"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

Saturday 22 January 2011

Portrait Of An Urban Organiser

Legendary organizing skills of Ms. Walmer may be wearing thin. Only five e-mails were received since Tuesday. Opposition is to a development proposal on Yonge Street frontage east of the Elderberry Hills subdivision.

Two e-mails had lists. Examination revealed names repeated. More than one residing at the same address,. Two names on the list had forwarded their own e-mails.

The same segments of planning documents said to be contravened by the application. Both were the Walmer interpretation.

It's a familiar strategy; a deluge of e-mails, tried and true methods to inflate numbers and pressure on the most vulnerable Councillors.

It worked well for the traffic calming plan in the north-east quadrant early in the last term. Forecast estimate for the project was $80K. The bid came in at $211K. Council duly horrified by the price, gave clear indication at the GC meeting,the project would not be supported.It represented 1% in the tax rate. The amount was not included in the budget.

Staff were directed to hand-deliver letters to listed residents.Predictably,they filled the council chamber en masse the following Tuesday. One after the other,they took the podium and poured their vehemence on the heads of the new council.

A resident put a photograph of his beautiful dark curly-haired infant son on the overhead and said simply;

"He is my reason why the project should be approved" He received vigorous applause.


The Mayor's eyes filmed over with emotion as she declared when people come to her for help that's exactly what she intended to give them.

The pressure of phone calls and e-mails over the previous week-end had been horrendous.

Former Councillor Bob McRoberts took considerable abuse. He lived in the neighbourhood,declared a pecuniary interest and had not participated in the debate.

"What use are you, if you won't support us?" they demanded .

The purpose of an election is  nine among us are chosen as representatives to make decisions. Based on professional staff advice, listening to the community and exercising judgment gained from life's experience,  decisions are, or should be ours to make and account for.

At the Council meeting where delegate after delegate took the podium to demand the project  be supported, Councillors were outnumbered two to one. They all had pecuniary interest.They were prejudiced in their own favour. They had no authority or accountability for the decision to be made.

Council, fresh and new, eager to be the best they could be, aware and intimidated by the game being played, caved and approved an insane, extravagant plan that is still the bane of the neighbourhood's existence and made the town the laughing stock of the Region. Many residents are awaiting the pesky nuisance that prevents them from reaching their own homes, to be undone.

Stuff like that happens in politics in the normal course of events.

In the Mormac regime it was encouraged and nurtured.There were no scruples. No conscience. The former Mayor held it up as an example of righteousness and a gold standard of democracy.

Susan Walmer was always in the forefront. Others in the ranks were ever ready to lend assistance and write a letter to the editor or appear at the podium when requested.

The Dreadful Duo no longer have control. They have not yet acknowledged defeat. Their army still stands at the gates.They have spies within.

5 comments:

Tim the Enchanter said...

I'm sure Ms. Walmer has supporters and detractors in Aurora but being "pro-Walmer" or anti-Walmer" misses the point.
The woman is free to express her opinions.
Problems arise when elected councillors forget why they are on council.
They are there to serve the town and ALL of it's citizens.
Every decision they make must be made according to the doctrine of "How will this decision make Aurora better?"
Those decisions are not made in a vacuum - council has input from staff and citizens like Ms. Walmer.

Nothing happens for free. Every proposal before council will have costs and benefits.

Too often, decision-making is based solely on how many friends can be made.
Traffic-calming for example.
As staff correctly reported - this was an extremely expensive project for the benefit of a few.
Why wasn't this a neighbourhood initiative project?
How did approval of this project make Aurora better?
Does burning through taxpayers money to fight the Westhill development, a fight abandoned by the concerned residents themselves, make Aurora better?
Did launching an expensive lawsuit against outspoken citizens make Aurora better?

Now we have the PARCEL development at Elderberry.
Town staff reports the proposal is correct and acceptable with the exception of two "workable" points.
A few residents don't want it.
My message to the 'anti' councillors is - sure, you'll make a few friends but how will fighting this development,ie; another expensive OMB spat that we'll probably lose, make Aurora better?

One Who Knows said...

Tim has hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head, Residents from far and wide will fill the council chambers and cry a river over everything that they perceive to be an issue , I think it's what we all cherish in a democracy , Occasionally filling the council chambers might be warranted but as we saw last term during the ridiculous rein it was the norm. The queen and evil princess courted one and all with their wants and desires, no matter how off the wall the issue may have been. It all boils down to how you react to the issue, and the fortitude of the decision makers, Say what you like about Evelyn Buck , but I can’t think of a single politician who has lasted in office for more than 50 years , Maybe the neophytes around the table might learn something by paying attention to her this time.
If not were in for another 4 years of waste

Anonymous said...

Evelyn:

Try not to gloat at Ms. 'Walmart's' fall from grace.

It must be painful to lose the key to the Town Hall. And the parking space.

Anonymous said...

The staff report states that the applicant performed unauthorized grading of the site and it required bylaw services intervention to curb thhis activity.

It's reassuring for me, that faced with someone who has shown an outright disregard for the laws of our community (the applicant) and a concerned citizen (Ms. Walmer) that Councillour Buck has chosen to write at length about Ms. Walmer's activities and not a peep about the applicant's transgressions. Another fine example of seeing the whole picture and not focusing on personalities.

I'm sure ALL the citizens of Aurora can sleep well with Councillour Buck's hand on the till.

Anonymous said...

"I'm sure ALL the citizens of Aurora can sleep well with Councillour Buck's hand on the till."

Once aagain Ev, Your making believers out of those on the loosing side , bit by bit they are comming to their senses,Who says Blogs dont work !!!