Kaj to Toronto: Don't Trust Glen
January 12, 2010
MTC may have the hit play The Drowsy Chaperone, but we have our eyes on a real-life drama that's downright Shakespearean.
A mighty visionary struck down by those he trusted most. His past sins
risen as ghosts to haunt him at him on the eve of possibly his greatest
success. Unbridled ambition. Bitter betrayal. If only the Bard were
alive to chonicle the tale.
Glen Murray, a legend in his own
mind, is running as the provincial Liberal Party candidate in an
Ontario by-election. His short stint as mayor of Winnipeg, along with
his blinding urban visionary powers, are prime elements of his resume
for the job.
He sees himself as the unchallengable front runner.
He's gay. The former MPP for the riding was gay.
He's gay. The riding has the largest gay constituency in the country
He's gay. And, as his fellow gay visionary, Richard Florida, has written, the future of cities depends on, well, you know.
Imagine his surprise, then, to find himself blindsided by one of his biggest
fans, an emulator who ran for mayor of Winnipeg himself, and is, yes,
gay. Enter Kaj (pronounced K'eye) Hasselreis.
Upon hearing that Murray was in line for the nomination to run in Toronto-Centre, Kaj
rushed out a warning for Toronto voters about his role model: don't trust him.
Titled "A Queer's eye-view of Glen Murray/From a Winnipegger who knows him
well", Kaj's clarion call was printed in xtra.ca ("Canada's source for
gay and lesbian news").
Kaj wrote how excited he was when the
man he had known as co-founder of the city's pioneering AIDS clinic and
as an NDP city councillor became the mayor of Winnipeg.
"In 1998, I moved into a house down the street from Murray, and a few
months later, he was elected mayor. When I went to his inauguration
with my lesbian roommate, he proudly showed off his big, shiny chain of
office and we swooned, "That's our mayor!" To which he responded, "Now
I just need earrings to match!"
"Murray succeeded in inspiring Winnipeggers to think of our city as
world-class. He was also a positive role model for young queers."
But it wasn't to last, he wrote. Sniffing a better opportunity, Murray
dumped the NDP, joined the Liberals, dumped his job as mayor and ran
for a seat in Parliament because he had been promised a cabinet post.
That's the kind of guy he is, said Kaj. He's the guy always looking over your shoulder in case there's somebody better to talk to. He's always looking out for #1.
"I have a lot of good things to report about Glen Murray, but I have to
end this column with a warning to the voters of Toronto-Centre: Don't believe that he won't dump you, too, if a hotter offer comes along."
And he revealed that Murray already has his eye set on his next vision---for himself.
"...he still considers himself a Winnipegger, and says he'll return one day to
run for MP again. At least that's what he told me a few months ago,
when I interviewed him at a Winnipeg coffee shop. I have no doubt that
Murray sincerely wants to serve the people - he's just always keeping
his options open about which people to serve."
His bottom line?
"Take it from a Winnipegger: The man... is a charismatic, commitment-phobic, power-hungry, eager-to-please crybaby who can't be trusted. But he deserves every vote he gets."
Okay, so its not exactly "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
Still, we know Glen Murray's obvious retort, and to him will go the final words.
Et tu, Brute?
source: http://blackrod.blogspot.com/
----
Once again, The Black Rod comes through. Glen Murray left office in 2004, as some would argue after his head became too big. Now he is trying to take on Toronto. Good luck Glen. You'll need it.
January 12, 2010
MTC may have the hit play The Drowsy Chaperone, but we have our eyes on a real-life drama that's downright Shakespearean.
A mighty visionary struck down by those he trusted most. His past sins
risen as ghosts to haunt him at him on the eve of possibly his greatest
success. Unbridled ambition. Bitter betrayal. If only the Bard were
alive to chonicle the tale.
Glen Murray, a legend in his own
mind, is running as the provincial Liberal Party candidate in an
Ontario by-election. His short stint as mayor of Winnipeg, along with
his blinding urban visionary powers, are prime elements of his resume
for the job.
He sees himself as the unchallengable front runner.
He's gay. The former MPP for the riding was gay.
He's gay. The riding has the largest gay constituency in the country
He's gay. And, as his fellow gay visionary, Richard Florida, has written, the future of cities depends on, well, you know.
Imagine his surprise, then, to find himself blindsided by one of his biggest
fans, an emulator who ran for mayor of Winnipeg himself, and is, yes,
gay. Enter Kaj (pronounced K'eye) Hasselreis.
Upon hearing that Murray was in line for the nomination to run in Toronto-Centre, Kaj
rushed out a warning for Toronto voters about his role model: don't trust him.
Titled "A Queer's eye-view of Glen Murray/From a Winnipegger who knows him
well", Kaj's clarion call was printed in xtra.ca ("Canada's source for
gay and lesbian news").
Kaj wrote how excited he was when the
man he had known as co-founder of the city's pioneering AIDS clinic and
as an NDP city councillor became the mayor of Winnipeg.
"In 1998, I moved into a house down the street from Murray, and a few
months later, he was elected mayor. When I went to his inauguration
with my lesbian roommate, he proudly showed off his big, shiny chain of
office and we swooned, "That's our mayor!" To which he responded, "Now
I just need earrings to match!"
"Murray succeeded in inspiring Winnipeggers to think of our city as
world-class. He was also a positive role model for young queers."
But it wasn't to last, he wrote. Sniffing a better opportunity, Murray
dumped the NDP, joined the Liberals, dumped his job as mayor and ran
for a seat in Parliament because he had been promised a cabinet post.
That's the kind of guy he is, said Kaj. He's the guy always looking over your shoulder in case there's somebody better to talk to. He's always looking out for #1.
"I have a lot of good things to report about Glen Murray, but I have to
end this column with a warning to the voters of Toronto-Centre: Don't believe that he won't dump you, too, if a hotter offer comes along."
And he revealed that Murray already has his eye set on his next vision---for himself.
"...he still considers himself a Winnipegger, and says he'll return one day to
run for MP again. At least that's what he told me a few months ago,
when I interviewed him at a Winnipeg coffee shop. I have no doubt that
Murray sincerely wants to serve the people - he's just always keeping
his options open about which people to serve."
His bottom line?
"Take it from a Winnipegger: The man... is a charismatic, commitment-phobic, power-hungry, eager-to-please crybaby who can't be trusted. But he deserves every vote he gets."
Okay, so its not exactly "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
Still, we know Glen Murray's obvious retort, and to him will go the final words.
Et tu, Brute?
source: http://blackrod.blogspot.com/
----
Once again, The Black Rod comes through. Glen Murray left office in 2004, as some would argue after his head became too big. Now he is trying to take on Toronto. Good luck Glen. You'll need it.
