Gordon Prentice at Large - Politics in Newmarket
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
She’s at it again!
Newmarket’s increasingly fragile Ward 6 councillor, Maddie Di Muccio, is threatening to sue local journalist, Chris Simon, for this piece published in the Era today.
The paper reports that wannabe regional councillor, Darryl Wolk, is accusing Di Muccio of threatening Stephen Somerville. (Haven't we been here before?)
Di Muccio, who routinely threatens perceived opponents with legal action that never materialises, is all bluster. This is what she tweeted earlier today:
Maddie Di Muccio @MaddieDiMuccio 3h
@csimonwrite I find your story and your tactics both contemptible and outrageous. I'll be speaking to my lawyer a/b defamation of character.
12:40 PM - 14 Mar 2014 · Details
The damage inflicted on the Progressive Conservative brand in Newmarket Aurora by this prolonged vicious and very personal in-fighting must be absolutely immense.
Opposition parties will, no doubt, be squirreling away all the sordid details, every charge and counter charge, for possible use in the General Election, if provoked.
The sole candidate for the PC nomination, Jane Twinney, serenely floats above it all. Her coronation is on 20 March.
So far as Di Muccio is concerned, her defamation action will be going nowhere.
Truth is an absolute defence.
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
Newmarket’s hyper-active developer and self styled entrepreneur, Bob Forrest, told the Town’s Planning staff in October last year that Slessors’ former car dealership site had been sold and that the sale was conditional for 60 days.
We are now on day 139 (give or take a few) and the Ontario Land Registry records no change in title.
However, it shows that the Slessors, who originally owned the land outright, have chalked up huge charges in anticipation of a sale and are draining million of dollars out of the equity.
On 6 December 2011, PACE Savings and Credit Union paid the Slessors $4,500,000. A second tranche was paid on 22 January 2013, this time for $1,800,000.
And then a further $1,200,000 was paid.
A consolidated sum of $7,500,000 is shown on Land Registry records on 14 February 2014 as a charge on the Slessor property.
All this begs the question, what has happened to the sale?
Elsewhere… On 14 November 2013, Slessors’ lawyer, the ubiquitous Ira Kagan, told the OMB:
“My client is still working with Town and Regional staff to come to agreement on the conditions of draft plan approval. If we are unable to do so then we will request that the Board hold a hearing to deal with the conditions.”
On 24 March the OMB will be requiring a “status update” from the Slessors and the Town on how the proposed development is progressing.
- Details
- Written by: Gordon Prentice
The anonymous, self important blogger, Newmarket Town Hall Watch, is Newmarket’s bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau.
Like the famous fictional detective, Newmarket Town Hall Watch is inept and incompetent. But unlike Clouseau, he never stumbles by accident on the truth, solving the mystery.
NTHW accuses me of inventing stories. He (let’s call the blogger he) declaims with absolute certainty that I have “found to be literally making up the news”.
Now, getting into his stride, he brands me a “now disgraced blogger”. He warns that what I write in my blog “needs to be taken with a rather large grain of salt”.
As I am tap, tap, tapping this out I have alongside a letter addressed to me from York Regional Police, dated 6 March 2014.
The relevant section reads:
“Due to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, we are not in a position to comment on the substance of the investigation. We can advise, however, that the investigation has been concluded and our file is closed.”
I followed this up and was advised:
“There were no charges laid in this matter.”
Newmarket Town Hall Watch, who treasures his credibility and his reputation for detail, mistakenly refers to my blog of 5 March 2014. (Oops! A trivial point. Just one day out!)
He also cautions his readers
“to be mindful of the credibility controversy with Mr Prentice’s blogs (as I have been contending all along)”
I take this as a reference to the statement made to the Era newspaper by Maddie Di Muccio, withdrawing any suggestion that she believed Stephen Somerville was behind the infamous YouTube ad which portrayed her as a scheming opportunist.
The fact that the Era chose not to publish the story does not mean the exchange did not take place.
I have incontrovertible proof that it did.
I leave it to Newmarket’s very own Clouseau to investigate further and report back to his credulous readers.