Mayor Tom Sidney and Clerk Carolynn Errett are head table pals.
That much is evident just by watching Renfrew Town Council meetings in person, as the two are in constant and consistent sidebar discussions, which I guess is completely natural and to be expected when you have a mayor who seems not to know what he’s doing and a clerk sitting as the procedural expert.
These kinds of synergies are essential in professional environments, and there’s no reason why a small-town council ought to be an exception to that. The mayor is still in his on-the-job training stint, over two years after his landslide election win back in 2022, when he prevailed over all his rivals in what can only be called a political magic carpet ride of euphoria not seen in these parts, well, ever. And no doubt ever again. Sidneymania has appeared to reach it’s end-of-use date.
With his clear mandate of 873 votes, maybe a dozen or so over his nearest competitor, Mayor Tom sits astride an empire of influence and power, especially now since our premier fell and hit his head on the barbecue and granted Strong Mayor powers to the chieftains of small municipalities across the province, including those currently swirling down the drain.
Like Renfrew. And like Mayor Tom himself.
Mayor Tom doesn’t care about offending anyone because he’s not running again, because if he did, he’d get absolutely buried. You never know, maybe some of these 873 souls out there who felt sorry for the guy, would have a change of heart if they saw the bill of sale for this man’s work as both a councillor and now as a place-holder mayor.
But why do I need Carolynn Errett for this little story? Smiles pasted on both front and back, and that’s when she’s not smiling.
After all, why wouldn’t she be smiling? What’s not to smile about?
She just got a promotion and a big raise, from her buddy the mayor.
Unilaterally. Without discussion our input. Just a “Here you go, Carolynn, you’re the best” kind of thing.
Tens of millions of debt that most local taxpayers won’t ever live to see the end of, and the mayor is crushing on his clerk with their money. And who needs flowers or chocolate anymore? With the money she’ll be making, she can not only buy her own, but buy the factory in which they’re made.
It’s great work if you can find it.
I’m just a little bitter, I guess, that King Tom hasn’t reached into his little bag of treats and rewarded me with the title Communications Coordinator, something the place could really use, but not in the cards because I kinda suck at burying stories and looking the other way. Wouldn’t be the best fit. Those integrity nightmares would be brutal.
So basically, a guy that raked in 13% of the vote, can run the place like its own personal fiefdom, No need to consult councillors. No need to consult the reeve.
No need to have councillors and reeves at all. Maybe that’s the plan to save the money that needs to be saved. Maybe those are the budget cuts that are coming.
Consistent with this mayor’s deep love and commitment to transparency, or rather opacity, there was no prominent announcement anywhere around the big promotion for Clerk Errett, now Director Errett. Does this mean we need a new clerk?
I’m hearing that there’s a bit of a search on for the treasurer position, since the one currently on staff may be retiring, again. Or maybe this is just a nuisance bit of a formality if the intent is to just trot her back for another run with the numbers. Maybe if she sticks around the mayor can top up her loot bag as well, even though she may be the highest paid staffer of them all, but that’s a secret, so please don’t share.
And a new clerk? My goodness, is this where we can look forward to another new hire, only this time from Tweed, since the hires from Napanee were on the ugly side of a joke? Maybe our new CAO has settled in well enough that she can start importing lackeys from her last posting, just like it’s always been done here. And may be happening again. Hell, she’s gotta be happier than all giddy-up as it is, since part of the rationale behind making Errett a director was to take some of the work off Gloria’s desk — Gloria Raybone, CAO — which means that we now have more people doing the same work. I guess that’s par for the head table folks, and totally in keeping with the head table code of “you scratch my back and I’ll park a money truck in your driveway.”
The Town of Renfrew has a pretty website, just not a functional one, or informative for that matter. Take note of the “news” section that features three little pieces from over a year ago, all within the same month. Nothing before, nothing since. But that makes sense.
A community like Renfrew doesn’t need a “NEWS’ tab on its website. It needs a “BAD NEWS” tab. That spot on the site would be robust. A real crowd-pleaser.
I found the mayor’s decree by using the search bar, and was dumbfounded by the fact that it actually uncovered the document, placed there because it had to be, but hidden well enough away from the window where passers-by couldn’t see it from the street. In fact, the document was tucked away in a place roughly equivalent to a leaky cardboard box over at the old Rec Centre.
Some things never change. And in Renfrew, no things ever change.
Except in a little over a year, when we replace this current mayor with a different person, perhaps one with a smattering of qualities that make for an effective Head of Council.
There will be no need to vote for councillors, though. Uncle Doug doesn’t see the need.
I live in Horton, so it’s not my money, it’s yours. But you can’t be bothered to pay attention, so there’s that. If you did, you’d be part of a mob outside Town Hall.
I warrant you’ll be out there anyway when your tax bill comes out.
And when that bill does come out, think of the largesse shown by the mayor, the strong mayor who seems intent on rewarding what few allies he has before he leaves for good, a litany of mistakes and poor judgement littering the pathway behind him.
By that time, he’ll be beyond your reach. And so will they, because they’re not elected.
Thanks Uncle Doug. You’re the freaking best.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 