dog and danny show

So our mayor has finally moved on. He will be remembered as a colourful, deriding, and sometimes divisive figure in Newfoundland and Labrador Politics. As a strong advocate of keeping pets on a tight leash and off of city streets, Andy was was himself a fierce attack dog for the issues of his choosing.

His bombastic nature spared no one, including Danny Williams (albeit before the now-Premier entered politics). These two icons of Newfoundland political culture were known to many as foes who occasionally confronted each other publicly.

This makes the nature of their relationship (friendship?) all the more interesting. One might suspect that the premier, who likes to maintain an image of professionalism and respect, would want to remove the hot-headed mayor from his position of influence and national attention. But Williams has kept this once-enemy closer than many of his friends.

Premier Williams wanted Wells to be the chair of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB), and made quite a scene in his efforts to see this happen. The accepted logic of the premier's position is that Wells would have stood up for the province's interest in an organization largely influenced by outside interests. Williams was attempting to release his attack dog on the powers that be.

Upon the failure of this tactic, Williams offered the Mayor a job as the chair of the Public Utilities Board (PUB). While this position has a more limited sphere of influence, it is still associated with an industry that is extremely important to the prosperity of the province. Wells accepted.

Many people still consider Wells, with his bridge-burning skills and off-the-cuff nature, to be more a liability than an asset for Williams. Why, then, would the Premier appoint this loose cannon to the PUB, or more importantly to such a high-profile portfolio as the chair of the C-NLOPB?

An important clue was revealed recently with the Auditor General's revelation that the C-NLOPB is not allowing him access to all of their documents. Whether or not the Board is required to provide this information, the fact remains that Newfoundland and Labrador is not fully informed on decisions pertaining to its future.

So perhaps as chairperson, Wells, who is regarded even by his enemies as politically savvy, would have been effective at prying important information from special interests who like to keep information to themselves.

But what tension amongst board members and other important players that Wells would have caused! His handling of Council meetings is evidence enough that the standard of decorum would have been noticeably reduced. Already the whole affair has damaged relations with the eventual chair, Max Ruelokke.

While it is difficult to determine Danny William's strategy (he likes to be "four or five steps ahead" of his opponents), one thing is certain: The city is better off without a mayor who insults, at every opportunity, the representatives of the citizens he leads. The province, too, will do better with a less abrasive spokesperson.

The question that remains is Why the Premier's change in attitude toward Wells since taking office? Perhaps it is purely political. When the premier announced Wells' job offer, the public was given the opportunity to voice their desire for the mayor to leave. The public did as much.

Maybe this was Danny's strategy all along. By first playing nice to the man in charge of the province's capital city, then letting Wells see the public's opinion of him, and then ultimately dealing the final blow to his tenure as mayor, it would appear Williams has shown Andy Wells who is really in charge.

That being said, an attack dog not fed regularly or kept on a tight leash can turn against his master at any time.