Well, Oops!

"I am writing to inform you of an unfortunate incident that happened over the course of the last three weeks. I was stopped en route to my home by a member of the Ottawa Police Service and asked to undergo a breathalyzer test.
"As a result, my driver's licence was suspended for three (3) days.
"Although I was not charged with an offence, I deeply regret my behaviour and apologize to my constituents and council colleagues for any embarrassment this incident may have caused."
Peter Clark, Ottawa city councillor

Well, can't have Toronto hogging all the limelight with Mayor Rob Ford having all the fun, achieving celebrity status and defying convention and playing up his tough guy persona. Ain't no crack-smokin' allegations goin' to stick to him. Even if he has to buy the damn video himself. Though it's not likely his executive assistant will cough up the entrance fee; that's a federal story.

Ottawa doesn't like playing second fiddle in the news to big-city TO. So here's our own little scandal. Where a former regional chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Region before amalgamation, and current city councillor has taken pre-emptive steps hoping the entire sordid story won't surface, by addressing his fellow councillors in an email explanation. But guess what? it did. And, as a result it isn't only his colleagues who may be feeling rather put out.

It is alleged (ahem!) that Mr. Clark pulled rank with the police officer who pulled him over for a roadside breath test earlier in the month. And this is where the disreputable and offensive conduct came into play in scene two. He puffed over the legal limit of blood alcohol but not enough to warrant criminal charges. Despite which he huffily intimated he might become the victim of violence at the hands of police. That quite impressed the police officer.

At which point he brought out some additional artillery, claiming that he was a personal friend of Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau. Hint-hint, officer. The officer, said Mr. Clark, recognized him, asked the reason for his remark impugning the integrity of police. "I'm not down on the police, I'm a friend of the police", he claims to have responded.

Suggesting that it was this statement, not one where he invoked his personal friendship with the chief that led the police officer to the accusation, since Mr. Clark acknowledged he doesn't know the chief, after all.

Mr. Clark had been playing bridge that evening with friends. One of whom suggested a drink for the road, and they stopped at the Playmate Club on Montreal Road - a truly grubby venue. "It's on the way home and it's convenient. The fact it's a strip club is not an issue with me. I don't avail myself of the young women there. Nobody'll ever accuse me of mauling the women because I never touch them", he said.

It just so happened that as he was driving home from the Playmate Club, Mr. Clark explains, he realized he was driving too fast, and slowed down. Which action caused the police officer to stop him, obviously feeling Mr. Clark had slowed to a crawl to look over a few prostitutes standing at the side of the street. Goodness, heaven forfend!

Whereupon the officer made his enquiry: "He asked me if I had a drink and I said yes and he asked me if I would blow and I said yes." He's still blowing.