Raise the Hammer

Well, I just can't get too worked up over this. We were prepared to give the Ti-Cats a brand new stadium and they got a little too clever for their own good.

I was in Council Chambers until noon watching what was until that time a well-behaved group. Bob Bratina is doing his best to behave as Broadcaster Bob and play nice. Clark, Merulla and Whitehead all did their best to play along, although you could tell it was killing them. You just get the sense this isn't going to last.

And, although not a big deal but certainly inappropriate behaviour, when Rob Rossini took to the mike he said jokingly, "What's a few million amongst friends?" The chamber was silent. Ouch. I think it's time Dad (Chris Murray) took Money Boy (Rob Rossini CFO) aside an taught him some judgment. First he looked like he was best friends with Scott Mitchell during a couple of Council meetings, and now he thinks it's a good idea to joke about the millions taxpayers are being asked to pony up for a stadium. This guy is hilarious. He's appearing all year. Try the veal. It's excellent.

As I was listening to Jason Farr ask one inane question after another in his big radio voice, I realized we have two ex-big-voice-Ti-Cat-play-by-play-radio announcers sitting around this table about to cast votes on whether or not we investigate the Confederation Park site. Only in Hamilton. Let's take a break now for traffic and weather together....

One of the things that troubles me is I get the sense Chris Murray and team have spent close to zero of the 700 "man days" (as Rossini put it, as I guess it was men who did all the heavy thinking) focused on the velodrome. There is no site, no current budget, no scaleable plan for the facility. Apparently nothing. Murray said there "may be swimming" at McMaster. May be? Holy moly, I thought we might have had the easy stuff already nailed down.

We stumble from one screw up to another in this farce. Not to mention the fact that Murray has been preoccupied with the stadium site and likely has had very little time to focus on how we're going to hold property tax increases to a couple of percentage points.

I feel like I'm trapped inside an episode of Green Acres (a TV allusion that may be lost on many).