Mayors skip PR tips

By Laurie Watt Collingwood Connection
Simcoe County’s top politicians got tips on how to deal with media Tuesday as part of a $250,000 contract with an international public relations firm.
The county hosted three sessions for county leaders: one for the county’s committee chairmen, another for county council, and a third for senior county staff, as part of the six-month contract with Fleishman-Hillard, the company that assisted Maple Leaf Meats through its tainted-meat troubles.
The county hired the international public relations firm to help it turn its image around, as the controversial Site 41 story went international this summer – even attracting the attention of former American presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
Only about half of county councillors attended, with some questioning if the sessions where worth their time.
Outspoken and direct throughout the Site 41 discussions, Midland Mayor Jim Downer refused to go to Tuesday’s public relations sessions.
“I don’t do media training. I’ve been around long enough,” he said. “I’ve been around the media for 16 years. I don’t need someone from Simcoe County telling me what to say.”
“I’ll speak to what I want to speak to when I want to speak and with who I want to speak to – whether the mayor of Barrie or the mayor of Orillia. No, I didn’t go, and I had no intention of going.”
By contrast, New Tecumseth Deputy Mayor Rick Milne attended. Even though he’s comfortable dealing with the media already, Milne said the training was worthwhile.
“I’ve ridden a motorcycle for 45 years and every so often, I retrain, not because I’m a poor rider, but because I want to refresh my skills,” he said, adding that was the case with the training session.
Downer, however, didn’t buy that.
“To me, that’s a crock. So is spending the $250,000 (for the consultant). I was opposed to that.”
Newly chosen County Warden Cal Patterson ran for the top political post on the basis of improving communication and the county’s image. In politics 15 years, he didn’t attend. He chose not to go, even before he was elected warden last week, because he didn’t want to reschedule Wasaga Beach meetings.
“I’ve taken it before, in my corporate world days a few times. It’s not anything new to me,” he said, adding he has also received communications training as part of his duties on the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital board.
Collingwood Mayor Chris Carrier and New Tecumseth Mayor Mike MacEachern didn’t attend, due to other business.
Innisfil Mayor Brian Jackson said he didn’t bother to attend. “I was on other town business, although God help me, I need it,” joked the veteran politician plagued by an f-bomb broadcast to the public this summer, because he’d forgotten to turn off his lapel mic. He has a court date for assault and threatening today in connection with the incident.
Oro-Medonte Deputy Mayor Ralph Hough – a relative newcomer to politics – attended. He didn’t give it good reviews.
“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t get a lot out of it,” he said. “I believe in building up a trust relationship with the media and it works fine. If someone doesn’t respect that trust, that’s the end for me. So what they were saying, I didn’t agree with it.”
“One thing they said was never say Yes or No. I said, ‘Sorry, I don’t agree with that.'”
Tiny Township Deputy Mayor George Lawrence didn’t give the session rave reviews. New to politics in 2006, he was involved in the Tiny Ties community online newspaper for 10 years.
“I think I learned something, a few things,” he said. “Never say Yes or No.”
Another tip he picked up was to call the reporter back – “to gather your thoughts rather than make instant statements.”