MISSISSAUGA MUNICIPAL (UNOFFICIAL) CAMPAIGN updates

[The Mississauga Muse]

Hi there, boys and girls, Mississauga Muse here with the latest Mississauga election happenings as they are happening in our truly great-GREAT city of Mississauga, Centre of the Universe, (and just west of that OTHER city)!

ITEM! In this morning's that OTHER city's Star!

Council candidate charged
Oct. 18, 2006. 05:45 AM (5:45 AM? Isn't that a bit early to be out impersonating a police officer?)
SAN GREWAL
STAFF REPORTER

A Mississauga City Council candidate has been charged with impersonating a police officer and intimidation after a rival candidate alleged he tried to force her and other candidates out of the race.

Ishrat Nasim, a candidate in Ward 10, claims Adnan Hashmi, 32, went to her Mississauga residence Sunday afternoon in an attempt to get Nasim's landlady to say she doesn't actually live there and is therefore ineligible to run.

Hashmi, editor of the Urdu-language Sunday Times newspaper, denies the allegations. "It's all lies," he told the Toronto Star.


Photo of Adnan ("It's all lies") Hashmi.

The rest is at:

COUNCIL CANDIDATE CHARGED

And no sooner does the ink dry on the Toronto Star GTA website when:

ITEM! In this afternoon's Mississauga News!

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Councillor in conflict over use of staffers

Joseph Chin
Oct 18, 2006

Ward 5 Councillor Eve Adams has had her City Hall staff re-assigned because of election improprieties.

The councillor denies any wrongdoing, saying she has obeyed all the rules during her campaign.

Yesterday, however, City of Mississauga Manager Janice Baker said complaints filed with Mayor Hazel McCallion led to an investigation into Adams' behaviour.

Baker confirmed the complaints concerned City staff who were forced to work on Adams re-election campaign.

Baker said Adams' staff members asked to be re-assigned because of the "awkward situation" in which they found themselves. The City agreed.

"(What Adams did) was contrary to the City's conflict of interest policies," said Baker. "The rules clearly state that was not acceptable."

Photo of Councillor Eve ("People are going to make silly statements during a campaign, but I think my record speaks for itself.") Adams.

The rest is at:

COUNCILLOR IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST OVER USE OF STAFFERS

For those excited about the heady race for Mississauga Mayor, an article appeared in yesterday's Star.

Parrish rolls with the punches
Carolyn Parrish is on trail for seat in Mississauga
Oct. 17, 2006. 07:24 AM
JESSICA LEEDER
STAFF REPORTER

Door-knocking is one of the most elemental ingredients of political campaigning, a critical gumshoe tactic that connects politicians to people...

Fast-scoot-forward to the last three paragraphs:

At a door near the end of Parrish's Saturday route, she introduces herself again. The man peering at her through a crack in the door is nodding as she repeats her name.

"You're running for mayor," he says, still nodding.

"Not mayor. Not this time," she says, carrying on with the pro-vote spiel she gives to those who keep the door open long enough. "We only get one out of every five people out to vote in municipal election. I think it's because Hazel doesn't have any competition," she smiles and winks. "Yet."

Next, another Toronto Star article, this one explaining just Who is interfering with Carolyn Parrish's 2006 mayoralty hopes and dreams and why Ms. Parrish must limit her aspirations to a lowly-run for council instead.

A mayor for the ages
Hazel McCallion, 85, has led booming Mississauga during four decades

Some call her tenure anti-democratic but she loves `to be out with my people'
Oct. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
MIKE FUNSTON
STAFF REPORTER

Since a picture's worth a thousand words...

The actual article is at:

MISSISSAUGA'S ETERNAL MAYOR

THIS JUST IN! (Actually not "just in", I just remembered)

ITEM!

According to a Toronto Star article, word has it , that a Mississauga council candidate recently had "put up signs at key intersections throughout the city and had about 30 removed by city enforcement crews before realizing it was illegal."

The Star continued:

Crews document the sign removals and the offending candidate is billed $50 per sign, Oates said. Offenders can also be charged under the Provincial Offences Act.

A little math and 50 bucks times 30 signs equals $1,500 in charges for this municipal candidate.

OUCH

Hmmmm... then again... hmmm $50 to remove one measley sign by a City crew? City's Best and Brightest should'a contacted me --I'm voting for the Incumbent so I'd have happily plucked all 30 of those challenger-signs for FREE!



This Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Mississauga Municipal Election Update was brought to you by:

THE MISSISSAUGA CRIME PREVENTION ASSOCIATION

and:

THE (it's better in) BRAMPTON TRANSIT


Signed,
The (Political Punter) Mississauga Muse

 

[Observer Walt]

Mississauga campaign news

Thanks for the breathless updates! We need some excitement in Miss., as rumour has it that the mayoral race is a yawn.

Have you got any pictures of Carolyn Parrish bombing around in her custom-painted car?

 

[ganjavih]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Democratic People's Republic of Mississauga

Come on out on November 13th and vote for our Great Leader, the Eternal Mayor.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Hi, Observer Walt

Thanks for the breathless updates!

Hey, no problem! It's easy to write breathless updates when MUNICIPAL-MISSISSAUGA-2006 leaves me breathless!

We need some excitement in Miss., as rumour has it that the mayoral race is a yawn.

A "yawn"? Oh my! You're listenin' to the wrong rumours, Observer Walt! The MUNICIPAL-MISSISSAUGA-2006 Mayoral Race is a !Five! !Exclamation! !Mark! !Event!-!!!!!

Few people know that the Mississauga Mayoralty race officially began on June 7th when the two Mississauga mayor-challenger-candidates were kicked out of council chambers for objecting to the (Open)-Public-Question-Period-rug pulled out right from under the public and the lid slammed (Closed). Just. Like. That.

The political aftermath-scuffling got so exciting inside the chambers that Peel Police actually had to be called in to escort those bad Mississauga mayor-challenger-candidate actors out.

[Linguistic Caveat:: There are those who view the two "bad actors" as "freedom fighters". (Those linguistic-quibblers invariably view themselves as freedom fighters as well.)]

So, a "yawn", Observer Walt? Au contraire! The Mississauga mayoralty race is spell-bound exciting!!!!!

Have you got any pictures of Carolyn Parrish bombing around in her custom-painted car?

Here's a small jpg from yesterday's Star article --WAYCOOL or what, eh, Observer Walt?

WHOA! WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? --

MUNICIPAL-MISSISSAUGA-2006 BREAKING NEWS!

Parrish alleges dirty tricks
Oct. 19, 2006. 06:50 AM
SAN GREWAL
STAFF REPORTER

Former MP Carolyn Parrish, now running for Mississauga City Council, yesterday added to accusations of dirty political tricks in the city's ward races, describing a mysterious phone call in which she says she was asked to bribe a rival candidate to drop out.

"I received a phone call, actually my husband answered it," Parrish told the Toronto Star yesterday. "It was a week before the nomination deadline (Sept. 29). I was told that Mr. Matanat Khan had been induced to move over to Ward 6. I was asked if I would be interested in offering money to stop him. I said, `Absolutely not.'"

The rest is at:

TORONTO STAR: PARRISH ALLEGES DIRTY TRICKS

Signed,
The (I can't WAIT to see what happens next) Mississauga Muse

 

[vistaway]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Great updates - thanks!

I find it hilarious how Parrish sliced most (but not all) of the Liberal logo off her signs in order to reuse them. Wonder if she kept them in case she needs to re-attach them next time she runs for an MP role...

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

ganjavih wrote:

Democratic People's Republic of Mississauga

Come on out on November 13th and vote for our Great Leader, the Eternal Mayor.

To satisfy a curiosity, I just found this on the Net.

"Hazel McCallion was first elected Mayor of Mississauga in November, 1978."

Just a brief summary --YEAR 1978

US Senate approves Panama Canal neutrality treaty (March 16); votes treaty to turn canal over to Panama by year 2000 (April 18).

Pope Paul VI , dead at 80, mourned (Aug. 6); new Pope, John Paul I, 65, dies unexpectedly after 34 days in office (Sept. 28); succeeded by Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Poland as John Paul II (Oct. 16).

(HAHAHAH! I LOVE THIS ONE!)

"Framework for Peace" in Middle East signed by Egypt's President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin after 13-day conference at Camp David led by President Jimmy Carter (Sept. 17).

YES, "Framework for Peace" in Middle East --1978!

and:

Jim Jones's followers commit mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana (Nov. 18).

1978 ENTERTAINMENT:

Sony introduces the Walkman, the first portable stereo

Grammys awarded in 1978

Record of the Year: "Hotel California," Eagles
Album of the Year: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)


OOoo, here's another interesting trivial piece of trivia.

"1976, when he delared himself president of the Council of State as well as the Council of Ministers. "...

So that means that Hazel McCallion has been Mayor of Mississauga only two years less than Fidel Castro has been El Presidente of the República de Cuba.

But no worries. Last I heard, healthwise, Our Hurricane Hazel can ice-skate circles around Fidel. Mississauga will prevail over the República de Cuba!

Hmmmm... I wonder what George W. Bush was doing in November 1978. In the month/year that Hazel McCallion was elected Mayor of Mississauga, George W. Bush:

"November 1978: Although outspent by 25%, Democrat Kent Hance wins 53% of the vote to Bush's 47%. During the campaign Hance contrasted his Texas roots and education to Bush's years at Andover, Yale, and Harvard and questioned the extent to which Bush's campaign contributions came from outside the district."

$BIGOIL$, I guess...

Signed,
The (I'm not handling this millennium at all well) Mississauga Muse

 

[spmarshall]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

I find it hilarious how Parrish sliced most (but not all) of the Liberal logo off her signs in order to reuse them. Wonder if she kept them in case she needs to re-attach them next time she runs for an MP role...

Also note the "re" in re-elect has been blacked out. At least she's the clean, green candidate with all the recycling she's doing. And with no election signs, Hazel, dear eternal mayor, is the greenest candidate of all!

Maybe the eternal mayor should develop a nuke program in order to get everything she wants, like independance (first from Peel, then the GTA, then Ontario, then Canada, when she sees that Mississauga money is being used to subsidize Newfoundland and Quebec), a busway to nowhere from nowhere via Square One (watch that solve Mississauga's transit problems!), the annexation of Milton and Halton Hills, and the Pittsburgh Penguins to replace the Ice Dogs.

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

For any Mississaugans actually interested in the 2006 Municipal Campaign, John Stewart's Blog at The Mississauga News website makes for a good-read.

In todays' Blog, Mr. Stewart addresses the nasties occurring in the Ward 10 race:

It’s getting worse

Expect the mess with Ward 10 council candidate Adnan Hashmi, who was charged yesterday with impersonating a police officer, intimidation and being unlawfully in a dwelling in an attempt to convince another candidate to drop out of the election race, to get even messier.

Council candidate Carolyn Parrish wants to talk to Peel Regional Police about expanding their investigation to include looking into some unusual events in the race for the Ward 6 seat, the seven-way race in which she and former Ward 7 Councillor Ron Starr are the front-runners.

The rest is at:

RANDOM ACCESS by JOHN STEWART (MISSISSAUGA NEWS)

Mr. Stewart's Blog also provides his readers the opportunity to comment/participate.

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[ganjavih]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

 

[Observer Walt]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

^ Miss. City Hall somehow got remodelled??

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Nice try there, ganjavih, heh heh...

Great job pasting Mayor McCallion's head onto Kim Il-Sung,'s body. Your image-altering would've worked save for one thing.

--those uniformed dudes around her tipped me off.

Corporate Security wear sunglasses.

So, ganjavih, if I may?... Like this!

Signed,
The (always trying to be helpful) Mississauga Muse

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

spmarshall wrote:

Also note the "re" in re-elect has been blacked out. At least she's the clean, green candidate with all the recycling she's doing. And with no election signs, Hazel, dear eternal mayor, is the greenest candidate of all!

McCallion's green in a lot of ways, sp.

I was at a council/General Committee meeting when they-all were discussing future transit. To her credit, McCallion admitted there would be "difficulties" --yes, "difficulties" and left the descriptor "challenges" for others to utter.

The thing I respected most about her comments that morning was how she said that if City expected the Public to buy into transit objectives, Staff would have to set a better example.

Actually, I think she said lead by example.

She remarked how City urges carpooling and yet staff cars driving into the MCC have one person in it. She also mentioned how she recently had to get another car and yet no one on Staff had suggested a hybrid for her.

The Mayor was right of course. Said something like, how can we expect the public to cooperate, to stop car idling, to take transit, to carpool when WE don't walk the walk.

McCallion was doomed getting that message across from the Get-Go. As I told you, I was there.

Through much of her talk about how Staff should be setting an example for the Public, two commissioners sitting side-by-side leaned over to each other, talked through much of McCallion's comments and at one point, judging by their grins, looked like they'd just shared a private joke.

Really. Talk about being disrespectful.

Maybe the eternal mayor should develop a nuke program in order to get everything she wants, like independance (first from Peel, then the GTA, then Ontario, then Canada, when she sees that Mississauga money is being used to subsidize Newfoundland and Quebec), a busway to nowhere from nowhere via Square One (watch that solve Mississauga's transit problems!), the annexation of Milton and Halton Hills, and the Pittsburgh Penguins to replace the Ice Dogs.

sp, I think Mayor McCallion's first order of business would be to take a good long objective look at who she's got sitting opposite her at council meetings assigned to implement council decisions.

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Summing up his Blog regarding the Mississauga 2006 Municipal Election, John Stewart wrote in frustration:

Could we please have an election where the police blotter isn’t the main source of political news?

It's gotten worse.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Adams accused of election abuses
Councillor denies any wrongdoing

JOSEPH CHIN
Oct 20, 2006

Ward 5 Councillor Eve Adams has been strong-arming residents to place her election signs on their properties, charge her two former office workers.

The workers, who earlier claimed Adams forced them to work on her re-election campaign, say the councillor threatened homeowners with bylaw infractions if they didn't comply with her wishes. The workers also say Adams told them to use false names when they campaigned on her behalf to hide their identities as City of Mississauga employees.

Early this morning Adams defended herself against the allegations saying, "They are simply not true."

Here's the second most ominous-sounding part:

Yesterday, McCallion said she has taken over the case from the City Manager's office.

"She has questioned the integrity of the City and, unfortunately, I have to get involved personally," said McCallion.

The most ominous for Councillor Adams is:

McCallion said the matter is being reviewed by the City's legal department, but concedes the City's hands are tied because Adams is an elected official.

"It doesn't seem there is any other action we can take," the mayor said.

These accusations against Adams has brought up some questions. What does a City do when it concludes it might be better off with a different councillor? Say, a City finds an Incumbent a pain?

A City really isn't a City --it's a Corporation. And a corporation's job is to exist for The Corporation.

The Adams scenario made me wonder what does The Corporation do should it decide a particular councillor ummm... isn't a "team player"? Isn't One-With-The-Corporation?

I'm not suggesting that's happening here but what's happened has set me wondering. What does The Corporation do when it concludes that an elected official doesn't entirely fit in with the Corporation's "landscape"?

I go to papers to read for issues facing Mississauga and the GTA in the next few decades. I see the voters in Toronto at least being lucky enough to have issues discussed. I've heard more about Toronto's issues --transit, the Gardiner, or the waterfront or the jobs-drain or Toronto's alleged Big City Decline than my own city's.

How do Mississauga voters hear issues when their mayor doesn't even run? And the politically-savvy Incumbent councillors don't either.

And frankly if I were an Incumbent councillor? I'd conclude that my best strategy would be to just make sure I had a lot of election signs. And that none were in violation.

This 2006 Election so far, has reminded of a Seinfeld episode where George Costanza heard that he was being considered for a promotion. George immediately went on vacation saying his staying at work could only ruin his chances.

Or Survivor --where you just hope everyone else implodes while you stay under the radar. {Actually, make that this Election reminds me more of Survivor.)

*sigh*

Maybe the issues will emerge closer to the actual voting...

Then again...

Maybe Steve Neast GETS IT --and I don't.

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[The Mississauga Muse]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

Morning, Mississauga

The following Letter to the Editor appeared in The Mississauga News recently.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Change needed

Dear Editor:

The Mississauga News
Oct 20, 2006

Change needed

This past year has clearly shown why it is necessary for a wholesale change on Mississauga and Peel Regional council.

It is unbelievable that in such a multicultural community, this council has banned some residents from volunteering on City advisory committees. This elected cabal, homogeneous in colour and Anglo/European in ancestry, steadfastly maintains there is no place for non-citizen participation on appointed boards even from long-standing municipal taxpayers. Not only is this wrong, but reeks of patronization.

If this is not enough to convince voters that the next municipal government needs to reflect the face of average Mississauga, then the fact this council has revoked a decades long tradition of allowing average residents to speak at meetings should.

As long as I can recall, any resident was allowed to address council on any matter at the conclusion of regular council business. Because this council has been taken to task by one or two determined residents asking embarrassing questions, that right has been taken away from all residents. Now, only scheduled presentations may be heard -- and council has control of when and how much time will be allotted.

The message to citizens is, "If you don't agree with our opinions or methods then we are not interested in your comments."

These acts are shameful and clearly point to our own culture of entitlement within the ranks of City councillors who have been around too long and have become complacent in their rolls. There is no entitlement. Electors need to take action now and get out and vote for challengers who can demonstrate that they are eager and willing to do a better job.

The normal voter turn out is below 25 per cent in Mississauga municipal elections. Incumbents rely on massive corporate donations and low-voter interest to stay in power. Only residents walking to the polls on Nov. 13 can change Mississauga for the better.

Larry Taylor

Mississauga

Oooooo, look what I found at Google Maps!

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse

 

[Observer Walt]

Re: Mississauga campaign news

^ Taylor admittedly does make a good point or two, but be aware that as a former councillor, he may have an "axe to grind".

BTW the last I heard, he was not living in Mississauga. I wonder if he's moved back?