An Ode to the King

I had a smile on my face when reading The Berlin Daily Sun today (10/28/11) after I saw the political photograph paid for by mayor Grenier. The reason I smile is that most people believe that the ad is all about getting residents to vote for The Grenier Sponsored Followers in the photo, but in reality this photo has much more significance than that. First, the real audience for the photo are the individuals in the photo rather than those of us reading the paper. Second, it’s a slap in the face of Councilor McCue for being an independent thinker and not always agreeing with his majesty. (Back to the first reason for the ad/photo) You have to keep in mind that the ego is a complex emotion and it loves being flattered by whatever means. Just being asked to pose for a public photo is flattering and in the company of the mayor and fellow counselors  for all of Berlin to see…..well, it feeds the ego which in turn will make it hard to say no to the “image maker”. Keep in mind that Paul Grenier is not a King Maker, he’s a Pawn Maker, for there shall be only one king and his name shall be “Paul”. You can say what you want about Mr. Grenier, but I happen to believe that he’s one of the most clever politician in Coos County. Now being clever doesn’t make him a nice guy or the best person for any position, it just recognizes the fact that he knows which buttons to push and what strings to pull to make things go his way. Somehow Paul Grenier instinctively knows what moves to make or what words to say that resonate with some people, it’s a combination of telling them what they want to hear and giving the appearance of being in control. As a politician he also manages his failures quite well, making them disappear as if those bad/false predictions, promises and events never took place. He has that broad smile that wins you over, a welcoming handshake and a good memory. On the flip side, he’s a pit bull, using whatever authority and influence he has, or believes he has, to overtly or covertly get his way or destroy those who don’t agree with him. Paul Grenier is a smart calculating individual who is relentless and ruthless. (To the second reason for the ad/photo) Notice that the photo in the newspaper does not include Councilor McCue. To most folks that can be explained by Mr. McCue’s lack of support for Laidlaw, but Mr. Grenier has a more serious and personal issue than Laidlaw to deal with in Mr. McCue. You see, Mr. Grenier is not only a control freak, he often plays pretty loose with facts and with matters of law, making “assertions of fact” is part of his “style”, after all, he is a professional car salesman. Mr. Grenier’s “style” is always under scrutiny by the presence of Mr. McCue (an attorney), who in his quiet way, keeps the King from telling too many tall tales. It’s my opinion that our mayor would breathe a sigh of relief if Mr. McCue would…..just go away. It’s unfortunate that Mr. McCue isn’t challenging Mr. Grenier for the position of Mayor; it would have been interesting to see how far Mr. Grenier was prepared to go in a “deal” with Laidlaw and Mr. Bartoszek and their history of illegal activity. It would have been interesting to know if Mr. Grenier knew about (If not why not) as to why he condoned the actions of Laidlaw and its managers when in Ellicottville NY, suing the town for $10M. It would also have been interesting to see Mr. McCue ask our mayor in a public debate about Mr. Grenier’s relationship with PSNH and how he got to be in their back pocket. It sure looks like the King dodged the bullet of full disclosure, but hopefully the voters will recognize the positive contributions Mr. McCue has made to the City by his service as a Counselor and as a volunteer on many Boards and Committees. I hope the citizens of Berlin re-elect Councilor McCue so that Mr. Grenier’s ego will continue to be kept in check, forcing him in that uncomfortable and unfamiliar position of not being able to control or influence everybody and all aspects of his public life.

Comments

[warren]

Poor Tom, second Son ... always know's what's going on.

Councilor's Evan's and Rozek are not in the picture either.
But Mayor Paul holding that shovel is a touch of political brilliance, methinks. Berlin is in MUCH better hands now than it was only a few years back. Thanks to Mayor Paul Grenier,
We now have a Future of Pride, Dignity and Prosperity.

[warren]

I personally think it says a lot about the motives behind Byte & Chew that THIS has not been mentioned YET.... Would this "Top Flight" ( sorry! ) Company be even considering Berlin New Hampshire if Our last Maya and Councill were still ensconced at City Hall?

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ME_AIRCRAFT_MANUFACTURER_NHOL-?SITE=NHCON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

"40 Lousy Jobs" indeed!

[toonist]

warren you should consider a run for councilman!!!!

[warren]

Why? ... We have a Great Team already, doing an awesome Job.
Promises made, Promises Kept. If it ain't broken....

[toonist]

...all of politics is broken!

[warren]

I Blame the Lawyers. If a Law Enforcement Officer of any Stripe can be Forbidden from Jury Duty ( for Obvious Reasons? ), then Lets Ban Law Degree's from Political Office. Goose / Gander dude, Dig it?

[Rocky]

.....collectively we're to blame, we don't have our civic duties on our list of priorities. In Berlin, most of the time "Bobby" is the only citizen at meetings. Most residents aren't even aware that we have somebody in good standing such as Attorney Tom McCue who gives of his time, does a good job without grandstanding, but our ego driven mayor shuns him. Shame on you Paul Grenier, someday your ego will become your demise.

[warren]

Speak for yourself there, Rocky. Our Mayor and Council get Elected every 2 years. With the exception of a few appointee's who stepped in to replace those who abandoned their Civic Duties/ Responsibilities. Last Election, as every time, Berlin Spoke... and a Certain Ego has been suffering ever since. Face it, Rocky. You Cant always get what You want, but you might just find that You ( and Berlin ) get what you need. Now, How about Kestrel Aircraft??? Will you gloat about "Mayor Greniers failure" if perchance the Deal falls through?

[Rocky]

Grenier will have as much to do about Kestrel Aircraft coming to Berlin as I will about tomorrow's weather in Berlin, which is about as much as he had to do about bringing Cate Street to Berlin. If Laidlaw hadn't collapsed under its own false assumptions and pretensions, Paul Grenier would still be singing the praises of Michael Bartoszek and Laidlaw. Have another sip of that koolaid warren, it's really doing a lot for your judgement.

[warren]

The Snowball has to start rolling somehow, Rocky. And Maya Dave & Crew ( including Tom ) were not up to the Job. They Lacked sound Judgement, as Events have shown. Berlin needs Leadership that is willing to be Proactive, and Bring home the Jobs. Nothing Risked, Nothing Gained as they say. Dave and his merry men did not even Try for Berlin, so how could they ever succeed? Vote Pride, Dignity & Prosperity on Nov. 8th and That Old Addage is still good today; "Don't take any wooden Nickels!"

[Rocky]

It's more like voting for arrogance, ignorance, and pretension. It's the very ingredients (on a larger scale) that has contaminated Washington and our Government. In every day terms it's called BULL SHIT. "Dave and his merry men" may just have saved Berlin from the same fate as Ellicottville NY. Unlike Paul, Dave is an educated person with an open mind capable of speaking intelligently about an issue, not just in platitudes and slogans. Have another sip........

[warren]

Your Ego Speaketh ... Sour Grapes from a Sore Loser.

[Wing Nut]

I think you are both right.

Rocky is correct in that Mayor Grenier was far too willing to open up his arms to a very questionable company (LLEG).

However, I have to agree with Warren that it was the change in administration that helped remove any resistance at the City Government level to the biomass idea in general.

I don't blame Mayor Bertrand. He was doing what he thought was best for the City at the time. The people spoke during the last election and the current City government did what the people asked. That is how representative government is supposed to work.

It is all water under the bridge folks. I just hope that noise levels at the plant can be reasonably contained and that the air pollution will be properly regulated.

Take care,
WN