City councilor Barry Dalrymple took it upon himself to snuff out a Fall River community discussion group’s choice to invite a speaker from Occupy Nova Scotia to discuss the meaning behind the global movement. Dalrymple, who represents Fall River, sent an email saying he doesn’t object to most of their chosen speakers, but this one put a wasp in his wig— telling the group he didn’t want this kind of folk stirring up trouble or setting up camps at the Fall River fire hall where they meet.
“I am completely opposed to our Hall being used to further the agenda of this group and I am also opposed to bringing them here and give them the idea of ‘occupying’ our hall or property out here,” wrote Dalrymple. “I know you are asking to meet with them in good faith and I will not get into it in an email but there is no good faith here on their part, I am not willing to put our hall and our community in jeapordy [sic] on this.”
The email was posted to a group member John Percy’s blog (johnpercy.wordpress.com) who wrote that Dalrymple’s comments are an affront to free speech.
Dalrymple told the CBC his concerns came as a member from the hall’s board, not as a councillor, adding he wasn’t trying extinguish free speech, but just didn’t want them meeting there.
He signed off on his email using his councillor’s title and email address. It was sent from the LWF Baseball Association’s Hotmail account.
The discussion group’s organizer, Sheila Barling, says contrary to what Dalrymple told the Chronicle-Herald, the group has never sought approval from the board, and says Dalrymple was only in the email thread as a member of their group, having been their first guest-speaker in 2010.
Barling says Dalrymple, a former RCMP officer, may have felt the need protect the hall from being occupied, but adds he was perhaps a little misguided in thinking a salon-style discussion with one guest would be construed as endorsement and invitation for the ONS gang to crash.
“The way he came across to me was, ‘I make the decisions and you obey.’ He really did take a strong authoritarian stand,” says Barling. Dalrymple told her he was worried occupiers would see their big-screen TV and well-stocked liquor cabinet, says Barling.
Dalrymple has requested the discussion group not to meet at the hall anymore.
The group’s new venue is the Sobeys on Larry Uteck Boulevard. Dalrymple has not returned repeated calls from The Coast for comment.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.
If I had a big-screen TV and a well stocked liquor cabinet I wouldn’t let anyone from the Molson-Coors Occupy Movement see it either. Good on yer, John!.
I’m with you Ivan…I wouldn’t let any politician from any level anywhere near it either !
Those people can smell out an opportunity for a free meal & free booze from 9 provinces away !
Oh my god, this guy is bananas. I especially like the bit about the booze. Darlymple, you’re an asshole. I can’t believe you haven’t apologized yet!. It’s a discussion group! haha. You think those knitters don’t get into your booze?
Gotta admit though, this guy is way too thick to ever be crooked. It’s a comfort.
Did people vote for him or was he the only one who wanted the job?
“Dalrymple told the CBC his concerns came as a member from the hall’s board, not as a councillor, adding he wasn’t trying extinguish free speech, but just didn’t want them meeting there.”
…and I just don’t want (obviously dim) Councillors abusing their power (signing the letter as a Councillor and not as a “member of the Board” but that happens almost non-stop.
This is truly a gutless move by a coward.
Normally I would show respect to an elected official but I am so sick of members of City hall (especially Peter Kelly) abusing their power so I am going to instead quote ralmn “Darlymple, you’re an asshole.”
So sad that a community centre to Dalrymple is the home only of a big-screen TV and a well-stocked liquor cabinet. “What is a discussion group, anyway?” he might add.
Ok I wanna see his record as an rcmp, that should be public right, any oppression of peoples rights. Oh bet those are sealed, see why I suggest horribly invasive things, its because if they take away your rights, they deserve no rights the self, its time to fight with everying we have.
Hey pals,
For those of you who are interested in Mr. Dalrymple’s , er, um, clumsy waltz with democracy, you should check out this story from 2010. During concertgate, he suggested that all of his fellow council members be hooked up to a lie detector tests to determine who may be leaking info to the press.
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
Councilor Barry Dalrymple’s political career started with the municipal election in 2008. He defeated Krista Snow.
Now for the math lesson:
Of the 11,863 eligible voters in District 2, only 27% of them cast ballots in the 2008 election. Obviously 73% of District 2 voters couldn’t care less who their councilor is and it shows in the quality of the man currently “occupying” the seat.
Of those that did vote, 57% voted for Dalrymple and 43 % voted for Snow. Dalrymple won by 488 votes. That number translates into roughly 4% of the eligible voters in District 2.
Due to low voter turnout, these district elections hinge on a relatively few number of votes. If a number of issues galvanized the voters to the point where voter turnout increased by a measly 10% – 20% (with still far less than half of the voters casting ballots) we could see any number of council seats change hands.
If you had the opportunity but didn’t bother to vote in the 2008 election and now you have a problem with HRM council, shut the fuck up. You didn’t do the minimum required of citizens living in a democracy, ie. participate in the political process of electing your representative.
For those who DO participate in the political process take heart: we can get rid of folks like Barry Dalrymple (and Peter Kelly) with a modicum of organizing and effort. It helps to have a few issues that motivate voters to get off of their asses and actually vote on election day.
Peter Kelly already has a long list counting against him. Barry Dalrymple, with his ridiculous anti-democratic efforts to keep the “concert gate” scandal a secret and his troubling anti-free speech efforts at keeping Fall River “safe” from the ideas of those wild and dangerous Occupiers, is establishing his own dismal track record, just in time for next year’s election.
Listen dude, I vote in almost all elections if im able atm, but people who don’t vote, no matter the reason still have every right to be part of the discussion, often they don’t vote with the assumption, they know very little about the situation, not voting is better than voting for the wrong person. So how bout ya leave those comments out child, I understand you feel powerless but don’t take it out on others not responsible.
Thanks for the other info though, and fyi its not for the uninformed to learn more, its up to you to teach them, if you have friends and family who don’t vote, then talk to them. And abuse them for it because i believe you are a coward and just like to vent rather than effect change.
What a paranoid jackass. He seriously thinks this was a secret plan to steal liquor, smash a tv, and then set up tents in Fall River? Did he not realize the occupy movement sets up in highly visible inner city areas and not out in the boonies or suburbs for a reason?
just…. Wow. What a stupid abuse of power.
Also, Jim; The Commandante is one of the furthest things from a bully/venter here. He regularly posts information to back up arguments. Just because he sometimes calls people out on dumb things and calls a spade a spade, doesn’t make him a coward. Sometimes, he is a little too left for me, but I’ve never found his views to be offensive and I’ve never found him to be an angry bully venter.
why do people automatically assume we all dont vote ! I am part of Occupy, and as we do take interest in politics, me and most of my friends did vote ! And, even though we do vote, we understand that since corporations have the higher hand, our vote doesnt really matter… it is diluted ! and it is one of the reasons why we also occupy… our vote doesnt bring out the message, we have no power… so we need to use other methods to be heard, and to voice what we want for the world we will live in.
Well, as is demonstrated repeatedly around these parts, municipal politicians aren’t usually exactly the cream of the crop, are they? More suited to running bowling leagues, really.