Gloria McCluskey

2010 grade: B+
2009 grade: B-
2008 grade: B
2007 grade: C

These are cynical times, when any number of scam artists and bullshitters are trying to pull one or another devious scheme over on the public, and especially so at City Hall, where bullshit sometimes takes on a life of its own, up becomes down, light becomes dark and sense is whatever serves somebody’s ill intent. Thankfully, we have Gloria McCluskey, who brings a wealth of experience and (real) sense to the job, and has no problems cutting through the BS.

A former assessor, McCluskey understood the injustice that was “tax reform” right from the start, and repeatedly called out “tax reform” proponents on their half-truths and misrepresentations. I was most impressed with her analysis of the how zoning laws and political decisions have, over time, benefited some neighbourhoods over others; she’d be horrified by the claim, but it was a perfectly good Marxist analysis of class structure in Halifax, and I wish people had paid more attention to it.

You could, and should, quibble with McCluskey on any number of issues, not the least of which is her continued resistance to the new Central Library. But there are so many “tax reform”-like scams now in the works
—including an attempt to redraw district boundaries to water down urban representation, and a staff takeover of council subcommittees—that it’s essential to have McCluskey on board to represent what’s right.

This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2010.