Random Access

Are you ready for some malversation?
Monday is inaugural night in Mississauga which means you’ll get to hear a dozen oaths sworn by City councillors and a dozen repetitions of that curious word that you hear only at inaugural meetings and in court proceedings.
Municipal councillors must swear not to exercise any, “partiality or malversation or other undue execution of such office.” Malversation is corrupt behaviour in a position of trust or in elected office.
I wonder if Cliff Gyles ever looked that word up in the dictionary.
Staff and workmen are madly rushing to put the final finishing touches on the $2.5 million third-floor reno that provides upgrading of the council chambers, an improved sound system (which won’t be ready Monday), better sight lines and two more offices for the new councillors who will be pulling up chairs around the old horseshoe.
If the designers knew then what they know now, they would have built a DMZ between the mayor and the councillor for Ward 5.
Instead, Carolyn Parrish (she’s the one with the mayoralty training wheels), becomes the living DMZ.
The seating arrangement means Parrish may find herself cast in the uncomfortable role of peacemaker/cannon fodder between Eve Adams and the mayor. Can you say collateral damage?
It will be interesting to see what McCallion stresses in her traditional address at the start of the new term, and especially to see whether she simply renews hostilities with the Region/Province/Feds or tries to set forth a vision for this, likely her last term of office. If we’re lucky, we may see the blueprint towards 2010 that was missing in her campaign platform.
She promised more of the same on the campaign stump, which is understandable when you have only token opposition, but we deserve an inaugural that says a lot more than “ditto.”
With criticism mounting about “white bread” municipal councils, there is a proactive step that Mississauga council can take to increase its ethnic content. (Hazel’s affirmative action program already seems to have reached its goal, with nine of 12 councillors from the distaff side.)
This issue can easily be defused by getting some of the members to return to their maiden names. Wouldn’t adding a Eve Harvath or a Carolyn Janozeski to the mix help? If the Councillor for Ward 3 wishes to incorporate her Swedish roots (her grandmother worked for one of the kings of Sweden), she could end up with the elaborate handle of Maja Carlstrom-Petrie-Prentice.
There. That sounds better. One nettlesome issue off the table already.