"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Yesterday

A reader asks what the Young American Soldier did to earn the Medal of Honour.

He tried, under fire, to save the lives of comrades. He spoke only about their deaths being too high a price for him to receive a medal for his effort.

I believe his story might not be that extraordinary.

His heart-breaking message was crystal clear to me.

It seemed to be falling on deaf ears.

*******************************************************

Yesterday was not a day like any other in the Council Chamber.

The Council table formed a closed circle. Staff and equipment for the re-count were within the circle. The Elections Officer stayed outside. The Chief Administrative Officer was also present.As well as our associate town solicitor.

Except for Councillors MacRoberts and MacEachern, all Councillors a candidate and various appointed scrutineers representing candidates and a lawyer were present.

Since only councillor votes were being counted, the Mayoralty candidates had no right to attend.

Outgoing Mayor Morris was there however. Councillor Gaertner,whose votes were not in question, appointed Ms Morris to be her scrutineer.

It was a day for watching and chatting and flouncing about. Not much excitement. Nothing much to learn.

I used the opportunity, during a lull, to raise the potential of being a paperless Council. with the Clerk. It has already been tried elsewhere.  Councillors didn't like it. They prefer to read from pages at hand.

Municipal Clerks are a bottomless source of information. There are four hundred municipalities in Ontario. Many are small to medium. Staff keep in touch.They have their own Association of Clerks and Treasurers. If one encounters a new situation in their own municipality,there's a chance somebody else has already  dealt with it. Sometimes successfully sometimes not.There's no need for two municipalities to make the same mistakes.

So my instinctive preference for reading resource other than digital; means I'm not just an old stick-in-the-mud after all.

Also, written records are required by governments. Everything can't be digital.

There are, of course many areas of needless duplication in our operations. Some have already  been pointed out by readers.  There is  a resultant waste of  all resources.

Staff will undoubtedly welcome an opportunity to advise the new Council.

Starting anew with fresh perspectives and open minds will be a good thing.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Evelyn wrote:
Since only councillor votes were being counted, the Mayoralty candidates had no right to attend.

Outgoing Mayor Morris was there however.


I would have expected the CURRENT Mayor to be in attendance regardless if he/she was re-elected of not. Like it or not, until December 7th she is still in charge and she should be attendance.

Mr. Spock said...

"...the Mayoralty candidates had no right to attend.
Outgoing Mayor Morris was there however. Councillor Gaertner,whose votes were not in question, appointed Ms Morris to be her scrutineer..."
No right? Says who? The municipal elections act allows candidates to appoint scutineers, there is no prohibition as to who they are.
So much for "no right".
Also the clerk has the authority to invite anyone he/she wishes. Those "rights" are not up to any one else.
Evelyn.
Stop trying to bend legislation to agree with your own imperfect interpretations of it.
It's getting tiresome.

Anonymous said...

Dear Evelyn:

"Like it or not, until December 7th she is still in charge"

Yes she is, still in charge of the asylum and all its obviously still-crazed inmates.

She should visit one for a few months after December 7. Some form of treatment might do her a world of good.

And in her case hair colour isn't an issue.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Spock:

Why don't you hop a rocket for another planet?

On a one way ticket.

You're More Likely from Vulcan, Alberta said...

"Stop trying to bend legislation to agree with your own imperfect interpretations of it."

That sounds more like the m.o. of our soon-to-be ex-mayor to me.

"It's getting tiresome."

Yes, almost 80% of voters agreed (see above).

A concerned resident said...

I've read a few times that this term of office is not over until December 7. The actual term is up November 30 as outlined in the Municipal Act. Our new Council takes office on December 1.

Broderick Epps said...

"Councillor Gaertner,whose votes were not in question, appointed Ms Morris to be her scrutineer..."

To those that voted for Wendy hoping that she would be a more insightful Councillor without the Morris influence....you were wrong.
Whats that old saying about a leopard never changing their spots.
Certainly applies here!

A concerned resident said...

Oops, make the Municipal Elections Act that sets the term of office.

Mr. Spock said...

Dear You're More Likely from Vulcan, Alberta...

No, actually Alberta is a bit too cold for my liking, and actually not conservative enough either (too close to Saskatchewan, you know)

"That sounds more like the m.o. of our soon-to-be ex-mayor to me."

If I were indeed the current mayor (and believe you me, I'm not) I sure wouldn't be spending any of my precious time over here in Buck central, I get more than enough of her at council...

And no, I'm not Poppe either.

Robert the Bruce said...

I posted this on the A-C blog too:

We should all take a minute and catch our collective breaths. We have been saying on this blog and others that the MorMac regime has been trying to circumvent the political process with back-room deals and running roughshod over the process. Then, when a defeated councillor tries to use the process that we all agreed is all that is holy, we get upset that he is spending tax dollars – whatever that amount happens to be.

You can’t have it both ways. Democracy costs. Be it money in this case or lives in the cases of revolution, but it costs something.

Granger had his opportunity to get a recount. I applaude the fact that he was able to get it. You all know that I am not a fan of his, but he used the process. A process we all agree is what we want.

Forget the cost, that is “the cost of doing business” and let’s move on.

Fuimus