In light of some indicators that former Mayors Eisenberger and DiIanni may consider running for mayor next term, we asked Mayor Bratina the following:
Recent responses to queries made by The
Hamiltonian of former Mayor Larry DiIanni, and of former mayor Fred Eisenberger
made by The Hamilton Spectator, are less than definitive in terms of whether
either or both gentlemen will be running for office in 2014. It seems that
neither have ruled out the possibility. You previously stated to CBC Hamilton “
“I’ve
taken a pummeling about who I am, and my character and all of that, which has
led some people to believe that I’ve been scared into a corner and I’ll just
quietly walk into the sunset.” It sounds as though being “sacred into a
corner” or quietly walking into the sunset, doesn’t sit well with you. Assuming
you will be seeking a second term, would a challenge for the job, from the two
former mayors concern you at all, or cause you room for pause?
The Mayor responded as follows:
It’s not surprising to me that there is great interest in the position of Mayor of the City of Hamilton. There has not been this level of new growth, economic activity and positive developments for the City since the 1970’s. We are the envy of many Canadian Cities so of course there will be those interested in assuming the role of Mayor. Under the Municipal Act the head of council has special responsibilities outlined in section 226.1 that include promotion of public involvement in the municipality’s activities, so I would certainly not discourage anyone from participating in future elections. However we are not even half way through the current term and the nomination process will not begin until January 2014. With so much work to accomplish and so many files such as all-day GO train service, the Pan Am stadium, rapid transit, the OLG casino initiative, Randle Reef, the McMaster Downtown project, the new strategic plan and so on, I really don’t have much time or interest to spend on this kind of speculation. When the time comes I’ll be happy to participate in discussions about the future of our Council, but now is not the time. To the gentlemen in question I extend best wishes and thanks for their past contributions to Hamilton.
Bob Bratina, Mayor,
City of Hamilton.
That was a classy answer.
ReplyDelete
DeleteYes I was impressed by this response from Mayor Bob.
This Mayor has soul! I think he would be open minded enough to support an organic evolution of Hamilton( Art is the New Steel) while keeping its incredible history alive. (Would that be a back to the future thang?)
I would have expected no less of an answer from our Mayor. This City deserves and is: all that he describes and more. Warts and all!!
I can't tell if you two guys are serious, or not. This machine-generated response from Mr. Bratina is fine for what it is. Which is right down the middle. How can you take offence to, or for that matter be impressed with, such a response? I'm not criticizing him for it, but this kind of PR-scrubbed language is produced thousands of times a day by PR departments and Chiefs of Staff of all levels of government all across the country. See it for what it is.
DeleteMr. Crawford
DeleteI don't think this Chief of Staff is capable of writing "this kind of PR-scrubbed language." Unfortunately and to the Mayor's discredit, there is no PR department in the Mayor's office . Two years is so far away, that who could really say what the situation will be in 2014. Let's get on with the now!!
Yawn, he's not running in 2014. Two more years of property tax increases will seal his fate.
ReplyDeleteFunny that. Saying the city is doing the best it has been in over 30 years and other cities are envious. Personlly I am humiliated about this city and how it's being run since the last election. Much of council has their heart in the right place. Mr. Bratina praising how this city is coming along while the city itself is doing things like funding development projects run by a convicted pervert is just beyond shameful.
ReplyDeleteThe "OLG casino initiative"? Huh? Since when did this become an official initiative of the City of Hamilton? News to me. Did Council vote to make this an initiative? Not saying they didn't, but if they did, I missed that vote.
ReplyDeleteJust what this city needs: More addiction. Maybe this is the goal of Hamilton. This city already employs a high number of people in the medical field. Perhaps the goal is to increase addiction into other areas in order to create more employment in addiction services?
DeleteAnything good that has happened since Bratina became Mayor was the direct result of the hard work of others before him. He's been a lame-duck Mayor since day 1.
ReplyDeleteIt will be great to see Larry Di Ianni run for Mayor of Hamilton again. We're beginning to see the fruits of his labour come to fruition in the City.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I keep getting dragged into this speculation about running again when I have denied it time and time again. Now even Bob is responding. What in any of my responses leads people to think that I've changed my mind?
DeleteCome on Hamiltonian! Slow news week? I know these are the dog days of summer! Give me a break!
Thanks, Rick. Hope all is well.
DeleteFluition...Rick... fluition.
Fruity sometimes how we perceive things.
Love it.. been a long hot dawg day of summer.:-)
Larry
DeleteRead Mayor Bratina's comments and you will see that he does not mention that you are considering running for Mayor. Bob is responding to the Hamiltonian question, and your name is not in his comments at all! It's your perception that they are talking about you. He is simply extending best wishes and thanks for your contribution. Larry, get over yourself!
ReplyDeleteLarry
We don't think you have changed your mind at all.
twitch...twitch
All is going well Mayor Di Ianni. Have a great evening. :)
ReplyDeleteAll-day GO Train to James North was promised in 2008, the same year Toronto's bid process for the 2015 Pan Am Games was launched. The stadium component arguably dates back to the Wade administration, since it first appeared as a Commonwealth Games gambit.The McMaster Downtown Campus discussion dates back to the DiIanni administration. Rapid transit is another longstanding project, though most of the action has occurred since Metrolinx formed in 2006, the start of the Eisenberger administration. Randle Reef RAP finagling goes back to the Morrow era; one of Mayor Bratina's earliest trial balloons was the idea of reopening the multi-decade, massively complex negotiation process around RR remediation, which was originally supposed to have been completed in time for the Pan Am Games. So glad that council has finally coughed up the $90 million, er, $150 million to see this plan through.
ReplyDelete
DeleteThanks Anon, always good to get some history and a "reminder-giving- perspective" on the big picture.
Not one person can be credited for moving this city forward. Thousands of people -over many years -deserve recognition.
Reality historically dictates: the name; a name; A.K.A. the Mayor, or Councillor lay claim to the pages of history books.
Sumptin' wrong with this picture.
Come on Larry, the rumour is out there. My speculation is that Larry is not disclosing his interest in running because it would mean that he would have to give up the Cable 14 show. BUT, who's to say that he remains silent and later on says "I changed my mind". How convenient this would be. Hmm...
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would like to see new faces run for both Mayor and the entire city council. We are in dire need of change for this city.
Thanks Hamiltonian for covering this.
Julie
As i have mentioned in other posts this city needs new blood at the top. One of the former Mayors is a friend,however I do believe it is time for complete change. We need a person that has many years of business knowledge that has worked possibly with both the Provincial and Federal levels of government in the background. A person that has not run for political office prior but has worked with politicians and helped resolve issues. There are a few people that I can think of that are perfect candidates but need to decide.The upper levels of Government are going to provide less funding over the next many years and as such we need to be very creative in our approach.All of the past Mayors have their own past and as such we need to start fresh.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, Larry don't bother running. Hamilton doesn't like you and there not going to support you. All the smoozing in the world won't help. Move on.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan