Photo Credit: Adapted from a screenshot from Cape Breton Live TV. Bottom row with text added.

Note: There are some important discussion points raised here. However, if you wish, you can scroll down to get right to the rankings.

Tomorrow at the 1:30 pm meeting of CBRM regional council, there will be a call for nominations for Deputy Mayor who will serve for a 1-year term.

This presents an outstanding opportunity for the longtime councillors and Mayor Clarke to make amends for their male chauvinism and prejudice against the incoming female councillors.

If you recall, CBC coverage revealed their attempts to block the nomination of Amanda McDougall to represent the CBRM on the NS Solid Waste Resource Management Regional Chairs Committee, in a failed attempt to discourage the outstanding councillor.

They told the Council that she must "work your way up", that she must "gain the confidence and the respect", and the meeting also showcased Eldon MacDonald describing the role as "pretty heavy"... implying she couldn't handle the role despite being the most qualified in the room.

Just for the record, Amanda McDougall is one of only two members on Council with a Political Science degree (Coombes is the other), previously worked directly with ACAP (Atlantic Coastal Action Program), and was a key player in the MV Miner cleanup effort. 

But the ole boys club have a bigger reason than just making amends when it comes to the Deputy Mayor nominations.

New councillors, McDougall, MacMullin, and Coombes have been the most proactive, most progressive, and the most durable (by necessity) despite the resentment and opposition they've faced. They've risen above it and they've done an outstanding job, showing leadership from a minority position.

Any of the three would make excellent choices as the new Deputy Mayor.

For those of you reading who are up to speed on local CBRM politics, you'll probably be contemplating whether or not my article could put their chances at becoming Deputy Mayor at risk tomorrow.

The risk is that many of these thin-skinned ole boy councillors not only resent these outstanding new councillors but also dislike me for my political writing that has been critical of many of them.

If it's left up to them alone, the women won't get their nominations or their votes.

And if they happen to read this article, they may also develop enough resentment that they'll punish these councillors for my words despite none of the councillors having any ability to sway my opinions.

I'm willing to take this significant risk for a reason...

I've studied the antics of these men enough to know they do not want any of the three (McDougall, MacMullin, or Coombes) to achieve the position of Deputy Mayor.

And they almost certainly have zero intention of voting for any of them. Instead, look for them to support councillors that don't threaten them at all, like Gillespie or George MacDonald who use more of their time working on their comedic routines than giving full focus on the issues.

Or perhaps they'll give the nod to Bruckschwaiger, the councillor who previously quit CBRM council to work out West, before changing his mind upon the passing of Councillor Flynn. He might have earned their approval by his condescending behaviour towards the women as of late. His most recent targeting of Councillor Earlene MacMullin was what looked to me like the verbal equivalent of someone bursting at the seams with resentment.

So I'm not really lessening the best three councillor's chances at becoming Deputy Mayor. The reality is, they don't have much of a chance right now.

The ole boys won't step up to the plate on their own. They don't want to. It's going to take public support to compel them to do what is right and to recognize one of these three outstanding councillors.

You can phone or email your councillor to let them know you support McDougall, MacMullin, or Coombes for Deputy Mayor. Here is their contact info.

Please share this post to Facebook to create awareness and additional support for them. And please let everyone know you're not pleased when the ole boys support one of their own instead awarding the position on merit.

If one of the three is confirmed as Deputy Mayor tomorrow, the CBRM Council will have collectively made a smart decision that reflects well on the municipality.

The CBRM Deputy Mayor Candidate Ranking

Ranking #1/#2: First place ranking for Deputy Mayor is a tie between Amanda McDougall and Earlene MacMullin. They have both been outstanding, challenging the issues in a tough environment, where they face adversity within their own council. While McDougall has a Political Science degree, MacMullin has been a strong advocate for following the proper process at the CBRM, a focus that would make a good qualifying attribute for a Deputy Mayor.

Ranking #3: Kendra Coombes. Along with McDougall and MacMullin, Coombes is one of the strongest and most proactive councillors. While she could easily share a 3-way tie, she's much needed to continue her external activism. She's been one of the most active for either participating in or taking a leading role in rallies for Equalization and the state of our healthcare and its crisis-level deficiencies.

Ranking #4: Ray Paruch. He's a long-time councillor, and one of the few who has gone all-in on accountability and transparency at the expense of playing nice and keeping the ole boys happy.

Ranking #5: Though an ole boy, Clarence Prince has enough experience that he could handle the position of chair. He makes an active effort to be clear in what he is trying to say when speaking. He's a better communicator than other veteran councillors, with the exception of Darren Bruckschwaiger.

Ranking #6: Jim MacLeod. He's gruff, but he could likely manage as a fill-in for the mayor. The clerk is always there to keep any of them on track and following protocol when they ask for help.

Ranking #7/#8: Steve Gillespie/George MacDonald. At times, both men don't seem to take matters of council seriously enough, and both can be condescending. They have a propensity for trying to tell jokes, and although his wife would discourage him from doing so (as he suggests), Gillespie has sometimes used profanity in what appeared to me as attempts to feign outrage on an issue that I wasn't convinced he actually really felt. If I could modify a movie quote to fit the tone I observed, I might offer: "I'm mad as hell, but I'm not going to push too hard for anything", instead of the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" tone of his campaign before winning his Council seat.

Ranking #9: Darren Bruckschwaiger. Bruckschwaiger is the most intelligent of the ole boys. His key weakness in my view is that he tends to get offended too easily, appears to be threatened by the rising star power of the female councillors, and his ability to know what to say to his supporters is so successful that he isn't really compelled to do things. When you have a high approval rating without followthrough on the big issues, it's not much of an incentive to follow through. People believe he's an Equalization advocate even when he's telling them it's the people's own job to compel change.

Unranked: Esmond Marshall/Ivan Doncaster. Both men are wonderful community people, but neither is likely to have the aptitude or the interest in the role. They only rarely weigh in on topics before the CBRM council.

Current Deputy Mayor: Eldon MacDonald

But don't take my word for it. Comment and describe your top choice, why some of what I've said you either agree or disagree with.

Will the ole boy councillors finally reward these outstanding councillors with a position they've earned, or will they repeat the embarrassing showcase for the CBRM in January 2017 and suggest it's "too heavy" for them?

I suspect we'll see them shun the women. However, it's not entirely out of the question for some support. Mayor Clarke has a need to scramble for any votes he can pry away for his PC leadership campaign, with the final decision in just two weeks. It would be terrible timing for him to be dismissive of the hardworking female councillors, especially after his most recent dirty campaign tricks were exposed.

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more