An Edmonton councillor just made a motion so bad that she voted against herself to kill it.
Let's talk about Karen Principe.
First, yes, some relation.
Karen and Gene Principe.
She's the councillor tasked with “representing” (used very loosely here) the north side ward of tastawiyiniwak.
Auditioning for the next job
She's gunning for a backbench job.
She ran for the federal Conservative nomination, lost.
She ran for the UCP, lost.
So when Tim Cartmell came a-knockin' and offered her a spot on the Better Edmonton bench, she jumped on board.
What could be easier than just showing up and voting how Tim tells you to?
But it didn't work out for the team, and now she's sitting alone on that bench. Not what she signed up for.
This isn't the job she wants, and she's auditioning for the next one.
A masterclass in ineffective politics
Which brings us to Wednesday, a masterclass in ineffective politics.
The 132 Ave renewal is already underway, adding dedicated walking and biking spaces, tons of trees, and making a street with a half dozen schools actually feel safe for kids.
132 Avenue's new bike lane. Still from Urban Motion's video on the renewal.
It's going to be one of the nicest streets in our entire city. And it's also squarely in the crosshairs of Devin “MAGA Hat” Dreeshen, who last year announced the UCP's intention to start meddling in city council's business.
So naturally, Karen saw an opportunity here to show her preferred team that she's onside.
She moves to pause all construction. Immediately.
That Administration immediately pause implementation of 132 Avenue construction between 82 Street and 97 Street for further discussion with relevant stakeholders and possible design reconsideration.
Coun. Karen Principe's motion
Three problems
Problem one. The motion was almost certainly out of order. Lawyers had to step in just to figure out if council could even debate it.
Problem two. No one would second it. It was dead until Mike Elliott gave it a pity second.
Problem three, and this is the big one. City administration confirmed that there's no pause mechanism in the contract. Stopping work would mean breaking a signed agreement, triggering financial penalties that are substantial, and then starting right back up again anyway, because half the corridor is already torn up.
We need to build the road.
Even she couldn't defend it
And so her motion, in the end, was one that even she couldn't defend.
After sitting through her own debate, listening to the lawyers, and watching it all fall apart in real time, Karen Principe voted against her own motion.
It was defeated unanimously, with her raising her own hand against it.
Her job performance is so bad, even she gives it a negative review.
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