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Well that was one of the more entertaining council meetings I've seen in recent years. In the end Bill Keogh couldn't quite keep up with his officiating duties and posed the motion to postpone in such a way as to be unintelligible by all present except city attorney Ken Schatz, and perhaps Jonathon Leopold. The council didn't really understand that they had just voted to kick the can down the road to December 7, but they did.
The administration wanted the council to give its collective signature to a letter of intent with Piper Jaffrey to start working on the 61 million dollar financing deal. The resolution on the table had two parts. Part one said the BT would come into compliance with condition 60 by repaying pooled cash within sixty days. Part two was the letter of intent.
On a motion from Ed Adrian, the council voted to split parts one and two. He and Joan Shannon had attempted to split the "whereas" clauses, as well as the operative clauses in the resolution, but Ken Schatz and Sharon Bushor correctly pointed out that for Shannon to have assigned her notion of which whereas clauses fit which "resolved" clauses, would have in fact created two new resolutions.
C'mon people. Really? Split the "whereas" clauses? You got to be kidding me.
The council passed part one, but then postponed funding it with part two pending more info.
What info? Mainly like a business plan for Burlington Telecom. Apparently the one they've got is two years old. In other words no planning since Nulty left. Nice. Here's an idea to save BT some money. Besides start their CSRs at $2 less per hour- just eliminate Chris Burns. Does he do anything except fill the space between Leopold and the rest of BT?
Anyway. At one point Sharon Bushor was very vexed, red-faced and at a complete loss of words, quite obviously because of Adrian. You could almost hear her wishing Kurt Wright were there to call the cops on him. That was kind of funny to see.
The meeting started sizzling around 11:30 when words started to fly. Some quotes-
"I won't be scolded!" -Nancy Kaplan
"I won't be boxed in by this council!" -Sharon Bushor
"I am appalled!" -Marrisa Caldwell
"You are voting to destroy Burlington Telecom for the sole purpose of embarassing this administration!" -Jonathon Leopold
"I would appreciate Mr. Leopold it if you would not speak to me in a condeceing way!"-Mary Kehoe
"I screwed up the queue." -Bill Keogh
"How is that doing what's right for the city?"- Marrisa Caldwell
"I really don't like be accused of not having the city's best interest in mind." -Joan Shannon
"Befuddling...Infuruating...Very disappointing..." -Emma Mulvaney-Stanak
"We have the power." -Sharon Bushor
"Just for the record [Jonathon Leopold and I] did kiss and make up."- Mary Kehoe
"Think before you speak." -Karen Paul
"I move to call the question." -Paul Decelles
Had I been there I would have voted against splitting the question, and against the postponment of the letter of intent.
Leoplod is right. It's about embarassing kiss. They see him as vulnerable because he won't wallow in the mud. The apology resolution was also an attempt to embarass kiss, who had apologized in person and by letter. The real slap in the face was provided by decelles, dober and those voting for the resolution. To do it for political points is worse that anything the soldier said at the ceremony . They ought to be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteNo, this is about how no one is taking responsibility for this. Kiss and Leopold have refused to take responsibility and I hardly think they scuttled the entire Finance issue. They need more info.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the Dems or the Rs right now but the Progressives don't look too great when they defend a deeply unpopular Mayor and the "other Mayor" Jon Leopold.
Kiss has taken respnsibilty for it and a lot of people want him to scream and holler about how partisansip is dtrmental to the city. I admire kiss as the most honest, honorable and progressive mayor Burlington ever had. Maybe he'll be turned out but he can saying he never lowered himself to the likes of Ed Adrian.
ReplyDeleteKiss is a liar. He is weak. He has failed in his duty to protect and serve the citizens of Burlington. Anyone who defends Kiss's actions on BT is a party hack and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that statement is exactly what makes city politics a joke. Politics over people. So many mental midgets still upset over Gordon pauquette.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are the only one still upset about Gordie Paquette, since he's not remotely relevant to anything here. Hack.
ReplyDeleteBushor says she will not be boxed in. Good unbox her and let her run away from the council we would all benefit by her departure.
ReplyDelete