On this day, he shows the two faces of Calgary. Friendly, fun and fair . . . but don't get in our face.
Play nice or there'll be a whole lot of grief.
"For those who think they can come to this city and believe it is cool to damage people's property, it is anything but cool," says Mayor Dave Bronconnier, of any violent agitators showing up in Calgary for the G-8 Summit, 47 days from now.
"Their activity is tantamount to inciting a riot, to creating civil unrest in our city. Calgarians will not tolerate it. Out-of-towners coming here and creating disturbances, if they want to try and do that, we'll have a nice room waiting for them at the crowbar hotel.
"We have all seen the pictures from Seattle, Genoa and Quebec City. Angry mobs in a backdrop of tear gas, burning cars and shattered windows, battling with security forces. The events of 9/11 have hardened our feelings about political violence, how unacceptable and unjustifiable it is.
"We won't sit on our hands. We will not be overrun. We will take the necessary action. This G-8 summit will end the cycle of violence. We have a very aggressive security plan and that plan will be fully implemented. Period."
And though the nuts and bolts of such a plan are constantly being fine-tuned, the mayor does have some thoughts.
"There will be many secured sites throughout the downtown. Secured means if you don't have the credentials, you don't get in," he says.
By the time of the summit, some areas may have to be fenced in, though today there is no such decision. No-go constitution-free zones are expected to include major hotels, as well as the confines of city hall.
"It will be inconvenient. It won't be business as usual. There will be interruptions back and forth to work. Instead of having four lanes, you may be down to two or even one. But the inconvenience is outweighed by the responsibility for making sure people and property are safe."
Speaking of property, the mayor also says the feds and local business groups are coming closer to inking an agreement to compensate businesses for lost income and damage during the 36-hour summit.
"Local summit officials are meeting with business associations to work out a program, though they haven't announced anything to me. I would encourage them to get it up and running now, so people know what to expect.
"And it should be administered locally so our small business owners aren't forced to sit on hold waiting to hear back from some bureaucrat in Ottawa."
On a somewhat peppier note, the city's G-8 "party with a purpose" at Stampede Park will now cost Calgary taxpayers more like $100,000, rather than the maximum $300,000 committed by city council.
The rest of the tab will be picked up by the corporate crowd. Mayor Bronco once again defended his decision to hold a hootenanny during the meeting of world leaders.
This time, His Worship strikes a profound poetic pose.
"This city will be the backdrop for stories broadcast to billions of people across the world. For this brief moment in time, we have the chance to shape the consciousness of nearly every person living on this planet."
So there.
Sgt. Al Koenig, the police association boss affectionately known as Rambo for his take-no-prisoners style, is plenty pleased Mayor Bronco backs the cops, who are expected to be on any G-8 bad guys like white on rice.
But Rambo Al says the tough-talking mayor should remember his troops on the street.
"It's great to talk the talk," says Rambo Al. "But we're the ones walking the walk in the trenches. Of the six police agencies here for the summit, we're the poorest paid. What a deal."
Despite the disagreement over a new fairer contract, Al says the members of his association will make sure Calgarians get a good night's sleep, as they always do.
"We'll be there at the G-8," says our Al. "And we'll be ready."
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