Want to spend a week schmoozing with the mayor this September?  Have that project you would like to discuss?  It can all be yours for the cost of a cruise line ticket from Nanaimo Travel and Cruise, says an ad in a recent Nanaimo newspaper.  I am not sure this is appropriate under the circumstances.  What do you think?

 


Comments

Concerned

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:01:57

I had to take a double take as I skimmed through the latest edition of the Bulliten paper and low and behold there is John Ruttan advertising for this very cruise. Curious we went to the site and low and behold it is sponsored by his company Nanaimo Travel and put together by Ruttan Engineering. Not only do we find this to be in very poor taste it also goes against Ruttans campaign promise of stepping away from his business and being unbiased. These are exactly the issues that we as a family vote against. We somehow knew Ruttan could'nt cut that cord so we didnot and will not support him further. Unethical, and in poor taste indeed.

 

Chris McGrath

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:54:12

I am disappointed in you Ron. This is a cheap shot and you know it. No where on the ad in question does it say "spend a week schmoozing with the Mayor" nor does it say anything else you imply. The ad itself does not even suggest this and I think your posting is bordering on slanderous.

As for Concerned (and you) the VITW & the RuttanEngineering web sites are both owned and operated by the Mayor's son Ryan Ruttan who is now working in his dad's business full-time and learning the ropes to perhaps one day take over.

So unless there is something in the Local Government Act that prohibits members of council (or their children) from carrying on with their "regular" employment as many others have done and continue to do, I suggest you apologize and move on.

 

Concerned

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:52:48

Let me remind you Chris Mcgrath that most people including myself find this in poor taste and very unethical to say the least. Slander seems to be the word of the year in my hometown of Nanaimo and quite frankly I'm tiring very fast of these so called knee jerk threats. We all know many of our citizens now hide behind suits as they see fit. Mr. Ruttan paid for the ad not Mr. Bolin. Carry on Ron.

 

Ron Bolin

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:59:49

Chris: I am sorry you have chosen to take my report at its basest. While my description of the event may be more colourful than than that contained in the ad, its meaning is the same. It will indeed be a unique opportunity to have access to our mayor and I have corresponded with him in this regard. Who knows, I might take the cruise myself.

I believe our mayor to be an honest and forthright individual, but I also believe that this particular mix of politics and business is inappropriate. I take it that you are of the school that holds that everything that is not illegal is therefore ethical. In this we choose to differ.

 

matahari

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:50:46

Ron,you believe that the mayor is an honest individual and I'm sure he is.But that is the very least we should expect from our elected officials.We should expect them to question in detail the recommendations of staff and not naively be led around on a leash by the Gerry Berrys.I think Mayor Ruttan's blanket acceptance of every staff recommendation shows that he is not up to the job.He is indeed a major disappointment,but not as bad as Korpan,whose last campaign was basically financed by Cable Bay Lands.At least Mr.Ruttan paid his own way during the election.

 

Ron Bolin

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:52:23

Matahari: I am with you on most of this and I hope that the sparks of debate which have enlivened Council meetings recently will continue. There is no doubt that the role of Council relative to staff is in need of revision, but we need to give our new mayor both our patience and whatever assistance we can for the time being. He has been in office a few short months. Mr Berry has never been anywhere else. It is a big ship to turn around and it is up to all of us to let our Mayor and Council know what we want and expect of them. In the recent past the public has remained apathetic in the silent background. I suspect that difficult times will change this situation.

 

Trailblazer

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:46:31

And we thought that Cable Bay & the box at the Clippers games was bad optics!
This looks every bit as bad.
Shame on the Mayor.
It will be interesting to see who comes aboard!! Will we ever know?

 

Ron Bolin

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:46:57

Trailblazer:

There is an easy way to see who is aboard. Join the cruise. Virtually unlimited access to the mayor for a week would give you, or anyone else, a chance to sell that idea about city government that has been in the back of your mind.

Or maybe the media will send a rep.

 

Concerned

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:16:06

Wow!!! It looks as though this unethical ad has been pulled from the Bulletin paper. Why am I not surprised.

 

Concerned

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:23:14

It looks like it was only a brain fart. lol. Check todays daily snooze. Can someone be referred to as crap for brains if their brain farts?

 

James

Tue, 12 May 2009 10:25:24

Low blow, Ron you took a shot at the Mayor with the title of this blog. It seems like you try to mislead people and manipulate details.
John admitted the mistake and pulled the add, but you decided to still make it sound like you can cruise with the mayor, who is making a killing off this...

And you speak of ethics..."I take it that you are of the school that holds that everything that is not illegal is therefore ethical. In this we choose to differ."

Is your headline here ethical? Maybe look in a mirror before taking shots at our Mayor who is a community leader, not just a community complainer.

 

Ron Bolin

Tue, 12 May 2009 12:20:17

James: Schmoozing with the mayor is what any citizen does when approaching him/her for a favourable view on a matter of public interest. We all do it in our own way. It is the price someone pays for taking a job where he/she represents the public. What I objected to is the circumstances or a week long venue rather than a half hour in his office which we call all have -and the circumstance that there is Council meeting scheduled for that week.

The ad was indeed pulled, and if you read a later piece on this subject you will find that I commended the mayor for his action. Whether he simply pulled the ad, or went on as you suggest to make it impossible to "cruise with the mayor" is unknown to me. I requested clarification but have not received any. Simply going underground would not seem to be so meritorious.

Nowhere did I even suggest that he would be "making a killing" with the cruise, so I leave that charge void.

As for the ethics of my headline, see the intro to this comment. As for taking shots, please reread your last phrase and look in the mirror.

 



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