Congratulations to the new Singing Mayor of Peterborough – Mayor Elect Daryl Bennett

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Today’s Blog Post

Congratulations to the new Singing Mayor of Peterborough – Mayor Elect Daryl Bennett

Congratulations Mayor Elect Daryl Bennett. It is now almost 12 hours after you were elected by the folk of Peterborough. I hope you do well.

Now the fact that promises were made… which will have to be kept… this should be fun! Good on you for that one!

I am looking forward to Peterborough becoming the most progressive and perhaps the wealthiest city in Ontario. After all that is what was implied in the meetings that I attended, the newspaper articles that I read and the TV programs/advertisements that I viewed.

We are all waiting now to see what will happen… and are excited for you. Your ability to lead is needed. You said that you did that in private business… so that will come with you to the City Hall! Great!

Now having been a community leader as a Minister I can offer some counsel – if you will receive it. I am stepping forward today with some small suggestions... really down home, practical advice that might help.

Projects that are underway now need to be completed. Please don’t cancel them. We need the work done. Some other Mayor Elects have raved and ranted that they will kill that expensive contracts if they are voted in. What about contracts that are signed? We need to keep our word and get the job done. It will cost us big time if the thing is cancelled!

I know in business you had the right to fold up the promises made and get a new person to do the work. Maybe get some one that is cheaper. I am pretty sure that the City is kind of different.

Some told me that you had never attended a City Council session before. They also said that you were not able to view the goings on in the council – the way that some of our folk do on the local television.

I have watched the events unravel often. In one situation I was called along with others in a group I belonged to, to answer questions that the City Council had for us. It seemed that we had got their dander up a wee bit by helping prisoners that were coming from Federal Prisons. Some of the Councilors didn’t like these types living in our community – and they protested.

One the side, the men were coming whether the councilors liked it or not… we were just helping the community to be safe, by making sure the men were looked after.

Fair warning in this area, you have some very interesting characters on this Council from before… and some new ones that were just added. They are colorful to say the least.

Each one has a different take on how it should be done. The new ones are all bent on having their words and ideas heard. The old ones, from the last council and many before, already know that their way is the best. They know better than anyone else because they have been alive longer than anyone else.

The Gay Pride parade is coming again next year. That one is a bit of a problem for some of the Mayors in their communities across Ontario. I did wonder how you would fit into that one.

My grandson told me that he was researching your campaign before the election yesterday. It was part of his Civics Class. He noted that your reply to the question as to your walking in the Gay Pride Day Parade was… You have bad knees or legs or something… and you won’t be walking in the parade. Okay? I know that they can get you a red or pink wagon for you to ride along. How about it?

You better do it… or someone will think you are Homophobic or something.

Your wife could dye her hair Pink or something. These folks would love it.

Sorry… I was mixed up on that one… the Pink dye was for the Breast Cancer Awareness week. She could use the Rainbow dye at this one and another colour at the next one. Hope she is with you on this one.

Now when the Churchy Folk want you to take a stand on their issues, they certainly will be happy to have you in there for what they represent.

At the meeting I attended at the Royal Gardens it was shared that you are a faithful church member and that you sing in the Choir at your place of worship! Good for you.

You probably didn’t catch it… but I wrote about that meeting on October 15th. You can read it at http://murraylincoln.blogspot.com/2010/10/peterborough-bandwagon-meet-daryl.html

I refer back to the songs that you sang for the Seniors that day. They were excellent for the New Mayor in the city council.

“Just a Closer Walk with Thee” – one of the hymns that you sang – is super to keep the Faith in Politics. As a Minister I can’t tell you how good that is. It is also great one for the Parades that you will take part in.

“I’ll Fly Away” was another song that you sang at Royal Gardens with such gusto. That is a great old number from the church. As you know it refers to the potential Rapture that will take place for the Christians in this old world – when Jesus comes back to take us to Heaven. And if they don’t live long enough to get to the Rapture happening… they will get there when they die.

This song is totally a Christian song… along with the other one that you sang about “Ringing the Golden Bells” when we pass over to the other side to see our loved ones again.

One small problem is possible… the Islamic People and Hindu People and the Sikh People that live in our community, and some of them voted for you, think their religion is a little more right than ours as Christians. So you may have to take these certain ones off your singing list.

I think “Oh Canada” would be okay. The MC at the Royal Gardens meeting promised that you would be the first “Singing Mayor” in Peterborough. I hope you can sing at the Council Meetings… “Oh Canada” would work well – but you may need “I’ll Fly Away” or better yet when some of the Councillors swear at you (some have been known to cuss a whole lot) you could beller out “Just a Closer Walk with Thee granted Jesus is my plea…”

I will guarantee that will work better than the old Gavel! You will get their attention for sure.

As a Minister I have suffered for years from a “Leader’s Syndrome”. It happens after lengthy Board Meetings where everyone had a strong opinion. It happens after you have to do a Public Thing knowing that what you did was loved by some and hated by others. I nearly die the next day… cold sweats… shaky… loss of appetite… not sleeping well and a while lot of other stuff that takes place when the body is reacting to the deep emotions that you go through in Leadership.

That could happen after you either accept or reject an Invitation to Walk (or Ride) in a Parade. It may be hard to live through the next few days after you walk along (or Ride) with the Evangelical Christians down George Street from the City Hall. Some of the other groups aint gonna like it. The sweats will hit next morning at about 4 AM… when you think about that fact that those other groups will be protesting outside your office when you get there at 9 AM!

Oh my… my mind is rushing ahead of it all. Just thinking about the exciting things that you will do this next FOUR YEARS is too much fun.

I would suggest that you and Mayor Paul Ayotte get together and he can share how he handled some of the stuff that came his way as Mayor the last four years. He did pretty good at not ruffling too many feathers.

Yes, Yes… I know you will do it differently. You go for it. But there are some things that you will have to do differently just to keep everyone happy.

Four years from now when you are back walking the streets for more votes… you will know that you did well!

By the way… do the Gay Pride People know that you went from door to door walking all the way? You were walking when you came to my door… Hmmm?

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

PS - as the Mayor of Misty Hollow I certainly know what you will go through!