By Pepper Parr
November 24th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Creating the organizational structure needed to run an election – and win – requires a network.
To the winner go the spoils.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and her husband Pete were out for dinner with Dianne and Nick Leblovitch at Jakes earlier in the month.
Was this the first meeting of the Mayor Meed Ward 2022 re-election team?
Meed Ward had a solid team during 2018. Pete Ward is a fine strategic thinker and knew what his wife needed in the way of emotional support as well as some sound strategic thinking.
Pete delivered on both levels.
The Leblovics were part of the 2018 team and, based on the information we have, they are the only two who are hold overs from the 2018 election.
That is unusual and has resulted in several noses being out of joint.
Nick Leblovic is a long time political junkie and loves being around people who are close to the seat of government.
Wife Dianne has a well honed political sense that goes all the way back to when Cam Jackson was Mayor.
There was a time when, as publisher of the Gazette, there would be long Saturday morning calls from Nick who was looking for updates, reaction, and as much political gossip as you could feed him.
At the time, Leblovic was the Chair of the Waterfront Advisory committee that ran into a sunset decision which brought a fast close to his career as an Advisory Committee Chair.
When he was told that the committee would cease to exist at the end of the year Nick; said he was blind-sided.
The chummy relationship with Nick came to an end soon after when he sued me and the Gazette for a million – which I didn’t realize I had.
The Libel action didn’t go anywhere. Leblovic chose to be his own lawyer and either lost interest or forgot how to practice law.
Can the Diane Leblovic political savvy, Pete Ward’s strategic ability, and the support Meed Ward has from her tribe result in another win?
Time will tell but get ready for a rough and tumble election. Recall what was done to Meed Ward when she ran in 2018.
Related news stories:
Life of the Waterfront Advisory Committee comes to an end.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
It’s a interesting question of why MMW’s team from the last election are nowhere to be seen.
Maybe you should ask them Pepper
I talked to some of the “team” a year ago and at the least it was another case of promises made were not promises kept. Instead of the team in the Mayor’s Inner office we have a bunch of PR types from outside the election campaign and outside the politics of the City. Never heard of any of them.
On the key issues of the election that’s how the promises were worked. From appearances, the whole team took it for the team.
Let’s see how the development promises work out – I just hope we can see at least a try. Don’t just blame the Province. That’s what the last Mayor and Council did.
Didn’t we replace them, and the Mayor?
Hans, I hope you will watch the virtual council meetings on a regular basis. If you do, you may change your opinion of the current Mayor.
I have to question if the promises made were promises kept by our current mayor and council.
If some did not doubt what she wanted for Burlington then one has to question why are we in the current situation we are in?
Transparency at its lowest ebb.
The adoption of the Interim Control By-Law which exacerbated the problem and failure by the city in updating and defending its Official Plan.
Failure to control the intensification that is permitted by the Province by not acting as soon as this council took office to get the boundaries of the UGC and MTSA moved which resulted in 7 development applications in the downtown to be grandfathered, when this was finally signed off on by the Ministry.
I voted for more.
I’m disappointed that more could not be done too.
Politicians’ “promises” are statements of intent – nothing more. Politicians often can’t keep those for unforeseeable reasons but they give some insight into their attitudes.
Re: “Recall what was done to Meed Ward when she ran in 2018.” – yes, I do. And she won in spite of it. I lived in Burlington for 34 years and IMO the councils with Goldring as mayor were among the worst; he does not deserve another term. With MMW I never doubted that she wanted what was best for Burlington.
This is the mayor who recently hosted a large in person gathering for the Mayors from around the GTA at the new hotel and spa on the Lakeshore. She also does not hesitate to be seen dining in restaurants around the city and appearing for photo ops as often as possible, yet she refuses at this point, to return to the city council chambers to conduct city business. Hopefully, the residents will remember these actions in the fall of 2022.
Oh we will remember that fact even if we have to shot from the roof tops
Diane Leblovic was a huge part of the Cam Jackson team long before he was the Mayor. She was there when he was successfully elected MPP in several elections. Find this a very difficult to understand relationship on Dianne’s part!.