Like most people, I am decidedly uncomfortable in the presence of violence, and fire is probably one of the most violent and indiscriminate forces imaginable. I talked to the nowhomeless tenants: what can you say to a mother and daughter who were watching their home being destroyed? Their keepsakes, family photos, and carefully-chosen comforts of living, now eradicated in a space of minutes. There is really not much a mayor can do at a fire. The fire probably started in the restaurant, and by the time I got there it had also totally engulfed the upstairs apartment. Catherine, will you go? Luckily, I was up - at a neighbour's in fact, just about to leave. And that's a promise.Ģ DecemDESTRUCTION BY FIRE I got the call at 1:00 a.m.: there's a fire at 4469 St. As mayor, I shall be myself: if people don't like what they see, then I won't be in the running next time. As far as I am concerned, I didn't take on this job just to run another organisation. In fact, in England, the mayor is often chosen from among the councillors, not by suffrage. Even May had some problems with this primus inter pares concept at first. The dynamics are subtle, and take a little time to master before things start to get done. Especially with the superb team of new councillors with me, there is a certain collegiality that leads to group decisions. Being a mayor is not the same as being a company president. I can imagine the solitude May must have felt during that schism of council. Along with the leadership role comes the realization of being just a bit alone: the buck indeed stops here. It was a similar sensation I felt while president of my firm for all those years. As I settled in last week, I felt a familiar feeling: a mild exhilaration mixed with a twinge of solitariness. I might have to take arms against a sea of troubles, but a divided council is thankfully not one of them. The tin hats were the first to go when I "took possession" of the mayor's office. I remember one budget night we all paraded into the council chamber with these helmets perched on our heads. I think she was also making some artistic statement in using these "objets trouvés", but it was in a language quite foreign to me, at least. With the stand-off between her and the rest of council still going on, she felt these helmets provided a perfect visual metaphor for a mayor under siege.
While rummaging around in the City Hall attic, May came across these helmets, which were originally issued to air-raid wardens. One had to look closely to realize what they were. They were all lined up - in good military fashion - creating a kind of knobby fascia. OUR MAYOR SAYS COLUMNS FROM THE WESTMOUNT EXAMINER 1991 - 2001 EDITORIALS FROM THE GAZETTE 1996 – 2001 LETTERS TO CITIZENS 2000 - 2001ġ NovemSETTLING IN irst-time visitors to Mayor Cutler's office invariably did a double-take on seeing a score of World-War II helmets festooning the upper walls.