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Tom Mrakas posted a selfie with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz today. The mayor is visiting Washington DC to attend a conference of the Great Lakes Commission.
Since he’s been there, he has also posted a video from in front of the Capitol where he says “unjust tariffs are an attack” etc.
But the conference isn’t remotely about tariffs or trade or employment. It’s about marine life, climate resilience, and matters related to research on aquatic systems.
What on Earth is he talking about and why is he posing with the Republican senator from Texas? The state of Texas is geographically isolated from the Great Lakes.
This is a sad and embarrassing move by the mayor of Aurora. While leaders from the federal and provincial governments are working in earnest to address issues around sovereignty, global geopolitical upheaval and economic collapse, the mayor poses arm in arm with a member that stands shoulder to shoulder with the executive branch causing uncertainty in our country.
As of writing this, Tom Mrakas hasn’t mentioned anything about the actual purpose of the conference in any of these social media posts. And he has not posted any photos with his Canadian counterparts or American members of the Great Lakes Alliance.
There is also no mention of how the Trump administration has unravelled the Environmental Protection Act through the illegal DOGE. This is an actual threat to the Great Lakes, a source of his municipality’s drinking water. You know, something that should be on his mind during his regional taxpayer-funded trip to DC.
What are we to make of a selfie with the enemy? Sure, it’s just a selfie but it was also a choice to go the record smiling with a guy who a few weeks ago joked about the 51st state. It’s not remotely funny.
This is neither business as usual nor politics as usual. Mayor Mrakas continues to miss the moment we are living in. Instead, he gives in to his own cheap senseless whims and rises to the level of his own incompetence.
Neil Asselin
Aurora
Great to meet and briefly chat with Senator Ted Cruz at the Capitol pic.twitter.com/pUhLyy0Zhm
— Mayor Tom Mrakas (@TMrakas) March 6, 2025
