Local developer Cal Wenzel today fired back at those criticizing him for comments made in a recent speech - the video of which was leaked to Global Calgary.
Here's some of what Wenzel had to say today:
Now, it may well be that Cal Wenzel is looking out for his bottom line. It may well be that he is arrogant enough to think that his bottom line and his interests should be of importance to those on city council.
But even if all of that is true, is that really enough to condemn the founder of Shane Homes, as so many have been doing this week? For that matter, are we so naive to think that there aren't hundreds of others just like him?
It didn't help that Wenzel used words like "control" or "having" when talking about politicians - it certainly plays into the hands of those looking to portray him as a would-be puppetmaster. But at the same time, Wenzel is free to donate money to whichever politician he likes, and he must - like everyone else - adhere to the donation limit rules.
If that means Wenzel is trying to buy candidates, then the same goes for anyone else who makes a large donation. The suggestion that legal donations are akin to "buying" an election are absurd. If people want to have a conversation about donation limits then by all means we can have that conversation.
In the meantime, if Wenzel has done anything illegal or improper, then the evidence should be laid out and it should be investigated. But there's no crime in wanting to help certain politicians win or wanting to help defeat certain candidates.
What we need most of all is transparency, so that voters know who's giving money to which candidates, and we can then judge them accordingly.
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