Just when you thought you have heard it all from Vancouver's City Hall, Gregor Robertson has gone and added some shock-jock communications to his staff.
The calls and emails started pouring in last night as I was finishing moving, but as of 20 minutes ago, I can now confirm that Mayor Gregor Robertson is on the verge of adding a new communications staff person to his team.
I cannot mention any names due to the City’s human resources department working on the details of the contract as I am typing this, but I can report that this individual used to be a former 24 hours columnist and is well versed in the art of personal political attack, something that has been sorely lacking in Robertson’s cabal since he first took office.
My sources have provided me with information about a loud, one-sided argument that occurred at City Hall Monday night involving His Worship and former communications chief person Kevin Quinlan.
The details, from those who could actually hear the back and forth from the hallway outside of Robertson’s office, are not pretty.
As one source put it, Quinlan has roundly been criticized for his “pacifist” communications style, which at first fit well with Gregor’s Happy Planet approach to politics.
But as time has gone on, Quinlan’s daily practice of yoga at lunch and nursing insects back to health within the City’s community garden grew to be a major frustration for the Mayor.
Things came to a head on Monday when rumours of the impending death of UFC began to falsely hit the airwaves. At 4:30, Quinlan and the Mayor sat down to go over a prepared statement designed to update the public.
Robertson’s reaction was loud and to the point. Quinlan was taken to task for one specific statement in the draft speech (the entirety of which has been leaked to me):
“While a UFC event within Vancouver will mean millions for the local economy, it will also present major problems for our collective zen.”
Although my sources were unable to make out the specifics of Gregor’s rant, the word zen was loudly repeated no less than 8 times within a few minutes. Quinlan apparently left the office and headed home soon afterward, looking dejected yet meditative.
The new staffer is scheduled to start on April 15, and as has been relayed by one source over the phone last night, is being brought in specifically to get a little bite back as part of the Mayor’s ever-evolving communications strategy.
This individual has been around political circles for several decades, and is looking to use his/her stellar reputation with several media outlets – former employers (some for years, other for weeks) – to browbeat them into submission with a special brand of niceties.
More information as it becomes available.
