Calling Councilors "Crybabies" Is An Insult...

...to "babies (a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk) and elevates them beyond their projected intelligence and demeanor.

Crybabies can’t admit error: Levy

Everyone, but city councillors, knows it was wrong to try to pay their colleague’s $65,680 legal bill

By Sue-Ann Levy

Politicians with integrity, in my view, would have admitted they were wrong to approve a $65,680 payout for legal bills incurred by Coun. Adrian Heaps as a candidate in the 2006 election.
Taking the high road would have meant that, after reopening the issue at council, as they did Wednesday, they would have quietly voted to rescind the payment to Heaps and been done with it — recognizing they were facing a lawsuit by the Toronto Party for their Dec. 7 decision.
(The payout was no longer an issue to Heaps himself. Bowing to weeks of mounting pressure, he finally decided Monday not to take it.)
But not this bunch of spoiled children.
They were unrepentant, uncompromising and downright nasty in an effort to prove they were right.
They voted 37-0 to receive the original motion instead of clearly overturning it — leaving everyone, including Toronto Party co-founder Stephen Thiele, scratching their heads as to the implications for their lawsuit.
“We’ll have to take a look at what that means, exactly,” he said.
Thirty-three councillors also backed a plan by Coun. Karen Stintz to look at creating a voluntary insurance fund to protect candidates running for election — even though city solicitor Anna Kinastowski said they’d already looked into the possibility and it is not feasible.
Some councillors didn’t even have the guts to sit in on that part of the meeting, claiming a conflict of interest for being named in the Toronto Party lawsuit — even though Kinastowski said days ago there was no conflict.
Mayoralty candidate Giorgio Mammoliti was conspicuous in his absence, as was Howard Moscoe, Maria Augimeri and Paula Fletcher (who moved the Dec. 7 motion).
Mayor David Miller set the tone for the debate by attempting to bully Kinastowski into admitting her legal opinion — that council was breaking the City of Toronto Act, the Municipal Elections Act and case law by opting to pay Heaps — was not shared by other lawyers working for the city.
Apparently satisfied that he’d reduced her to a pulp (which he didn’t), he left the chamber.
But the mayor was only warming up.
He came back to his seat to paint Coun. Heaps, his loyal NDP follower, as a hero.
He told council that Heaps was a “decent, ordinary man” who ran for office against a “powerful political machine” and in the final days of the election circulated a Globe and Mail article that “took a little poke” at his opponent.
The mayor said Heaps was sued for libel — by someone who lost the election and had a “vendetta” — and was subsequently hung out to dry by council.
“We have a duty to protect the people who win ... and are subject to a campaign of harassment,” he said, getting vigorous applause from his acolytes when he was through.
As if the mayor hadn’t impugned the reputation of Heaps’ opponent, Michelle Berardinetti (who narrowly lost by 89 votes) enough, Gord Perks took a few more punches.
“I’m disappointed Coun. Heaps has too much integrity to take what we’ve offered him,” he said.
I’m surprised they didn’t nail themselves to the cross after they spoke.
The truth is, Heaps lost the lawsuit and was forced to not only issue an apology to his opponent (admitting his actions may have had an impact on the election) but to pay her a $20,000 settlement.
As for the candidate protection fund, I think they’re all a bunch of crybabies.
When I ran for MPP in St. Paul’s last August, my opponent put out three pieces of literature attacking my writing and my so-called anti-human rights stance (even though I’m openly gay!).
I laughed, recognizing it was part of the political game.
As Frances Nunziata said, any candidate who runs takes a risk.
“If you feel intimidated, don’t run,” she told council.
Yes, do us a favour. Don’t run.
sue-ann.levy@sunmedia.ca