Mayor is reported to have gotten nasty with his closing remarks during the Burlington Green sponsored debate.

council 100x100By Pepper Parr

October 4th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It happens – you miss an event that was both important and significant.

And I missed this one.

I was at the Burlington Green Mayoralty debate and left the room for the rest room while a short promotional video was to be shown.

While I was out of the room the Mayor is reported to have fouled the air – not we are not talking about flatulence here.

Each of the candidates was given two minutes to make a closing remark.

The Mayor apparently chose to use some of the phrasing that Councillor Craven used when he wrote a nasty little bit about how ineffective Councillor Meed Ward had been as city Councillor.

Councillor Craven chooses not to bow out gracefully

A resident sitting in the second row directly in front of the stage said: “I was shocked that he used his two minute closing statement to make a direct personal attack at Councillor and Mayoral candidate Marianne Meed Ward, naming her and saying that she has not done anything in 8 years on council, and that she can’t work with others, in a rude and condescending and very unprofessional display.

A man behind me shouted out “oh this is just terrible” and then a chorus of boos rang down, loudly and for a prolonged time, even when the moderator tried to interrupt.”

Another resident said “the mayor did get booed in his closing remarks for repeating Craven’s refrain. Craven rushed to the stage afterwards. To use his 1 minute to attack Marianne shows he’s desperate.

“In Burlington, the public is not on for a candidate attacking another candidate in a debate.”
Mayor Goldring is, in public, usually polite. In private he can be very cutting and has been known to let his emotions get the best of him.

A resident who has one of the Mayor’s signs on his lawn had this to say:

“I think it is also noteworthy that the Post has already removed page 4 (with the Rusin ad) entirely from it’s online version of the paper.

“Because I am still somewhat of a neophyte when it comes to municipal politics, why would Rusin spend his money in such a transparent attack?

“FWIW, I have a Goldring sign on my lawn, but his public reaction to this (or lack thereof) will determine whether I give it back tonight.

“It is one thing to claim that Goldring has a better vision for the city, it is quite another to launch an aggressive, sexist, unfounded, personal attack.”

Burlington Green did record the debate – they hope to have the full hour and a half ready for distribution – we will publish what they make available.

Millenials

Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor at the debate they did for the Millennials. If looks could kill…

At the debate put on for the Millennials the Mayor was photographed giving Meed Ward a hard stare – but the camera doesn’t always get the complete picture does it.

What we are seeing is an election where the incumbents are beginning to look a little desperate. And desperate people do desperate things.

Rusin ad

Advertisement that was scheduled to appear in the Burlington Post.

In a previous article we ran an advertisement that was scheduled to be published in the Post. We’ve not seen a copy of that paper that comes out on Thursday but we are informed that the advertisement has been pulled from the electronic edition.

It is now a nasty election.

The debate scheduled to take place in ward 2 on Tuesday at Central high school should be interesting.

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9 comments to Mayor is reported to have gotten nasty with his closing remarks during the Burlington Green sponsored debate.

  • Gil

    I’m just gonna leave this here……https://twitter.com/MariannMeedWard/status/1046411764458500098
    So MMW can make up points that aren’t substantiated by facts, but the Mayor makes a statement at a debate and everyone is up in arms. Based on what info is she certain the Mayor is accepting contributions from developers? Because she said so? Oh I see. It must be gospel then. Please!! I could contact any of the candidates teams and ask for a sign and I’ll guarantee none of the candidates would know or be seen to approve where my sign is posted.
    Let’s focus on the issues and the candidate that you want to be mayor, not petty garbage like this.

  • D.Duck

    At the end of the Ward 1 debate (Oct 4th), two mayoral candidates were at the back of the auditorium. MMW and the current Mayor Goldring. I watched for approximately 5-10min (waiting for my significant other) as a significant number of Ward 1 residents shook hands, hugged and talked to MMW while only a few went over to the Mayor and did the same. Craven of course bypassed MMW and shook hands with the Mayor.

    Mayor Golding did an injustice to himself, to his legacy, and to Burlington when he Pulled-a-Craven. The residents in Ward 1 knew this and reacted accordingly.

    If I were Goldring, I would swallow my pride and place an apology in the Gazette and Burlington Post for my actions and comments. It may help with his re-election but even then…………………

  • Barry Youldon

    Why would the current Mayor attack Marianne Meed Ward in such a way? There is only one reasonable answer: Because he is frustrated, desperate and knows he is losing to her.

    Why is he losing? Turning his statement around to direct it at him tells why.

    Quoting from the above:
    “I was shocked that he … [would] make a direct personal attack at Councillor and Mayoral candidate Marianne Meed Ward, naming her and saying … that she can’t work with others…”

    I’ll assume when he said she can’t work with others he was referring to himself and council. That group is pushing high rise development downtown, including the lakefront; MMW is opposed. Circling back to my opening statement, Mr. Goldring knows he is losing and that is why he is losing: he and council are pushing one way, and MMW is pushing another.

    By fighting for what the residents of Burlington want (as per ECOB and every person I’ve heard express an opinion on this matter), she has found herself isolated. And to the mayor, that means she doesn’t get along.

    But by fighting for what the residents of this city want, she does, and will, get along just fine with the residents. Judging by the signs for MMW for mayor, she has overwhelming support in her current/former riding, proof that she gets along with the residents, the voters, the ones every elected official is supposed to represent.

    Burlington: Vote Out The E(I)ncumbents!

  • Stephen White

    Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of the Mayor. I didn’t vote for him when he ran federally for the Green Party. I didn’t vote for him for Ward 5 Councillor when he first ran in 2006. And I certainly didn’t vote for him in either 2010 or 2014 when he ran for Mayor. I’m not a fan of many of his policies, and I’m certainly not a fan of his leadership.

    That being said, for all my concerns and reservations, I thought he was, at a minimum, a gentleman, and I thought he at least looked and behaved like a senior municipal official. This latest incident though in what is turning out to be a nasty, malicious and demeaning election campaign, is both undignified and unnecessary.

    If you don’t like an opposing candidate’s policies then by all means challenge them and at least try to offer viable alternatives and a competing vision. To subscribe to nasty, mean and scurrilous personal attacks only degrades the reputation of the person making the allegations.

    As for the Rusin ad, it speaks to the depths to which this election campaign has sunk, and how low some people will go to get elected. Once again, where are the municipal public servants who should be regulating, monitoring and at least trying to control this type of behaviour?

  • Mike Ettlewood

    Thank you Pepper and unnamed “resident” for publicizing the clearly inappropriate behaviour of our current mayor. I was also at the Burlington Green debate and noticed that Mr. Goldring was nervous and quite uncomfortable – the effects of a long and difficult campaign taking their toll. Unfortunately, in his closing statement he put his true self on display and it was anything but pretty or mayoral. He was probably taking the ill-thought and unseasoned advice of his young Campaign Manager who appears to be providing only strategies of desperation and faint hope. It is one thing to lose and lose well; quite another to lose badly without honour and dignity. Sad.

    As for Mr. Rusin, he has had an animus against Marianne Meed Ward since he provided advice and paid help to the property owners who eventually bought City-owned waterfront property. His politics are as confused and opaque as is his platform. Hopefully, after the election he will fade into the background forever.

  • glendadodd@cogeco.com

    MMW questions, examines, listens..
    Something Craven Goldring hated because she would not blindly rubberstamp everything they put forth

  • steven craig gardner

    About time he threw some of what she is throwing back at her. A bit surprised as most would not think he had it in him. Kind of like Obama turning nasty on Trump we have grown to expect it from Trump but not Obama same here with MMW and Rick.

    • Louise F.

      Couldn’t agree more. MMW has certainly been getting her shots in. I’m not a big fan of the Mayor but good for him.

    • Pam Casey

      Completely agree. i am glad he finally stood up to MMW. i will always for someone who works with others, is collaborative and looks at the big picture. Rick Goldring has my vote.