Chris Cooke Is Concerned About Me

Chris Cooke is ‘concerned’ about me and my politics. He’s not wrong to be concerned. My style of politics is a direct affront to his. I call out BS, I don’t write it. I want to see our administration thrive and he actively looks to disparage whoever he disagrees with.

Let’s grab a beer sometime Chris, I’d love to talk Eminem and show you the real me.

Here is his article in it’s entirety.

Will the real Nathan Colquhoun please stand up
by Chris Cooke

Nathan Colquhoun is the refined fool. Or is it just fool?
There are two aspects of this guy that are concerning.
Actually, there are three.
He is among Sarnia’s newest City Councillors, believes big government is good government, supports the rehiring of Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze and is so far left he falls off the edge.
I can’t imagine what his partners in the craft brewery and restaurant business must think.
He appears to suffer from the same distorted thinking as Brian White and the gang that was blown out in last October’s election.
You know of what I speak. The Anne Marie Gillis, Matt Mitro types that ganged up on the Mayor, had him charged with harassment, spent $411,000.00 trying to boot him out of office only to discover the Mayor is more popular than ever.
That gang.
Now, we have White who somehow managed to survive the insurrection of last October and the Refined Fool who appears to have hid his extreme left-wing beliefs. I can’t imagine anyone with a wit of common sense voting for this guy.
Consider this.
Colquhoun, who appears to spend large chunks of his time on social media sending out rants and railing against the more level-headed views of his new Council colleagues opposes lower taxes, favours higher taxes and actually believes taking money out of the pockets of taxpayers will provide growth, improvement and maintenance.
“Visionary and responsible governance is single handedly the most effective tool to bring wealth to the community; not ensuring taxpayers keep a few extra dollars in their pocket.”
Yes, Colquhoun actually said that.
I can’t imagine what people who voted for this guy are thinking. Clearly during the election campaign, he must have been some kind of mole keeping his extremist left – wing views to himself.
At this point I should probably remind the Refined Fool that most of the old administration at City Hall is gone and so are its supporters. Even though he maintains his constituents are okay with higher taxes the message from the majority was clear.
They don’t have a “few extra dollars” in their pockets and have gone tone deaf to the rhetoric that we need more bureaucrats and bigger government.
Apparently, it never occurs to the Refined Fool that by taking money out of taxpayers’ pockets there is less for anything but necessities. And I’m going out on a limb here by assuming that craft beer and burgers aren’t on the necessities list.
If the administrative disaster of the last four years taught us anything it is that City Hall bureaucrats are aggressive in the fine art of cleaning out pockets. And does he really believe giving them more will provide better government with a better infrastructure.
If the past is any indication of the future government bureaucrats spend on government bureaucrats. The largest portion of this year’s $145.2 million budget is allocated to salaries.
That’s an increase of $24 million over the past four years and most of it went to a bigger bureaucracy and higher salaries.
The Refined Fool and Brian White appear okay with all that. Colquhoun is new to politics but apparently not to left – wing thinking. White is an anomaly whose views are well known.
Here is an example.
Both Colquhoun and White endorsed an administration recommendation that Robert Swayze be given another four years as the City’s Integrity Commissioner at $18,500.00. This is the same Robert Swayze who docked the Mayor’s pay not only once but twice and charged the City $111,000.00 for what a retired Sarnia police inspector described as an inept investigation into harassment allegations. This is the same guy whose investigative skills rank right up there with the stumbling, bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies.
Yet the Refined Fool believes Swayze “has a strong background in this kind of role (with us and many other municipalities) and knows our municipality better than anyone else since he currently serves in this role.”
The Refined Fool failed to note that Swayze has had his contracts terminated numerous times and his shortcomings have been well documented in several communities including Milton where he was not only terminated but Council voted against his recommendation to dock a Councillor’s pay.
And then there is White. He got in my face after I suggested I knew his thoughts on Swayze and didn’t need to interview him. “Are you speaking for me?” he asked after walking around the Council desk at City Hall and leaning within an inch of my nose.
I refused to be intimidated and didn’t respond.
White walked away angrily blurting out “you make things up.”
Fortunately, the hiring of an Integrity Commissioner has been delayed while the administration digests concerns that it screwed up the bidding process. George Vandenberg claims there were two cut off dates and the proposals never came from Council.
White apparently couldn’t give a damn. He like the Refined Fool believes in Swayze.
Someone should inform White that this is a new day and a new Council that won’t rubber stamp the antics of the administration.
Let me suggest the Robert Swayze train has left the station.
I could be wrong about this, but I’m usually not.