Insults and put-downs: Outburst-prone former St. John’s mayor wants job back
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Former St. John’s mayor Andy Wells says he’s milder now than that time he called his archrival “a stupid old woman.”
It was the sort of biting put down that saw former deputy mayor Shannie Duff go so far as to file a motion to strengthen the city’s workplace human rights bylaw.
In 2004, Wells was found guilty of defaming councillor Art Puddister, who was awarded $7,500 in damages and costs.
His legendary outbursts inspired Danny Williams, then a businessman who would later become Newfoundland and Labrador premier, to call Wells an “ignorant pig.”