TODD COWAN- A TERRIBLY FLAWED HUMAN BEING

O.K. right up front I don't like liars. I've dealt with too many professional, self-serving liars for far too long here in Elmira, Ontario. That said as I've gotten older I have begun to realize that liars are among us and they are ubiquitous. Some lie as part of their jobs: think of lawyers and politicians. Think of environmental consultants representing their clients. Perhaps even think of the odd doctor explaining to a spouse why their loved one suddenly and inexplicably died after perhaps some minor medication error the doctor would rather not point out.

Then there are the people who lie out of habit. They learned at a young age that they were somehow "inferior". Perhaps it was a learning disability. Maybe it was something as simple as height or weight. Perhaps they were terrible at sports or even just socially awkward. They learned to compensate. They learned how easy it is to gild the lily. A little burnishing of the facts could make themselves look better no matter the situation or the reality. Afterall if they attended a function, a job interview, met a person and the others present had not, well then who was to say what really happened?

I call these people psychological liars. They don't necessarily lie for money, for promotions or even to avoid blame. They lie to make themselves look better. Sometimes they lie to make themselves more convincing in an argument. Afterall if you're trying to get a group to go your way then simply provide your own self-serving facts. I suspect that once on this path it's almost impossible to get off of it.

I think history should recognize that Todd Cowan opened the door for citizens in Elmira to take back control from the politicians who have manipulated, deflected and distracted the issues and facts surrounding the Elmira water crisis. Todd while flawed was not stupid. He informed himself with advice from both a nuetral, uninvolved professional hydrogeologist, an environmental company owner/manager and myself before he was elected as Woolwich mayor. The irony of course is that it took a liar such as Todd to see the ongoing, longterm lies and gamesmanship going on here in Woolwich Township.

The further irony is that Todd did his own creation CPAC no good with his other flaws. He needed to be in control. As mayor he needed constant reassurance that he was smarter and brighter than everybody else. He was not. To get his way he would lie. He lied to and threatened CPAC, he lied to his own Council and I have to guess that he lied to his family. He lied about me to get Woolwich Council to remove me from CPAC and also in Bob Burtt's book. I was told about his lie to Council the day after the 2014 election by a former Councillor. He lied to the Grand River Conservation Authority about Chemtura Canada when they were present at a GRCA meeting and CPAC were not. Part of Todd's lying was in order to make people like him. Therefore he told people what they wanted to hear. Bob Burtt and the Bryant's wanted to hear shit about me from a third person so both Todd Cowan and Bill Bardswick (M.O.E.) provided. Lord knows what other lies he told and to whom.

No he was not fit to be mayor. Very few are.