Cheap Shots at Jim Chapman's Voter 'Suggestions.'

In his column for the October issue of Business London magazine, Jim Chapman did his now very tired rant on how this city council got rid of Board of Control and divvied up the Ward structure in this town so that we no longer had two representatives per ward but just one.

I agree with him about the Board of Control part. But it's done. And was done in democratic fashion, so I figure that since London, Ont. was the last city in Canada to get rid of their Board of Control, it might be time to get over it and join in the new millenium.

One of Jim's complaints in the column was how a group called Imagine London representing "a vision of a small group of social engineers" had succeeded in their scheme and "carved London into small fiefdoms where it would be easier to elect and re-elect their left-wing candidates." Boy, talk about your conspiracy theorists. Is that same group affiliated with The New World Order?

BUT - why can't you say the same thing about the other side - the right-wingers and so-called fiscally responsible bunch? It works both ways. And that's why I dread the thought of another four-years of a flip-flopping half-wit like Bud Polhill. I might say that Bud leans to the right-wing side, but depending the prevailing wind of public opinion on any given issue, he has shown an undeniable knack for leaning to the left as well.

And according to Jim's definition of the perils of the new ward system, it's also why an INCUMBENT councillor like Steve Orser has an advantage over a clearly better choice than challenger Greg Thompson.

Anyway, let's get to Jim's "suggestions" on "who should get your vote" as recorded with no explanation in yesterday's last issue before the election of Jim Chapman's Voice of London. Or is it Jim Chapman IS the Voice of London? I never know how to read that title.

In the same issue, Jim has a column about how he won't come out and endorse either of the only two real contenders for the Mayor's race because both Mayor Anne-Marie and her rival Joe Fontana are close personal friends of his.

Presumably, Jim has no such qualms about offending his friends who are running in the Ward races for City Council because he names his choices in predictable fashion.

NOTE - Jim claims to have based all his recommendations on the basis of each candidates fiscal/financial attitude, their hands-on knowledge as business people on how to spend/waste a dollar and whether or not they are "cash-conscious" when it would come to investing or throwing away your tax-dollars.

Here's Jim's picks -

Ward 1 - Bud Polhill. Quel surprise. Jim's best friend. True, Bud has had his own auto-repair business for decades. But just how fiscally responsible is he? I ask this because in the past few days, Bud has been running radio advertisements asking to be re-elected. At the end, they say something to the effect that this commercial was paid for by Citizens to Re-elect Bud Polhill.

Now, this must be pointed out - Bud has absolutely NO serious challengers in the 'battle' for Ward 1. He's more or less guaranteed the seat because he has no real competition.

So just how "cash-conscious" is it to be wasting his supporters' donations (or even worse, some of his own money,) on expensive radio-spots when everyone knows he's a shoo-in anyway?

Oh, I suppose a cynical person might suggest that by repeating the name "Polhill" over and over again, some voters might get confused and think that it's a commercial for his son Steve Polhill who is running in Ward 2 - but I'm not that jaded.

Ward 2 - Steve Polhill. Cash-conscious? Would a grown man still have to depend on his dad for his weekly allowance? Oops, I meant paycheque. Also running - incumbent Bill Armstrong - who unwillingly has had to feud with the Polhill clan in the hills of East London for years but who also has a long history of being re-elected by the people who live out there.

Ward 3 - Henry Zupanac. I don't know much about him but I know he isn't Joe Swan who is also running. Swan is a one-time NDPer and former Board of Controller who kicked off the whole movement to get rid of Board of Control and yet when elected to it, did nothing to get rid of it. Gina Barber, he ain't. But if I lived there, I'd vote for him. Talk about fiscally-responsible? Since leaving city politics, Joe is the guy who saved Orchestra London from their very likely inevitable death.

Ward 4 - Steve Orser - Now this is the really puzzling one of Jim's endorsements. Because Steve has been VERY LOUD about having City Councillors become FULL-TIME JOBS. Which of course means full-time pay. And presumably, the same full-time benefits most places offer. As for a pension, who knows how far his greed exceeds?

The head-scratching part of Jim's endorsement though is he is totally against this idea. In fact, the other day on his radio program, he went into full-blown rant&rave mode about how city-council members were "OVERPAID" as it was - "Forty grand for a part-time job?! Give me a break!"

Then there's that whole 'back-yard chickens' thing and how Steve thinks London could get in on the ground floor of the business of making diapers for chickens.

Geeeezzzz! This one was a joke, right Jim? You threw that one in to make sure no one was sleeping?

Wards 5 and 6 - no recommendation from Jim on either. Apparently, if you live in those two parts of town, Jim couldn't care less who represents you. Just so you know - in Ward 6, incumbent Nancy Branscombe is running. In Ward 7, incumbent Joni Baechler is running. Both are the top two Killer B's and neither did an interview with The Voice. They are what Jim refers to as 'social engineers' and left-wingers. And they are running against people with such little public profile that Jim won't even talk about that race. In short, both 'B's are on Jim's shit-list.

Ward 7 - Justin Samlal. Don't know him but Jim has been blowing his horn on the radio a lot lately. "I really have a lot of time for this kid. 'Kid,' I say? Well he's nearly 30." Now, that just sounds scary to me. I wish you well Justin.

Who else with more experience in knowing city hall is running in Ward 7? Why, Phil McLeod! Former editor of the London Free Press and The Londoner. Hmmm, did Jim ever have a weekly column in The Londoner? And when Rogers-Television didn't pick up Jim Chapman's talk show, didn't they replace it with a similar local-affairs program hosted by - wait for it - Phil McLeod?

Ward 8 - Paul Hubert. Good for you, Jim. You finally got one right. I'm guessing Herm talked him into this one.

Ward 9 - Dale Henderson. That's Dale who should not be confused with Ward rival Gina Barber, also of the Killer B's. Dale is the fellow who bought the old IMAX Theatre at the Western Fair and turned it into a Musical Theatre Hall. He must know what he's doing because when I first heard of his plans, frankly, I thought the man was nuts. I just assumed he would be out of business in a year. Because London has a long tradition of doing that to people who want to open a new entertainment venue here. So good for him!

But as much as I admire Dale for sinking his life-savings into this venture - to do such a thing in THIS TOWN shows that he's also a gambler. I don't know if I want someone gambling with my tax-dollars.

Ward 10 - Paul VanMeerbergen. I love this guy. I'm only sorry he didn't run for Mayor. I would have voted for him. Say what you will about his chintziness with a dollar, but it's all genuine. Not nuts about the fact that there wouldn't be any city dollars going towards arts, recreation or culture (this is the guy who once suggested closing city pools and reducing snow-removal as ways to cut-back on city-expenses in our budget,) but if Mayor, from what I've heard, Paul would only have one vote. Hopefully, wiser heads would prevail.

Ward 11 - Denise Brown. Works for Aboutown Transportation, one of Jim's clients in his public-relations consulting business. 'Nuff said. She very well might be cash-conscious. She sent flyers out through the bulk-mail route via Canada Post which seems a pretty cost-efficient way of doing things. But I received two of them the very same day. True, it likely was just a mistake on the part of my mailman, but my first thought was, 'Geez, what a spendthrift!'

Denise's main competition is the incumbent and a former member of provincial parliament with the NDP, David Winninger who isn't stingy with his vote when it comes to tax-dollars being spent on friviolities such as public housing, culture and skate-board parks for bored teenagers as a way to keep them out of trouble and off the streets.

Ward 12 - Harold Usher. I don't get this one. Harold was more than happy to get rid of Board of Control. But maybe that's the 'cash-conscious' side of the guy.

Ward 13 - Chris Edgar. Not long ago, Jim spent about half his show talking about the importance and significance of election signs. And that they can be an indication of whether people in the community support you and your ideas and vision to such an extent that they would donate money to your campaign and you could afford to have a few signs made up.

Well, unlike Chris Edgar, I live in Ward 13 and without exception, all the signs (and there are LOTS of them,) on my street are for the incumbent Judy Bryant. In fact I haven't seen even ONE sign on this side of the Thames for either Chris or he other candidate Mary Bray. But I understand the sad reality it is for a newcomer like Chris Edgar to raise funds your first time out. I'll say this for her, she went door to door all by herself this past Sunday and I liked her flyer. Especially the part of hoping to do something about the Springbank Dam fiasco. No one else in this election has even brought that issue up and she might just get my vote for it.

But I don't expect she will get many more. I suspect that Jim's endorsement is because incumbent Bryant is also one of the 'B's he loves to hate.

Ward 14 - Jared Zaifman. Sounds good to me. Given the choice of some of the other candidates, including former underachieving councillor Sandy White who was defeated in the last election - well, why not?

Besides, Jared bought an advertisement in the latest issue of 'The Beat' magazine and it is placed opposite my monthly column 'Drysdale's World.'
... see, I'm just as much a shill and blatant opportunist as Jim, but at least I'm honest about it.

Jared is young, but I tellya, I gotta lotta time for this kid. Kid? What am I saying, he looks to be in his thirties and is also a successful businessman with some good fresh ideas. AND he supports a local Arts magazine. How many candidates are smart enough to do that?