2009 grade: C
For no good reason, and with a surprisingly detached mean-spiritedness, last summer the Chronicle-Herald invaded Peter Lund’s personal life.
I don’t want to re-invade it here; suffice it to say that Lund handled the situation as gracefully as anyone in his position could, and soldiered on at council with aplomb. That incident, coupled with having survived a tough and contested election battle two years ago and his continued humble perseverance in a hyperpolitical council, has caused Lund to grow on me a bit.
I’m not sure exactly why he wanted to be on council in the first place---he seems not to be driven by ideology or self-promotion or even quaint notions of public service---but he’s not a bad presence there all the same.
Mostly, Lund keeps his head down. When he does speak at council, it’s often to insert his knowledge of hydrology into the conversation, sometimes on point, sometimes not. He hasn’t particularly impressed me with his votes, which tend toward the pro-everything-that’s-wrong side (convention centre, small council, et cetera), but neither does he feed the rhetorical bullshit machine.
How to improve: Attend some Council of Canadians meetings with Jennifer Watts.
