Me, Me, Me?

Update:

The Hamiltonian received this release from the Mayor

"I am very pleased to see the demolition begin - the North End neighbourhood deserves to see this project completed and this is the first concrete step in that direction in many years, My focus will remain unrelenting as I look forward to welcoming new residents to this transformative housing development which will include affordable, supportive and market units. I want to thank CHH, the development partners and City staff who have worked hard to make sure we finally see progress at Jamesville."

In a Facebook video post, Mayor Horwath addresses the issue of the  Jamesville buildings and their pending demolition. It is an issue that has been brewing for some time and many Hamiltonians will be glad to see the matter finally reaching a resolution.

One catch- the Mayor  makes it seem as though this was a result of her efforts, and makes no mention of others who were instrumental, if not, leading the charge. 

 In the video she says "It has taken a couple of years to make sure that I found the solution, but we're getting it done, and I'm..I'm very proud of that."

It is not sitting well with Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch who calls the Mayor out on his Facebook page.  Not mincing words,  Kroetsch writes

" I’m really glad CityHousing Hamilton is working with the developer to begin the demolition process, but I have to set the record straight. The Mayor did not make this happen. Trying to take sole credit, now that all the hard work is done, is not leadership.

I know this because I was in the meetings with the CHH Board, CHH staff, and President Councillor Nrinder Nann and know how everyone has been involved. The Mayor is not on the CHH Board and did not direct this demolition to start.

The least she could do is thank CHH staff and the CHH Board who helped to get us to this point. They did this work. If we’re going to get things done on Council, we’re going to have to work together as a team.

This is the exact opposite of what someone leading a team says. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but I think it’s time to start speaking out about this behaviour. It’s not the collaboration any of us were promised."

The Hamiltonian has reached out to the Mayor for her comments and will report back with the result. Stay tuned.