Bratina,Merulla sling mud in your eye

Councilors Bob Bratina (Ward 2) and Sam Merulla (Ward 4) have been slinging fices via email for the past few weeks over various topics including spending priorities for the city and the closing of US Steel The councilors sent their childish barbs to each other, plus the rest of council and all the local news media.

It started on February 12, with Councilor Merulla forwarding a news item from Citizens at City Hall (CATCH) about Mississauga's decision to drop out of the Pan Am Games bid for an aquatic facility.

In it, Merulla dismisses the games as an obscure 'third-rate event with fourth-rate athletes. To which Bratina asked Perhaps Councilor Merulla would consider apologizing to the young athletes in the Hamilton area who might aspire to participate in some of the events. Moments later, with the vigor of a fifth grader with a persecution complex, Merulla shot back asking Councillor Bratina to apologize to your residents who have been subjected to human feces floating in their basement as a result of the infrastructure deficit and yet you want to build an unsustainable stadium.

I would like to see a new multi-purpose stadium built with a track, football field, outdoor concert area, etc. Something like Toronto's BMO field, there is a bubble which allows for facility use 365 days of the year. There needs to be private investment to offset the cost to taxpayers, perhaps selling the naming rights for the new stadium. "Tim Horton's Field" sounds pretty good. Selling Name/Commemoration plates for seats (like at Hamilton Place) and common areas (Councilor Merulla Men's Room? Councilor Bratina Hot Dog's?)

I have never had respect for Councilor Merulla and his over the top, boisterous comments and yesterday's salvo of dumb dumbs didn't help. In response to the Hamilton Spectator's breaking news report that US Steel (formerly Stelco) is shutting down its Canadian operations (including its Hamilton and Lake Erie operations), Merulla sent an email to local media that reads simply: "Let's build a stadium!!!!!!! [sic]"

Councilor Bratina immediately responded, "This is not a matter for smug jokes." Glenn Johnson of CanWest News Service replied to all, writing, "Would you two call each other instead of wasting everyone else's time."

The US Steel closure of its Hamilton and Lake Erie operations could affect 2,100 workers, adding to the 700 of its 1,700 wage employees laid off in Hamilton.

I don't understand what Merulla is saying with that comment. Does he mean that building a stadium is a waste of money because we could use the $60ish million to do what for the tax payers of Hamilton. Use it to keep US Steel afloat while they sit idle until the global economy says it's time to start making steel again? Sam, shut up or say something constructive. Try saying something useful for once.

Sometimes for major changes to take place, a system must fail. The times ahead are going to be hard for some, harder for others. This is Hamilton's chance to show what it is made of and change a flawed system.

Later,
Kenaz