Disgracing The Office
As though taxpayers and voters - one and the same generally - don't have a low enough opinion of politicians generally. Now it seems, we have even more ammunition in our quiver of distrust. The arrow was pointed at Mayor Larry O'Brien and hit him full on. Mind, it had been aimed at him for neigh unto a year - ever since his one-time mayoral opponent Terry Kilrea confessed that Mr. O'Brien had attempted to coerce him, tempt him and buy him out of the running.
Manoeuvres that might be allowable in the corporate world, but clearly identified as illegal, in fact a decided crime against the democratic electoral system. Do we excuse Larry O'Brien by reminding ourselves that he was, first and foremost, an entrepreneur, a millionaire businessman? Hardly; he was obviously dissatisfied with his business enterprise and looking for another challenge, and the distraction he chose was public office.
Municipally, at the highest level; mayor of the capital city of Canada. A late entrant, a dark horse candidate, he managed to shove aside his competitors for the position, all of whom were seasoned politicians who had already proved their estimable value, any of whom could have done a reliable job in the office of managing the City of Ottawa. Alone among the candidates Larry O'Brien promised he would see to it that taxes weren't raised.
That promise and that alone brought him triumphantly into office. Yesterday the Ontario Provincial Police finally concluded they had gathered sufficient evidence to charge Mr. O'Brien with two criminal offences; pretending to have influence with the (federal) government, and negotiating a federal appointment. For the purpose of buying off a competitor to allow himself a better chance of being elected.
That Mr. Kilrea thought better of grasping this popsicle, but took himself out of the race anyway, throwing his support to a competitor of Mr. O'Brien's is quite beside the point. Mr. O'Brien's purpose was to suborn the electoral system to his advantage. Still, this stout-hearted mayor declares himself to be dedicated to the task at hand - running the city. Therefore, he has no intention of stepping down, even temporarily until justice has run its course.
He has the support of the electorate, he avers, as well as the almost universal support of city council. Both statements are as accurate as his contention that he had done nothing wrong, and is innocent of the charges brought against him under two sections of the Criminal Code. Thus far, under his mandate, he has managed to make a right royal balls-up of running city affairs, in the process alienating the municipal civil servants he most relies upon by his officiousness.
The electorate has little reason to hold out great hopes that this man, "learning on the job" and stumbling everywhere in the process, will make a success of his desire to lead this city. There is no magic formula he can produce through which there can be no property tax increase, and still maintain services at a level required and desired by residents. He is directly responsible for creating a situation where public transit, for example, is in a transitional state of going nowhere.
Mr. O'Brien has made some very unfortunately questionable decisions; in naming a company to lead the city's "corporate visioning" process he has given a prime contract to former employees of the company he founded and remains a director of, Calian Technologies. Moreover, where before Mr. O'Brien took office Calian had no city contracts, the company has since been awarded eight contracts for a sum total of $1.16-million.
Mr. Kilrea is adamant that he is telling the truth and nothing but; he has signed an affidavit swearing that he had been offered up to $30,000 to drop out of the mayoralty race, and he had further been promised, through Mr. O'Brien's purported political connections, a sinecure with a federal entity, the National Parole Board. Sufficient witnesses have come forward to implicate Mr. O'Brien.
Yet he claims innocence, and indeed is presumed to be innocent under Canadian jurisprudence, until and if found guilty. In the meantime, he should forget bombast and ego, and simply step aside.
Manoeuvres that might be allowable in the corporate world, but clearly identified as illegal, in fact a decided crime against the democratic electoral system. Do we excuse Larry O'Brien by reminding ourselves that he was, first and foremost, an entrepreneur, a millionaire businessman? Hardly; he was obviously dissatisfied with his business enterprise and looking for another challenge, and the distraction he chose was public office.
Municipally, at the highest level; mayor of the capital city of Canada. A late entrant, a dark horse candidate, he managed to shove aside his competitors for the position, all of whom were seasoned politicians who had already proved their estimable value, any of whom could have done a reliable job in the office of managing the City of Ottawa. Alone among the candidates Larry O'Brien promised he would see to it that taxes weren't raised.
That promise and that alone brought him triumphantly into office. Yesterday the Ontario Provincial Police finally concluded they had gathered sufficient evidence to charge Mr. O'Brien with two criminal offences; pretending to have influence with the (federal) government, and negotiating a federal appointment. For the purpose of buying off a competitor to allow himself a better chance of being elected.
That Mr. Kilrea thought better of grasping this popsicle, but took himself out of the race anyway, throwing his support to a competitor of Mr. O'Brien's is quite beside the point. Mr. O'Brien's purpose was to suborn the electoral system to his advantage. Still, this stout-hearted mayor declares himself to be dedicated to the task at hand - running the city. Therefore, he has no intention of stepping down, even temporarily until justice has run its course.
He has the support of the electorate, he avers, as well as the almost universal support of city council. Both statements are as accurate as his contention that he had done nothing wrong, and is innocent of the charges brought against him under two sections of the Criminal Code. Thus far, under his mandate, he has managed to make a right royal balls-up of running city affairs, in the process alienating the municipal civil servants he most relies upon by his officiousness.
The electorate has little reason to hold out great hopes that this man, "learning on the job" and stumbling everywhere in the process, will make a success of his desire to lead this city. There is no magic formula he can produce through which there can be no property tax increase, and still maintain services at a level required and desired by residents. He is directly responsible for creating a situation where public transit, for example, is in a transitional state of going nowhere.
Mr. O'Brien has made some very unfortunately questionable decisions; in naming a company to lead the city's "corporate visioning" process he has given a prime contract to former employees of the company he founded and remains a director of, Calian Technologies. Moreover, where before Mr. O'Brien took office Calian had no city contracts, the company has since been awarded eight contracts for a sum total of $1.16-million.
Mr. Kilrea is adamant that he is telling the truth and nothing but; he has signed an affidavit swearing that he had been offered up to $30,000 to drop out of the mayoralty race, and he had further been promised, through Mr. O'Brien's purported political connections, a sinecure with a federal entity, the National Parole Board. Sufficient witnesses have come forward to implicate Mr. O'Brien.
Yet he claims innocence, and indeed is presumed to be innocent under Canadian jurisprudence, until and if found guilty. In the meantime, he should forget bombast and ego, and simply step aside.
posted by Pieface @ 4:29 PM
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