Mammoliti: commie hunter!

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Mammoliti was a union leader in the 1980s and New Democratic Party MPP in the early 1990s before making a sharp turn to the right. He has frequently referred to citizens who have spoken against budget cuts at committee meetings as out-of-touch and self-interested “socialists.” “Communists” appears to be new.

No wonder the Ontario NDP has been stuck in a quagmire for so long.  

His laughable comments aside... in a way, Twitter is more public and anyone can address you. In this interview, he says he doesn't have time for "Tweet" and that he prefers facebook.  Of course, on Facebook you can easily kick someone out of your group and you never have to hear from them again.

Northern Shoveler wrote:

No wonder the Ontario NDP has been stuck in a quagmire for so long.  

Yeah, he's definitely a primo "Clampett" of 1990, having fun in the cee-ment pond that was Queen's Park.  (Though maybe unfairly--after all, the seat where he ran did have a history of NDP viability and winnability, unlike a whole lot of other "accidental" pickups that year)

Mammoliti is closest to the fascist position in politics. He likes to demonize poor, indigent, homeless, left-wing, and anyone who is different from his ideal of the ideal person.

So was he NDP before he took leave of his senses, or did he go there because of a friend (could not resist), or did he go there becuase he thought they would take anyone and he might get elected, or was that just a folly of his, or.... some interesting questions. How crazy was he then -- back in the day? Anyone have any quotes from him going back to the 1990s to get an idea what he used to be like?

I don't know if he was considered crazy back in the day - dumber than a bag of hammers, maybe, but not necessarily crazy.   I don't usually indulge in old gossip, but in caudillo Mammoliti's case, I'll make an exception: I knew people who worked for other MPPs in the Rae government who would regale me with admittedly second hand (but frankly highly credible) stories from Mammoliti's EA and LA about the amount of time they had to spend cleaning up the boss's bad grammar, mispellings, and malapropisms, when they weren't spending five or six hours a day trying to explain legislation to him v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y before giving and breaking out the crayons to draw him some briefing notes.

Can we talk about an Italian-Canadian person without making reference to their ethnicity? Surely his politics are more bothersome than the fact that he isn't a WASP? Not trying to have a go at you personally, just speaking general about what I've noticed in commentary on him, perhaps along the same line as people not being able to help themselves in making fat jokes about Ford...

OK, but for example, I don't see anyone calling Vic Toews "Der Fuhrer" simply because they're both germanic and right-wing.

It just seems to be sometimes that our sense of "cynical ethnic humour" about European subgroups is stuck in another century.

For whatever it's worth, I'd just like to say that I personally have no problems with anyone comparing a Swedish-American public figure who held extreme righ-wing views to Charles Lindbergh.

A classic Mammoliti moment:

"Today, it's a secluded beach, tomorrow it will be the beachfront and then it will be the streets." - Mammoliti stripped to his pants at City Hall to protest council approving a nude beach for Hanlon's Point (Toronto Star, 13 May 1999)

"I want to sleep with all of you. It's going to be a wonderful time.... so please get back to my office." Mammoliti promoting a night at the Toronto Zoo to his fellow councillors. Lights off, nobody in for those who went to George's office. (National Post, 3 August 2002)

Stockholm wrote:

Mammoliti was an organizer for CUPE (believe it or not) prior to winning in 1990.

Mammoliti was the president of CUPE local 767, and worked as a landscaper with the Metro Toronto Housing Authority.  He took a leave of absence to run provincially in 1990 and returned to the Authority after his 1995 defeat.  Three months later he ran for the North York council seat that was left vacant by the same candidate that beat Mammoliti.  In 1998 he tried to negotiate an arrangement with the MTHA whereby if he was defeated then his job there would still be available.  "Hot Wheels" was in the employ of MTHA while sitting as a councillor.  That came to an end when the povince downloaded social housing onto the city, which threw Mammoliti into a conflict-of-interest if he kept working.

He got the "Hot Wheels" tag from his legislature days by turning in high travel expenses even though he lived close to the subway line.  To be eligible for the amounts he claimed it was calculated that he'd have to make some 390 round trips even though Queen's Park was only in session for about 80-90 days.

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I would like to share an experience with the honourable members of this Legislature. Last Friday I paid a visit to the striking workers of the Toronto Star. I picketed with them actually. Yes, I picketed with the workers who belong to the Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild.

I am very glad to have had a firsthand view of what the feelings are among the workers out there on the picket line. As you can well imagine, tension is high and emotions run easily out of control. The reason: replacement workers, known to some as scab workers. The use of replacement workers not only creates the bitterness I witnessed; it lengthens strikes, it makes the bargaining process less effective and can sometimes lead to violence.

The experience reminded me of how very proud I am that our government is attempting to put an end to this situation and situations like this one. The proposed amendments to the Ontario Labour Relations Act are very much needed to build a stronger, more competitive Ontario. We need to reduce conflict and confrontation in labour-management relations. The amendments, honourable members, especially limiting the use of replacement workers, will do just that.

George the Union Man

Incidentally, its worth noting that for someone who denounces anyone in the public sector as "communists" - Mammoliti sure has spend a lot of his life getting paid from the public purse. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, the guy probably hasn't earned one red cent in a private sector job in his entire adult life:

198?-1990 - CUPE Rep for city maintenance workers and before that probably a city worker himself (his salary paid by Toronto taxes and union dues)

1990-1995 - Ontario MPP (his salary paid by Ontario taxpayers)

1995-2011 - Toronto city councillor (salary paid by Toronto taxpayers)*

*almost every year Mammoliti has also been at the top of the list in terms of spending the most money on his office budget of any member of city council

Surely it is time to reconsider the motion to have one of our fine streets, boulevards or avenues renamed Mammoliti Way.  The mayor could not oppose his trusty lieutenant as he did in the failed 2003 effort.  If we have Mel Lastman Square and Moses Znaimer Way, then there is no way Giorgio can be denied if citizens push this agenda forward. As Mammoliti said, "It's an honour. When does anyone in society have an opportunity to see their name on a street, named after them?"

In 2003 it was tiny Oliti Court that was suggest for the name change but surely the coucillor deserves something more appropriate given the contributions he has selflessly given to city life.

At moments like this it is hard to tell the difference from a person who is just nasty from one who is having a rather public psychological disintegration. If it is the latter he should be pitied rather than loathed but it becomes difficult in some cases to tell the two apart.

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