his sails.
An outstanding question needs an answer: What ever happened to Jag? 
Education levels and candidates came up at a forum in Schomberg last week.
At the meeting, resident Stephen Gleason questioned King Township mayoralty candidate Steve Pellegrini about his education. Mr. Gleason then wrote me an e-mail about Mr. Pellegrini.
“The brochure mailed to each home has a carefully worded paragraph which gives the impression that Mr. Pellegrini has an Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree,” Mr. Gleason writes.
Having lived through the Jag years, I checked Mr. Pellegrini’s brochure and his education achievements.
Here’s what I found: 
Mr. Pellegrini’s brochure clearly states that he holds an international management professional designation and has completed the York University School of Business masters program.
The brochure does not state that Mr. Pellegrini holds a MBA.
Mr. Gleason also writes that apparently Mr. Pellegrini has “no other university education” .
He’s the scoop on the six-year veteran of King Township council.
After graduating from Lorn Park Secondary School in Mississauga, Mr. Pellegrini obtained a degree in urban and economic geography from the University of Toronto. He also has a certificate in information technology from McGill University in Montreal. He then attended the York Schulich School of Business at York University where he earned the international project management professional designation. 
Now, we can now turn to Steve Pellegrini and say, “You’re no Jag”.

Olive oil, haircolour make campaign trail slippery

Elections — you gotta love them.
Candidates are throwing money around, putting strangle holds on their own tongues, carrying olive oil on the campaign trail and getting up at the crack of dawn to count words and asking to not turn up in this blog
In Newmarket, Ward 3 candidate John Bissonnette has issued a challenge to opponents Jane Twinney and Victor Woodhouse to match his "if elected" promise to donate the first $10,000 of his councillor salary to Southlake Regional Health Centre.
The ghost of Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker must be coaxing Bissonnette from the grave. Dief the Chief use to try to steal political thunder by refusing to take the PM’s salary.
Guess what Newmarket Ward 1 Tom Vegh candidate did. He climbed out of bed just after the rooster crowed, checked the York Region Newspaper Group’s webpage, clicked on to Election 2006, found the profiles of about 125 candidates running across York Region and counted words.
In readiness for the election section, we’d asked candidates to restrict their platform submissions to 100 words. Vegh respected our request and we thank him for that. It seems we caused the candidate to worry. During a call to make sure we hadn’t changed the word restriction rule, Vegh did a bit of tattle tailing by reporting that other candidates had broken the 100-word rule.
In another conversation, Vegh made it very clear: he’s not a fan of this blog. He reads it, doesn’t like it and ask that  I not comment on him. There’s one sure way to escape this blog: Don’t run for public office.
Here’s a message to an Aurora candidate for mayor. “Oh Phyllis. Oh Phyllis. Would you stop changing the colour of your hair.”
For goodness’ sake, woman, leave your head alone and just get out there and paint the town. Incidentally, the brown with blonde highlights looks very good.
You’d have to be living on the moon not to know King City’s can’t get its head out of the sewer. What is it with King Township? It’s like a dog with a bloody bone.
A few days ago, Ward 1 candidate Stephen Kornblum went to an information meeting hosted by The King Preserve the Village Group. Of course, the subject was sewers.
“It was everything I could do to keep from opening my mouth,”  Kornblum said. “Two of the speakers (mayoralty candidate) Steve Pellegrini and (Ward 1) candidate Cleve Mortelliti delivered the “If I get elected,” line. “
Kornblum is right. It wasn’t an election forum. It was an information meeting.
“I wanted to remind the candidates of that but I decided to keep my yap shut.”
Thank you Mr. Kornblum. Silence can be rewarding.
In Markham, perennial mayoralty candidate Sam Orrico stepped onto the stage at an all-candidates forum, dug into his pocket and produced a bottle of olive oil. Sam has a beef. Since olives need tropical climates, he can’t grow them in Markham, he told the audience.

Developer donations can be kiss of death

Do developers buy favours by making election campaign donations?
Developers use to play it smart. They donated to everybody regardless of election platform, chances of winning or if they liked a candidate.
Candidates use to play it stupid. They accepted donations from developers. In the end, every politician look like he or she was on the take.
Times, they are a changing. Well sort of.
When it comes to donations from developers, Election 2006 is all over the map in York Region.
In the last election in Vaughan, incumbent Mayor Michael Di Biase accepted  a whooping $196,750 in corporate, including developer, donations while in Markham,  regional councillor and now mayoralty candidate Frank Scarpitti took $48,175 in similar donations.
In Richmond Hill, mayoralty candidate Dave Barrow claims you can’t run a campaign without corporate donations.
Barrow ought to take some how-to-get-elected-lessons from some of the boys and girls in the north. But, not from Newmarket’s Tony Van Bynen.
So far, Van Bynen has accepted a $500 donation from a local developer. Meanwhile, he’s refusing all donations from out-of-town-product builders.
Because KGM is from Newmarket, Van Bynen considers it okay.
“I’m only taking donations from the local business community,” he said.
I don’t care if KGM hails from heaven. Van Bynen would have more credibility if he didn’t touch any developer’s money, local or otherwise.
So far, Newmarket mayoralty candidate Diane Springstein has not been offered campaign donations from developers. When asked if she plans to accept campaign money from developers, she said she hadn’t given it any thought; that she didn’t do the fundraising and, in the end, said, “probably not,” to the question. 
In East Gwillimbury, incumbent mayor Jamie Young will not take a plug nickel from a developer, while his opponent, John Hayes, won’t accept a red cent from anyone. Mr. Hayes is bankrolling his entire campaign himself.
In King Township, no candidate for mayor is getting the financial backing from any developer. Mayoral candidates Margaret Black, Stephen Pelligrini and Mark Healy are running flat-out campaigns without the help of developers. Taking money from a developer in King Township would be the kiss of death.
In Aurora, incumbent mayor Tim Jones figures he can get re-elected without help from developers, while the same goes for mayoralty candidate Nigel Kean.

The Big Explain

I’ve been asked to do the big explain.
A blog reader wants to know what method I used to make my mayoralty race predictions.
I don’t usually bother substantiating my opinion. I just state it and run.
Since the blog reader was nice to me, I’ll  make an exception. People aren’t always nice. Sometimes they’re mean as hell.
Many years ago, I asked a former journalist why he quit the biz.
“I got tired of living in a boarding house, drinking cheap rum and being treated like a cockroach,”  he said.
I didn’t understand his answer. I do now.
So since the blog reader was so nice, I’ll do a little explain.
Some people are especially gifted: they can detect the odour of money.
I, on the other hand, have had some success smelling election wins. There’s no money in it. It’s really a pointless thing to do. I’ve done it for years.
So here goes:
It’ll be a landslide for Tony Van Bynen in Newmarket because, pure and simple: Van Bynen looks like a winner.
Mayor Tim Jones could have been plucked out by either Nigel Kean or Phyllis Morris but not by both. It’ll be a voter-splitting election in Aurora. Jones will sneak up the middle and hold on and Kean and Morris will eventually forgive each other.
Actually, Aurora may turn into the race to watch. Phyllis is like the Energizer Bunny. She’ll give it her all. However, I wish Phyllis would save herself for the next federal race.
Yes, I said federal.
First, Phyllis will run for the provincial Liberals only to be slaughtered by Conservative Frank Klees. She’ll pick herself up, replace retiring Aurora-Newmarket MP  Belinda Stronach and end up a winner in Ottawa where she’ll promise never to watch hockey.   
The old saw, “Nice guys finish last”  doesn’t apply to East Gwillimbury. Incumbent Mayor Jamie Young’s a very nice guy and he’ll win Nov. 13.
While Georgina Mayor Rob Grossi can be a little grumpy, he’s smart, knows the municipality and isn’t facing any giants. He’ll be re-elected. Still, I often wondered what Grossi would do if someone wrestled him to the ground and tickled him.
Frank Scarpitti has wanted the mayor’s job since he was in utero. Markham: Make the man the mayor and be done with it.   
Dave Barrow has earned his stripes in Richmond Hill. He deserves the town’s top post. As a bonus, he’ll be a good one.
King Township Mayor Margaret Black has won by whopping margins and by the skin of her teeth. She knows how to do both and she’ll do it again. Margaret’s got the best working mayor’s brain in York Region. We need her.   
Yes. Yes. Yes. We’ll see an upset in Whitchurch-Stouffville. It’s an exciting five-way race. Incumbent Mayor Sue Sherban will work the hardest; Pamela Courtot, the local token NDP candidate, will play the Ain’t Everything Awful card with great skill; Don Barker will win hands down at ferret catching; Randy Mole will, as he always does, put on the best show at the all-candidate forums.
But, former mayor Wayne Emmerson will win the election. It’s not rocket science: Emmerson makes the best mayor and voters know it.
Vaughan voters will deliver a nail-biting, breath-holding cliffhanger. Since a zillion new people a year move into Vaughan, the name Jackson does lose some strength. Still, I have a hunch voters will buck the status quo and elect Linda Jackson as mayor.
And now, it’s your turn. Send your predictions to [email protected]

And the winners will be ...

Predictions go hand-in-hand with elections.
Here's what my crystal ball is showing for the mayor races across York Region.
It will be landslide victories for Tony Van Bynen in Newmarket, Jamie Young in East Gwillimbury, Rob Grossi in Georgina, Frank Scarpitti in Markham and David Barrow in Richmond Hill.
In Aurora, Mayor Tim Jones will hold on. Councillors Nigel Kean and Phyllis Morris will split the vote, pushing Jones up the middle.
In King Township, while incumbent Mayor Margaret Black will come out the winner, she'll know she was in a race with Steven Pellegrini.
In Whitchurch-Stouffville, former mayor Wayne Emmerson will edge out Mayor Sue Sherban. Make no mistake, every vote will be count in this four-way race.
A cliffhanger is shaping up in Vaughan between Michael Di Biase and Linda Jackson. In the end, it will be Mayor Jackson.
Now, it's your turn.

War is still with us. What have we learned?

Let’s sidestep the municipal election and focus on a wounded soldier.
The war in Afghanistan reached Aurora this week when Trooper Jeffrey Hunter took two hits.
The first came Tuesday when shrapnel tore into This body as he witnessed the death of two fellow Canadian soldiers.
Three days later, the Canadian military, under the umbrella of the federal government, pulled on  its combat boots to kick Trooper Hunter when he’s down.
While making arrangements to arrive back in Canada this Saturday to face months of rehabilitation, the 23-year-old was told he’s losing his danger pay.
Since Hunter is not in the battle theatre, he’s no longer entitled to his operational allowances, a government policy dictates.
The treatment of Aurora’s soldier boy is a government’s public relations nightmare. No doubt, politicians are falling all over themselves trying to distance themselves from themselves.   
A few hours after Hunter’s story appeared in a newspaper, General Rick Hellier, head of Canada’s military, stepped forward and promised to review its pay policy for soldiers .
While Hellier was at the podium, Aurora mayor Tim Jones was sending an urgent message to Newmarket-Aurora MP Belinda Stronach, asking her to try to persuade the federal government to search until it finds a heart.
Pickering-Scarborough MP Dan McTeague is keeping the Hunters of Aurora informed of the changing developments. McTeague, a very outspoken Liberal, has been leading the push to have this insensitive policy dumped.
“I want the policy overturned and I want the danger pay to be made retroactive to 2002,” McTeague said.
As well, Aurora residents are invited to visit the town office to sign a get-well card for Hunter. Considering what he’s going through, this young soldier deserves Aurora’s and Canada’s best wishes.
All wars eventually become close to home.
Let us not forgot Corporal David Donaldson of Bradford and Master Corporal Nicola Bascon, who trained at the Queen’s Rangers base in Aurora, are still in harm’s way  in Afghanistan.
In April, sympathies went out to a former Thornhill family, following the death of Canadian soldier Matthew Dinning, stationed in Kandahar.   
When I attend a Remembrance Day service Nov. 11, I’ll do what I’ve done all of my life: recognize my uncle and fallen soldier, Pvt. Alfred Alldread, killed in action in 1944. 
More than 60 years have passed and still, we send our children off to war to die. It suggests the ultimate sacrifice, made by my uncle and the others, doesn’t mean much.
War is still with us. What have we learned?
How Canadians can stomach seeing soldiers come home in body bags is beyond me. Every time a dead or injured soldier arrives home to Canada, I get the following message: Canada’s 2,300 troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Let’s examine the situation facing our Aurora soldier. As a member of the Royal Canadian Dragons, Hunter was one of several soldiers providing security for road construction near Kanadhar when insurgents attacked with mortars, rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire, killing Cpl. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell and injuring the Aurora soldier.
How did Canada get from being peacekeepers to being a part of sitting-duck combat?
Why did the Hunter family have to pay their own expenses to get to Ottawa to gather up met their wounded son, a Canadian soldier?
When and how did Canada adopt this kick-our-soldiers-to-the curb mentality and put forward a policy denying a wounded soldier danger pay?

Signs of election everywhere

You can’t have an election without a sign war. It’s the law. 
The ponies were seconds out of the gate, when they stopped to bite each other.
It was, indeed, a case of first-you-see it and then you-don’t over the weekend in Newmarket.   
On Saturday, Newmarket mayoralty candidate Tony Van Bynen jumped the gun, putting up election signs two days ahead of the Oct. 2 signs-can-start rule set by York Region for regional roads.
Somebody snitched, prompting Van Bynen to run around town taking his signs down, only to put them up again the very next day.   
Mayoralty candidate Diane Springstein is not impressed with her opponent.  She’s accusing Van Bynen of having “insider”  information linked to York Region’s new sign rule set last month. Van Bynen didn’t share, Springstein charges.
“Leadership is not about taking advantage of your position,” Springstein said. “Leadership is ensuring a level playing field, ensuring that everyone is treated fairly, no matter what the issue. Mr. Van Bynen is firstly a regional  councillor and second a candidate —.not the other way around. Shame on Mr. Van Bynen for serving himself alone as opposed to being concerned for the rights and fairness of all candidates running in this election. “
Springstein said she’s received many calls from irate voters.
“They were absolutely shocked to see Van Bynen’s signs up on the weekend, ”  Springstein said.
In keeping with the rules of war, Van Bynen dropped his own little bomb.
York Region’s election sign rule, extending the sign-startup to six weeks prior to election day, was passed in an open and very public meeting of York Region council Sept. 21.
Attending the meeting was none other than Diane Springstein, Van Bynen claims.   
“It was the only meeting that I recall Sprinstein has ever attended in the past three years,”  Van Bynen said. “Candidates should keep themselves informed at both the local and regional level if they intend to represent the community.”
My very own Geneva Convention includes the following judgments: Van Bynen needs to play by the rules, while Springstein should learn to pick her battles.
As for the voters calling candidates to complain about signs showing up on a regional road two days before there were suppose to, take note: there are more pressing matters facing mankind. Check out world hunger, genocide and global warming. 
Still, let us let the election games continue. Of course, don’t forget to let me know. Send me an e-mail or log into the comment section of this blog. If it’s really juicy, call me at 905-853-8888, Ext. 240