Quote:
Originally Posted by Two Fivenagame
How is Nenshi the villain here?
There is substantial evidence (the video) showing an organization, lead by Cal Wenzel, that is conspiring to counteract the efforts of an elected mayor by buying members of council.
Is this not a clear example of the wealthy elite actively degrading democracy?
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Or it was a meeting with developers discussing the best candidates for their own interests. Pretty much the very basis of democracy.
Nenshi himself has said he doesn't believe anyone was bought off. You could certainly assume the worst (like I have done so with certain members of council and the taxi industry) but there was nothing explicitly illegal said in that video without reading into something. And again, Nenshi himself has argued in favour of the Councillors elected who were mentioned in the video. Donating to candidates who share common interests isn't exactly the most evil thing anyone has done, more importantly, it's completely legal.
Now of course what Wenzel and the developers did was shady but Nenshi stated that what Cal did was illegal on the basis that Cal donated the maximum $5000 and provided company trucks for use in the campaigns. Nenshi has since explicitly retracted his statement in light of new information (as part of the settlement).
A mayor can't go around calling people criminals without allowing them a proper investigation and trial. That's just as much of a degradation of our society values as anything Cal did. And when he was given an out, a simple apology, he didn't take it. Instead he put potential taxmoney on the line (depending on a vote if the City would foot the bill or not) because he didn't want to apologize. And he ended up apologizing after 2 years. Wasted time and money on egos. Make no mistake, Cal's just as bad in my eyes (if not worse) but he's a private citizen and not an elected mayor.