By Pepper Parr
September 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It was one of those really pleasant afternoons – the weather was fine, there was food and a chance to bump into friends and get caught up.
The event was Eleanor McMahon’s annual summer BBQ – the turnout was good – not packed but good. They did run out of hamburgers – five maybe six people had to go without.
The Teen Tour Band Alumni handed out the cooked up and handed out the burgers – there were none to spare.
The food as taken care of by the Burlington Teen Tour Band Alumni – an interesting group of people who get out into the community and just help out.
Oddly, none of those I spoke to actually played in the band; they either had children or grandchildren or friends who played in the band but they themselves didn’t.
It was a full day’s work for our MPP who is also a Cabinet Minister.
The McMahon hug
People with issues, grievances, personal matters they need some support on were literally lined up to talk to the MPP. When you meet to talk to Eleanor McMahon you start out with a hug. And then you get the full fifty by which I mean you get all her attention. There is nothing passive about this woman – she is in everything she does up to her elbows.
She has this capacity to listen intently and she will tell you straight out if she thinks you are being unreasonable.
Chasing a butterfly
The event done, the Teen Tour Band people all packed up and on their way home and McMahon gathers with her team around a picnic table to debrief and make sure that all those who were spoken to have been handed off to a staff member and the follow up work done.
The interview line-up – for the MPP the annual BBQ was a work day.
Based on our observations McMahon talked directly with as many as 25 people – and these were not 15 second quickie chats.
The Gazette has watched every politician in the city – some quite closely – this one has a gift rarely if ever seen in the others. Her political stripe is one we happen to share but it doesn’t colour our ability to see how effective she is.
There are concerns with several of the major issues the provincial government is dealing with – hydro rates are a problem and the decision to see a part of the hydro assets is disturbing. The cash for access problem just doesn’t seem to have really gone away and there is that lingering suspicion that something isn’t quite right.
Deciding what she will have to drink.
Those are matters for another day. Yesterday was a full day for our MPP and a fun day for most of the people who were there.
Glad she does this and has been a good MPP but as Liberal – just not able to support her for the actions the government has taken.