WHISTLEBLOWER OR POLITICAL OPPORTUNIST?

I've been called a whistleblower more times than I can remember. In the vast majority of times if not all I have taken this action not for personal gain but in the public interest. In fact I can confidently state that being a whistleblower has been to my personal disadvantage more times than I can count. I am therefore a little perplexed and stymied regarding the blowing of the whistle on Mayor Cowan's expenses. The issue certainly doesn't appear to be at all about the size and amount of his expenses; rather it's about being doubly compensated for them.

There is no doubt in my mind that when a public official is reimbursed twice for his expenses hence putting taxpayers on the hook more than is appropriate and proper that it is indeed an issue the public need to know about. Fair enough. My concern is the timing and the motivation. The timing is exquisitely damaging to the current mayor. I do not know categorically that the motivation is about personal gain at the expense of a political opponent. It just looks that way and while the expense irregularities needed to be exposed should the public find out who did the deed? The whole deed by the way not just the filing of the Freedom of Information request. I would not argue that over the last four years the Mayor has personally offended numerous people. Some of the offense was necessary and in the public interest and other times the offense was no such thing at all. It was petty and immature. Does this justify exacting maximum pain and humiliation from a less than perfect Mayor? On all our best behaved days I would think not.