Bell: Calgary councilor tells embattled Mayor Gondek to stop his ego

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Oops.

Sonia Sharp is a councilor who has a lot to say about our frustrations with Mayor Jyoti Gondek and most of Calgary City Council this winter.

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As a petition circulates to remove the mayor from office, people wonder why Gondek doesn't step down a little and say that many Calgarians are unhappy with City Hall and commit to doing a better job listening to him and council representatives.

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Simple. Why doesn't he do that? This is a real head scratcher.

Sharp says.

“Most importantly, as a leader in these roles, you have to keep your ego in check.

“If you can't put your ego aside, then this is not the job for you.”

Oops.

Sharp has a lot to say in this short story. Let's tear it up.

“He needs to question his leadership and stop shifting the blame,” says the northwest Calgary councillor.

“He pulls everything he can to make himself look good in so many ways.

“If I were him, I would question my leadership. But I'm not.'

Sharp himself is frustrated.

“I understand the frustration. I think the resentment is real. I don't think we're focusing on the right things and Calgarians know it.

“Calgarians aren't stupid, so as you're seeing right now, frustration is going to come to the fore.”

Sharp says some people on the City Council are “very guarded” when it comes to public speaking.

Too true. And the counselor is polite.

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On CBC Radio Thursday, Gondek talks about the city's hated bag law, which is now being kicked to the curb.

Gondek wanted to keep the charter. He was willing to support changing the rules on bags in cars, hoping to save what was left of the law.

A small majority of councilors decided to deepen the entire bill. Period. Full stop. They knew what they were doing.

But Gondek has to put in his two cents. As some of the councilors heard what he said, only one question came to mind.

Does he call us stupid?

According to Gondek, there has been a lot of confusion about what a complete repeal of the bag law would mean.

He is asked what responsibility he takes as mayor for a “confused council” that appears to have gone wrong.

Gondek said he did his best to explain. Several times.

According to him, the proposal to repeal the law was not quickly adopted. This caused confusion.

Some other councilors disagree with the mayor.

“People get attached to what they think they've heard,” says Gondek.

Gondek says he'll do his best to explain, but it's up to members to fully understand what they're voting on.

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Oops.

On the same radio show, Gondek talked about the many “complex issues” facing council and how he thinks about all of his decisions and spends a lot of time thinking about what's in the best interest of Calgarians and “doing it fairly.” .”

He looks at the evidence. It looks at the data.

It's ironic that his arguments and his data led to so many decisions that Calgarians didn't like.

Then he'll probably think we're stupid.

After all, when Gondek was elected, the University of Calgary bigshot said, “We're thrilled to share his brilliance with Calgarians.”

Dan McLean listened to Gondek's interview. How does he summarize what he heard?

“It's not his fault. We are basically stupid and ignorant. It's an insult,” McLean says, adding that the mayor and his crew can't get out of their City Hall bubble.

McLean said he couldn't believe the outrage he saw when a petition to show Gondek the door began circulating.

“It's surprising how many people pay attention,” says the south Calgary councillor.

And now Landon Johnston, armed with petitions to be signed and a voice willing to be heard, is the only one taking on David Gondek and the giant Goliath of the City Council.

Johnston will be at City Hall on Saturday at 1 p.m

Applications will be there. People can volunteer to help. Has a website www.recallmayorgondek.com.

We'll see if Calgarians are just blowing off steam or if the protest is real.

“I encourage all people to participate in democracy,” McLean says.

We'll see if they do.

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