Too bad there isn't such a thing as a Jell-O nail gun. If there was, it might actually be possible to pin Mayor Bob Bratina down when he indulges in one of his slippery political manoeuvres.

You know what I'm talking about.

A mayor who can say, in one breath, he's not out to rip Hamilton apart and, in the next, refuse to say he's against deamalgamation.

Or his oldie but goldie claim that a private investor gave him a $10 million commitment to the Pan Am stadium project and then minutes later deny having said it.

Well, Bratina is at it again.

This time he's skittering around the issue of the city's ward boundary review, suggesting on his blog at http://mayorbratina.com that it could lead to the creation of another inner city ward.

You probably don't need a directional arrow to tell you what he's up to. Yes, it a crafty variation on his old suburban vote-getting amalgamation trick.

Bratina suggests if an extra ward is added to the old city, the "very delicate balance" on council between the eight inner city votes and the seven suburban votes will be upset, taking away the mayor's ability to decide an issue in the case of a split vote.

Bratina says he proposed an amendment calling for public input into the review's terms of reference so people in the "amalgamated areas" could express their concerns.

He writes: "In any case, I still voted against the review along with Councillors Partridge, Pearson, Ferguson and Johnson."

Actually, he didn't. The record clearly shows he voted for the review.

Yes, Bratina voted against the motion as originally worded at the general issues committee. But there's no question he went along with the nine other councillors who supported the amended review when it was ratified by council. Among the 13 councillors present, only Brenda Johnson, Judi Partridge and Lloyd Ferguson didn't.

Bratina's use of the word "still" clearly implies he opposed the review. That's not the case. Slithery veracity aside, Bratina also neglected to mention a number of important related facts.

First, the review was prompted by a citizens' petition in the spring of 2012 after council tried to sweep the issue of voting imbalances among wards under the rug.

Under the Municipal Act, the delivery of that petition set a 90-day clock ticking, giving councillors a deadline to address the concerns or risk the matter being taken to the Ontario Municipal Board for a decision.

Among Hamilton's 15 wards, there's no question there are glaring population anomalies, which dilute the voting power of some residents. The central and west Mountain in particular have much higher populations then other wards but still only get one vote.

But there's absolutely no certainty that the review, which gets under way in 2015, will create a new inner city ward. It's entirely possible the recommendation will be to maintain the status quo or reconfigure existing wards for greater parity.

In addition, Bratina failed to mention that the old divide between inner and outer city has faded dramatically in this term of council, with both groups striving for harmony and routinely reaching compromises.

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But instead of reassuring suburban residents, Bratina was clearly trying to alarm them with claims of council tensions, as well as positioning himself as their steadfast protector. In the words of Councillor Terry Whitehead, he was fanning fears and apparently using his position to electioneer before he's even registered as a candidate.

It may not be very mayoral, but Bratina appears to becoming increasingly comfortable playing the politics of division. He's both brazen in action and brazen in response when called on it.

Whitehead tried to hold him to account for his inaccuracies and omissions at the last council meeting. But in the absence of a Jell-O nail gun, it was pointless. Bratina simply ignored him.