Comments on The Burd Report: The chickens have come to roost

Port hope gang will sign a 5 year contract with th...

2010-06-19T23:30:25.586-04:00

Port hope gang will sign a 5 year contract with the OPP at tuesday's night meeting, locking in the next 2 councils. resulting in no west northumberland police . Good going Linda

the scenario would be rejected because it is abusi...

2009-11-25T12:10:43.384-05:00

the scenario would be rejected because it is abusive and uses questionable language the content - I disagree with you - is acceptable

Mixing metaphors, that tricky minefield is a doube...

2009-11-25T11:40:04.371-05:00

Mixing metaphors, that tricky minefield is a doube-edged sword. If you were on council -- or in the course of an election campaign -- and you allowed comments but exercised choice over what comment is and is not seem, you leave yourself wide open for the accusation of censoring ideas that are legitimate just because you do not like the opinion -- even if that is not what you are doing.

Imagine this scenario, you write a reasonable post about a topic at a council meeting. Someone writes a comment, "The problem with you Ben is you see the world as a leftie socialist and when it comes to commies like you I say what I always say: if I wanted to hear an a**hole I'd listen to my own farts."

You deem that should not be posted.

In turn, you are denounced everywhere else on the web as not wanting to hear that the left is wrong.

Better to eliminate all that well in advance. Keep your posting locale straightforward, focussed and under control. Let the "wild west" stuff that is typical of internet commentary happen somewhere else so the collateral damage of all the messiness does not hit you.

I have the ability to post or reject comments now,...

2009-11-25T10:57:37.608-05:00

I have the ability to post or reject comments now, I have just exercised a liberal dose of libertarianism in my acceptance of comments to date. Of course as a councillor one would have to have higher levels of decorum

Just envisioning a future where you had registered...

2009-11-25T10:54:06.994-05:00

Just envisioning a future where you had registered and were in the midst of a campaign and/or were successful in the election and were sitting on council, running a blog would be fantastic, interesting, open --and a tricky minefield to negotiate. One of the things you might want to do is to disable the comments function. The comments would put you in the soup quicker than anything you yourself usually write -- being tarred with the same brush and all that. You would want feedback, of course, but you would be advised to do that in a controlled way: let them talk to you by email.

Perhaps someone else like Deb or someone like her would run a parallel site that would duplicate or continue what you have been doing here

I would continue to post, perhaps not on this site...

2009-11-25T09:25:33.354-05:00

I would continue to post, perhaps not on this site but on another, where I would be able to shine a light on the murky and secretive business of Council After all all candidates promise to be open with the voters, How much more open could you be than with one of these

Ben, the only hesitation I have --as a voter -- ab...

2009-11-25T09:22:35.192-05:00

Ben, the only hesitation I have --as a voter -- about you running for council is this: you would likely have to discontinue or suspend this blog.

Given the experiences in Vaughan, Oakville, etc with municipal councillors blogging, etc.

But you sure would add liveliness to the race and if elected to the council.

OK here's my answer, I wasn't trying to av...

2009-11-25T09:17:58.214-05:00

OK here's my answer, I wasn't trying to avoid the question just deliberating.

I am considering running for a spot on Council but there is a lot to be considered, the least of which is the liklihood of success. Having participated in many losing attempts, I don't fancy another one

Did you run in Port Hope or Cobourg? Maybe I di...

2009-11-25T09:11:22.436-05:00

Did you run in Port Hope or Cobourg?

Maybe I did vote for you.

Who was it addressed to? Both of you can take it as addressed to you.

I'm not sure who 'Anonymous' is referr...

2009-11-24T20:40:40.295-05:00

I'm not sure who 'Anonymous' is referring to in his/her hope that they (or someone of like mind) will run in a municipal election.

Anyway, I'll let my ego believe it might be me.

So, whenever I get asked "Why don't you run for council?" I answer: "I did. Why didn't you vote for me?"

And the main reason local folks didn't vote for me is, I think, I scared them. And when you scare people, even if you scare them with the truth, they go running for safety -the safety of what they know, the candidates who, like them, were born here and have lived here all their lives.

And that, in a nutshell, is what scares the living shit out of me.

I hope you will either run in the municipal electi...

2009-11-24T11:04:37.490-05:00

I hope you will either run in the municipal election or find a like minded person who will run.

To be serious, I wonder if any of us in either tow...

2009-11-21T13:55:12.959-05:00

To be serious, I wonder if any of us in either town are ready for municipal candidates in each place who could form an alliance with the goal of sharing things like police stations, bus services, recreation facilities and so on?

While this would be a long term exercise and might not provide an immediate answer for this particular issue, is it something we should consider?

Maybe there are enough of us to put an end to this historic feud that diminishes both towns.

Bang on description of Port Hopers, although I am ...

2009-11-21T12:08:41.592-05:00

Bang on description of Port Hopers, although I am not so sure having Ms. Mutton in Cobourg is such a benefit, seeing as how she is nothing but a punching bag for the boys and isn't showing much imagination herself. To be fair, she is likely using up all her energy on defending herself.

Now can you describe Cobourgers in the same vein?

I would love to read that too.

The council that will decide this is the same bunc...

2009-11-21T08:00:20.383-05:00

The council that will decide this is the same bunch of clowns that were full-steam ready to foist a $12-million barnacle on the ass end of our 1853 Town Hall -strictly for their own convenience- until the people of Port Hope gave the idea the old heave-ho -and with it Chief Stratigist And Courtier To Her Worship, Carl 'The Loose' Cannon who has since decamped for Belleville.

There is a very serious intellegence deficit on Port Hope Council. We don't have a Miriam Mutton. We've got a bunch of Candle Light Walkers, Highway Of Heroes uber-Patriots, Legion Meat Roll Promoters, erstwhile restraunteers -each and every godamned one of whom said exactly the SAME THING on their campaign literature in the last election; "I was born in Port Hope and I've lived here all my life." Maybe, around 1960, an uncle took took one of them to the CNE or a Leafs game -but the streetcars and the crowds frightened them and they vowed never to venture past Wesleyville again.

Money is no object to these dolts. Getting re-elected is. And by gawd the people of Port Hope love that sick, xenophobic little line "I was born in Port Hope and I've lived here all my life' so much and identify with it so strongly that unless a candidate can not only say it but prove it, that candidate is dead in the water.