Ewan Wilson: revenge best served cold

Councillor Ewan Wilson likens his ousting from the Statutory Management Committee to something akin to the famous line by Hannibal Lector of the Silence of the Lambs movie.

Wilson said: “Revenge is a meal best served cold.”

Hamilton city councillors voted 8 to 4 today to remove Wilson from the Statutory Management Committee.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Gower, who is chairman of the committee, and presented at a council meeting signed by all members of the committee other than Wilson: Councillors Margaret Forsyth, Daphne Bell, Roger Hennebry, Pippa Mahood and Maria Westphal.

Councillor Peter Bos declared a conflict of interest and excused himself from the chamber.

Councillors Angela O’ Leary and Dave Macpherson questioned why there was not a process of mediation followed and were not happy with the severity of the discipline.

O’Leary called it using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Councillor Martin Gallagher was particularly concerned about the emphasis placed on a comment by Wilson to a licensing applicant in an email at the centre of the spate.

“Was Ewan Wilson’s comment wise or unwise?” he said “I suspect it was obviously a little unwise.

“In life and around this council table sometimes we take unwise actions. A $40,000,000 unwise action of which we now see nothing left could be regarded as a significant unwise action.”

See earlier story.