Some of you may have missed a snippet of Thanet gossip on www.thanetobserver.blogspot.comon Fri 28 August 2009.
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It would appear that Cllr Ted Watt-Ruffell (CONSERVATIVE), Mayor of Margate, Dane Valley Ward Cllr, Member of Planning; General Purposes;Licensing Board and Conservative Chief Whip is in a spot of bother.
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I must admit to not supporting the idea of Margate Charter Trustees Conservative Cllrs, electing him for Mayor back in May, instead of that excellent Dane Valley Ward Cllr, Mike Jarvis. ( See: http://thanetstrife.blogspot.com/2009/04/time-to-make-mayor.html)
I wonder if Margate Charter Trustees Conservatives are now biting their nails?
It would seem that The RSPCA has brought a case against him, accusing him of causing unnecessary suffering to a kitten. 'Our Mayor' appeared this morning before Thanet Magistrates in Cecil Square to answer this charge.
The case was not heard but adjourned. It would seem that as The Mayor of Margate, he has pleaded that he is too well known by Magistrates in Thanet and has requested a hearing elsewhere. My understanding is that the case will be heard by Medway Magistrates at some date in the future. I trust our local press will keep us informed, albeit long distance, from Medway in due course.
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It is interesting how Margate Charter Trustees describe the Mayors of Margate and their status:
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29 comments:
Dane Valley voters will be impressed with yet another one of their Conservative Councillors antics.
Seem to remember that Ted Ruffell, the Labour Deputy Mayor, had to resign a few years back because of some unpaid fines.
Perhaps this request to have his case heard elsewhere, is a device for buying time so that he won't have to resign his office again.
We should all remember, please, the simple maxim 'innocent until proved guilty'.
That said, to even be accused of a crime, might have triggered in his predecessors, an instant withdrawal from public life!
Tory Mayor of Margate charged with kitty-fiddling. Tory Thanet Council leader hauled before the standards board on two occasions. Tesco bags full of documents incriminating Thanet Tories and council officers in collusion with developers. Tory councillors muscling their pet projects through planning.
Jeez. It's like Deadwood without the sheriff round here! Resign, resign, resign!
Choosing Medway Magistrates' Court sounds like a way of keeping the case out of the headlines here. Surely a criminal conviction of this type, should he be found guilty, should be a bar to public office?
The Animal Welfare laws passed last year are designed ensure all animals are looked after properly, given the right living conditions, treatment, food etc. The RSPCA doesn't take cases to court lightly if another remedy is available so they must feel the incident sufficiently serious to have gone down this route.
Could there be another by-election soon in the Dane Valley ward?
The distressing thing here is not that Watt-Ruffell is once again bringing his office into disrepute.
It's the fact the the Tory Councillors elected him to office considering this well documented checquered past!
He may be in ermine, but that does not mean that he has changed his spots!
19.52, let us not prejudge the issue. If found guilty, then he will have brought shame on his office as Mayor. My understanding is that, quite rightly, his Conservative colleagues are awaiting the outcome before making any decisions regarding his future.
That said, on past form regarding the failures of both their Leader and Deputy to conduct themselves appropriately in regards to Standards, why should this present issue cause them any concern?
I think if most of us were up in court on any charge we'd want to keep a low profile so it'll be interesting to see if the Mayor allows his deputy to cover his responsibilities for the immediate future with some excuse about being unwell.
I think most of us would be too embarrassed to be out and about in public but perhaps the Mayor has more guts/nerve/arrogance than the rest of us.
Isn't he a security guard so, if he were to be found guilty, can he keep his job with a criminal record?
No doubt the gallant leadr of this aweful lot will once again leap to T watt ruffells defence with another dodgy alibi.
Back in April don't forget, when T watt ruffell's name was being banded about; Easy-kill brough everyone's attention to the fact that T watt ruffell was a reformed charachter, and now in fact a tee total, bible thumping Baptist!!!
A very new and unexpected version of the T watt ruffell that everyone else in Thanet knew!
Because of the loyal oath still taken by Margate Mayors I furnished Cllr Ted Watt Ruffell with copies of a Common Law Information also sent to Cllr Doug Clark JP.
Perhaps with these matters hanging over his head he has not had time to reply in answer to my questions.
Perhaps readers know the names of the security companies he has worked for and whether any originated as Probe Seven Security ?
Wasn't Probe Security, ex Cllr Broadhurst's? And Ex Cllr Broadhurst was Watt-Ruffell's boss? They had contract for TDC and still have Dreamland?
It just goes on getting worse. Can't believe there aren't better people to run Thanet than this shower, and the very very sad fact is that they will probably be voted back in in 2011. Is any one of them in office to actually do anything than help themselves?
Here we go again judge someone before all the facts are known As mayor he has revived good reports for the work he has done for his town that is a fact why should he keep his head down he has informed people that matter a about this case and after meeting him at events he is not a bad person as some of you make him out to be keep strong mr mayor
There are principled Conservative Cllrs who have not jumped from Labour; who are not developers; who do not obfuscate the corporate hospitality they receive; who do not socialise with planning applicants and fail to declare their interest; who do not fail to maintain standards in public office; who do not holiday with local businessmen or suppress investigations into fraudulent waste of tax-payers money or find themselves facing animal cruelty charges.
These are the traditional Conservative Councillors who do know where their ward is; hold clinics; work hard for their constituents and have tried to remove Ezekiel as Leader on the simple grounds that he has brought TDC and 'their' Conservative Party into disrepute and made Thanet Conservatives look like a 'parcel of rogues'.
The only problem is that they are cast outside the sycophantic circle that The Leader surrounds himself with; removed from Committtees and 'whipped' on any issue The Leader dictates.
Perhaps it is time for some of them to leave the mockery of a Conservative Party that has been formed in Thanet and give up the Ezekiel whip. If sufficient numbers were to do this, it is possible that The Ezekiel Party (can it really be called Conservative) would lose its majority at TDC and change could then be achieved.
As hard working Independent conservatives, they will not need the Conservative 'machine' to get them re-elected in 2011; their own merits will. How many 'dissident Conservatives' have already had their card marked for 'non-selection' anyway?
09;19, glad your such a Ruffell fan. Ask him about his past security days. Ask him about the Westgate Residents Association.
Better still, ask the local Labour Party about the Westgate Residents Association!!
Then form your opinions!
Couldnt agree more with your sentiments Bertie. Sad but true, nothing like Cameron's touchy feelie Conservatives!
People outside the area cannot believe our family when we say we would never dream of voting for a Conservative in our ward ie at distric council level, that said from a family of die hard Conservatives.
There are half a dozen in the party in it for the community the rest are in it for their own ends! Jarvis, Wells and co should think about forming the Thanet Conservatives working for Thanet party!
Can I give you an example of how things get done in some Conservative Wards? Someone I know, I'll call him 'Jim' for this account to protect his identity, is faced with a planning application that, if approved, will render Jim's house unsellable. Jim knowing nothing of how planning works, contacted one of his Conservative councillors for help/guidance/general assistance.
Said councillor told Jim that he can see no reason why the application shouldn't be approved this despite not having visited the site nor having looked at the plans for the development. He had, however, talked to the applicant wishing to build.
Draw your own conclusions but I can assure the councillor he has just lost two votes. He might at least have visited them to see for himself.
The Mayor is meant to be an ambassador for the town and thus he should have "presence" and decorum.
If you have ever been to any functions with a mayor (or in the case of Thanet! 3 present) then we the tax payer are also paying for 3 chauffeurs to hang around to drive them home - usually seen hanging around at any function waiting to depart! My point is that a mayor should not be sinking so low to be brought before the courts, instead as another post has said very often the mayor has also been a local magistrate, ie someone of good character. Shows you the calibre of local tories cant imagine Ezekiel or his cronies would ever think of any apolitical community service, where they didnt stand to gain anything.
Bertie i think the word "Public service" is unknown to this lot!
"Help our cronies who will then find ways of repaying us?!"
the last post saying his local councillor knew the planning applicant is just indicative of the way some councillors are hand in glove with the local developers and as you rightly state when do they declare it!? Think "our Shirl" gave the game away by her lack of any kind of subtlety at the last planning committee meeting?!
22.12 The Vice Chair of Planning being a developer says it all really. As for the comment by 18.30 a lot of families in my area will not vote conservative again after a local planning fiasco involving one councillor and ignored by another.
Bertie, parcel of rogues indeed "What force or guile could not subdue through many warlike ages, Is wrought now by a coward few for hireling traitor's wages." As true now as then?
What an advert for Margate!
Margate is run down and shabby, how the hell can we expect more of our area when it has people like this at the helm! an utter disgrace, he should step down now as a councillor - let alone Mayor.If he is found guilty I hope he ends up in prison - he should - just for the state Margate is in
One more comment on the mayor asking for his case to be considered by Medway magistrates: a newly recruited magistrate living in anywhere in East Kent can be asked to serve at Ashford, Dover, Canterbury or Thanet so there would be plenty of non Margate people who would not know the mayor, a magistrate friend came to visit me after a morning in court the other day and she lives near Deal! Call it a ruse by the Mayor to keep the story out of the local headlines i think!
I think it's time for Ted Watt-Ruffell to resign. Sandy cannot save him this time
Ted Watt-Ruffell has more lives than the poor Cat that sadly died.
Ted's nine lives must now have run out.
Lets have a new Mayor or let Mick Tomlinson take over for the rest of the term
Creature of the night. What you have posted may well be true but that is up to others to consider. Please do not make allegations about some-one's past that Strife cannot publish. My item is about Cllr Watt-Ruffell's appearance before the magistrates on accusations of cruelty to cats. Let us await the outcome before raking up the past problems with Labour and un-paid fines etc.
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00:55 said:
"What Tee Total, Bible thumping Baptist Ted, resign! Why?
******Edited************
Why do you think he jumped ship from Labour to Tory! **************************edited****
11 November 2009 00:55
21.46 of 13th Nov, please accept my apologies for not posting your comment. I have noted it and i fully agree with your sentiments and information. However, I have no choice but to not post it.
You seem very well informed in regard to this matter and flea aneamia in kittens in particular. You clearly share most peoples abhorrence of neglect and cruelty to animals but please bear in my mind that the RSPCA must prove its case first.
18.13 I have had to edit your post I am afraid.
I have been receiving unsubstantiated assertions by people who found themselves itching and scratching after visiting the Mayor in his parlour and are now connecting their personal problem to this story. As no-one has produced a cat-flea for me to identify,it remains unclear if there is a connection or whether it was their own personal flea, doing the biting. Whatever the case, the next incumbent as Mayor would be advised to make sure the 'ermine'has been treated.
Anonymous said...
I know I am right in thinking that the Mayor of Margate automatically becomes the President of the local charity "Lest we Forget". The charity should chuck him out and the charities commision informed (should he be found guilty of the allegation of) digraceful behaviour towards a defencless poor little kitten. If(as alleged)the kitty was riddled with fleas dos'nt say much for the cleanliness of the home - cleanliness is next to Godliness!
14 November 2009 18:13
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