Donald Barber is one frustrated man.
Which is not unusual, as we know from watching his many appearances before Mississauga city council and his several runs for the mayor’s chair.
What’s got him mighty, mighty miffed this time is the torrents of free, positive publicity that a certain short, crinkly-faced denizen of 300 City Centre Dr., fondly known as Her Warship, seems to be garnering these days in the midst of an alleged mayoralty campaign.
Such as the glowing piece on CITY-TV earlier this week that Barber says, “painted her as this great, wonderful person who can lift a car off a bunch of orphans.”
Or a story in The Toronto Star yesterday which had the low-key headline, “A Mayor for the Ages.”
Barber, of course, would have rewritten the head to say "A Mayor for the Aged."
Every time he runs, the founder of the Friends of the Cawthra Bush tries to make McCallion’s age and health the issue.
“The single greatest issue is her health,” said the pup of 49 years. “By the time of the next election, she’ll be almost 90 years old.
“In that CITY-TV story, the only thing she was promising is that she will try to stay alive,” said Barber. (Cue John Travolta and point Hazel, that dancin’ fool, towards the glitter ball).
Asked what guarantees he has that he will be alive tomorrow, the next day or in four years, Barber replied, “statistically, I don’t have to make that promise.”
Making the mayor’s age and health an election issue, let alone the main one, is a mistake. Smacks of age discrimination. But then, any port in a storm when you’re running against the cult of Hazel.
What concerns Barber most is that this time around, the Hazel worship is happening WITHIN the campaign period, which he believes makes the media a co-conspirator in her campaign.
The man has a point. Would any Toronto media run a big piece on David Miller, saviour of the city, in the midst of the campaign there?
The Toronto media are probably more guilty of laziness than partisanship. It’s a case of: here’s an easy municipal election story to do, everyone loves her and she doesn’t have any real opponents we have to give equal time too. (After Barber complained, CITY-TV is now apparently considering some kind of coverage of McCallion’s opponents).
Even when the mayor hands them an issue, Barber and Roy Willis, the other ratepayer activist in the “race” for mayor, can’t make much mileage out of it.
At a meeting a couple of weeks ago, the mayor made the unusual admission that the City messed up the planning of street layouts so badly that public transit will probably never really work in Mississauga. Both Willis and Barber pounced on the statement but nobody seemed to blink an eye.
The problem for McCallion’s opponents is that they are running against a mythological figure.
Barber would undoubtedly categorize her as Hazel the Hydra, with the body of a hound and 100 snake heads. (Don’t tell Donald, but one of those heads turned out to be immortal.)
Barber, of course, is cast as Sisyphus, forced to roll the rock up the mountain eternally, check to see if the Queen is still sitting on her throne and then watch the rock roll down before he starts his uphill struggle all over again.
Comments (2)
Please post this instead
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if you are going to BLOG a candidate, let them BLOG us to, to fair.
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There are two things that need to be mentioned and Mr. Streward hates to hear, no matter how true they are. That he works at a “Newspaper” that is often called the “Missing News” and that Mississauga’s really miss the way he used to report the News - years ago.
The key elements to the age of the CURRENT Mayor issue is how much it would cost to hold a by-election any time between now and the end of the 4 year term for the next Mayor. City hall has told me it is $1,000,000.00!!! And Mr. Streward was told that a few times. He was also told many times that she need not die, she could lose her mind and he has been repeatedly given many examples of how she loses it and even thinks there is a “coup” out to get her.
Is it not reasonable to ask for a full doctors report about this 85 year old candidate's physical and mental state before we invest a vote in her? By the way - the take home pay for Mississauga's politicians is about 1/2 a million dollars for their term! Also there is the matter of her lack of a platform does that not say no vision by a person of her age? I am out going door to door, why is Hazel not up to that? Maybe because certain persons in the media do her work for her?
Further more, all the people I have talked agree 85 is too old and they are not willing to gamble on her and why does she want to stay in office anyways? If she wants to be remembered and have a good legacy then she should do as other leaders do, works of charity etc., staying in power as she is just an act of ego. When people know the facts they see the wisdom of putting Betsy out to pasture - after all how does it serve Mississauga to have a Mayor die in office? Unless it is just another Hazel on centre stage performance that we are to applaud to.
Remember history we just us and it will not have it eyes clouded by a cult personally that over shadows the truly great issues in this election.
This election is like a horse race and we are being asked to bet on the oldest horse.
And if she loses, if she crashes and burns in any way, we all pay. How much day care will $1,000,000.00 buy?
So get with it John - get the whole story out - even if it means people will ask why did you not tells us this before. Mississauga deserved better - don’t we?
Posted by Donald Barber | October 21, 2006 12:31 AM
Posted on October 21, 2006 00:31
John, you wrote:
"Barber, of course, is cast as Sisyphus, forced to roll the rock up the mountain eternally, check to see if the Queen is still sitting on her throne and then watch the rock roll down before he starts his uphill struggle all over again."
That's the thing I respect about Don Barber. Really. He knows he can't win against The Hazel or The Evil Empire.
His struggle is every bit as futile and unrewarding as those of Sisyphus (dead-on call casting Barber as Sisyphus, John).
He's fighting a fight he can't win and yet he's fighting and Will Not Give Up. Odds of Zero, Barber's got. They've even laid charges on him.
He Will Not Bow Down to Them. They can twist and wrench his fingers back but he Will Not Bow Down to The Evil Empire.
(Oops. Make that Hypocritical Evil Empire.)
"Sisyphus" defines himself not in winning --but in his perpetual struggle against a soulless utterly unaccountable corporation --soulless, John, bleak and soulless.
His cause is hopeless hopeless hopeless --and yet Barber will.
(Yes. I meant to end my sentence with "will")
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
Posted by The Mississauga Muse | October 19, 2006 7:23 PM
Posted on October 19, 2006 19:23