Mosca needed in the political ring
But big Ang says too many 'low blows' there
By ANDREW DRESCHEL -- Hamilton Spectator
If the good conservative folks in Minnesota are brave enough to elect former
pro wrestler Jesse (The Body) Ventura as their governor, maybe it's time the
good conservative voters of Hamilton also raised their eyes ringside when
looking for their next mayor.
You know who I'm talking about.
Angelo (King Kong) Mosca.
The former grappler, Ticat defensive tackle, and television commercial
pitchman.
The populist hero whose gravelly voice and hulking presence epitomizes this
pockmarked city's image of itself.
The one man whose plain-speaking, no-holds barred style might provide us
with the leadership we so desperately want and need.
The big guy who by sheer force of personality (and clever wrestling holds)
could impose consensus on our regional partners, pin the parsimonious
provincial government to the mat, and stiffen the spines of slouching
aldermen with one baleful stare.
Mosca for Mayor.
You have to admit, it has a nice ring to it, particularly after last year's
brutal political doings, which saw the city and region crushed by provincial
downloading, property tax increases, the failure of the regional
collaboration agreement, and now the interminable HSR strike.
Deliver us, big Ang.
Sort out the mess with a King Kong hip toss, body slam and headlock.
Make the naysayers tap out by squashing them with a flying head scissors or
corkscrew plancha.
Alas, the next municipal election is two years away. And sadly, Mosca isn't
interested in exchanging his old sweaty wrestling tights for a slippery
political necktie.
There are too many low blows in the political arena, he said when I floated
the idea by him.
"Politics is not a very clean business these days."
And besides, you get scrutinized way too much.
"They'd probably go back 40 years when I ran into a bar with a car or
something. You know how it goes. Everybody's got skeletons in their closet
and I'm not about to lift the skeletons out of mine."
Still, the 61-year-old Mosca admits the idea of entering political life has
indeed crossed his mind a few times.
He says certain people, whom he prefers not to name, recently approached him
to run for office.
But Mosca, who now lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is newly married. The
timing is just not right and the inclination is just not there.
But that certainly doesn't mean his former gridiron and ring careers make
him ill-suited for political life. After all, why shouldn't celebs or sports
figures like Ventura take on politics?
"Who says they can't do the job?" Mosca demands. "They question their
intelligence? Well, I've met a lot of politicians who aren't the brightest
guys in the world, and they're not very good businessmen, either."
Mosca is convinced cities should be run by business people. The problem, he
says, is the good ones don't want to be bothered with politics because
politicians are always being -- that word again -- scrutinized.
Mosca (who currently is involved in some hush-hush dealings with a group of
business people concerning a potential project in Hamilton) may not want to
be the King Kong of Hamilton. But he thinks it's high time the city got a
new top banana.
He loves this town and he wants to see it get moving again.
He says Mayor Bob Morrow has done a helluva job.
"But he's had his time. It's time to make a move because the city is
stagnant."
OK, so big Ang doesn't want to be Hamilton's Jesse Ventura.
You know what that means. That leaves only one other candidate.
One other fearless, direct and honest soul who also epitomizes this city's
sense of itself.
Yes, it's time to draft Don Cherry for mayor.
.
