"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

Sunday 29 January 2012

Georgina.....There Is A Solution

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Tobaggon Ride May Not Be The Only Slippery Slo...":

Judging only from the surface, it would appear that the Mayor expected McLean to roll-over and was not prepared to follow through with his threat. Much will depend upon who and what McLean is, if he is comfortable in his own skin. It is a big risk to bully someone who knows where all the bodies are buried. But bullies seldom consider that they might not be the victors.

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I   read all the links sent to me. It  sounds as though  Georgina Council had their discussion about financing the Mayor's personal law suit  behind closed doors.

But that can't be. A municipality can't pass a bylaw behind closed doors. The town's web site will  provide  information on  agendas and meeting minutes.

A closed meeting requires  a purpose to be stated. The right to privacy requires no names to be disclosed.

But what  politician in his or her  right mind, believes spending public money on a personal objective   qualifies for closed door  secret discussion.

Of course I don't know that happened . 

A steady stream of letter to the editor expressing outrage over Council's action seem to think it happened that way.

Few dispute the Mayor's right to sue if he thinks he should, as long as he spends his own money.

I personally think any politician  worth his salt should be able to defend him or herself  against criticism without the help of lawyers. My goodness, yes. If you can't stand the heat, the obvious solution is  to remove oneself from the kitchen.

But when  lawyers  are hired with public money to mount an  attack on  the  freedom  to lambaste a politician , no self-respecting Canadian who values  the Charter of Rights and Freedoms can submit.

The fight for rights has been too long and hard and bitter to surrender  so easily. 

Georgina residents ,with opportunity to vote so far distant, should not content themselves with letters to the editor and comments to blogs.

They should delegate and take the issue directly to Council.

The people of East Gwillimbury  took the matter in hand.

The  people of Aurora tossed  the bastards. Most of them.

When people see something repugnant being done in their name, they have a right to call a halt to it.

Georgina Council can change that decision.

Aurora did.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Town of Georgina -Goggle
They have Zones.
You'll understand it better than I do.

Anonymous said...

The by-law was without any doubt passed behind closed doors-- this is taken from the Committee of the Whole Minutes from Monday November 21st, page 16:

23. RECESS COUNCIL AND RESOLVE INTO CLOSED MEETING:
Moved by Councillor Smockum
Seconded by Councillor Craig

That the Council Meeting recess at this time and move into a closed meeting pursuant to Section 239 of The Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, to consider:
i) Personal matter about an identifiable individual; Section 239(2)(b), MA

24. RISE AND REPORT FROM CLOSED MEETING:
Moved by Councillor Smockum
Seconded by Councillor Davison
RESOLUTION NO. CW-2011-0278
THAT THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER BE REQUESTED TO FOLLOW LEGAL ADVICE ON A PERSONAL MATTER.

(unrelated topic between what I'm pasting here)

25. ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Councillor Smockum
Seconded by Councillor Davison
That the Committee of the Whole meeting resolve into a Special Council meeting at 11:40
a.m., immediately following the Committee of the Whole meeting to deal with the following
matters:
i) Roll Call
ii) Declarations of Pecuniary Interest
iii) Memorandum concerning appointment of members of the public to the Former
Sutton Public School Steering Committee
iv) A By-law to indemnify a Member of Council against damages and the costs of legal
proceedings
v) Confirming By-law
vi) Adjournment




If you were to dig up the actual Agenda as a whole, you'd find
that nothing was recorded (at least publicly) after item iii) Memorandum concerning appointment of members of the public to the Former Sutton Public School Steering Committee


Hunting for RESOLUTION NO. CW-2011-0278 mentioned above through the Town's Electronic Records management yields nothing.
Fortunately, The Pefferlaw Post has identified the relevant By-law as No. 2011-0121
However, having searched this in town records online I can find the Bylaw, but for the past two days the webpage that it is supposed to open in refused to load (having taken too long to respond according to google) -- either their system has been down for the last two days or they are attempting to hide this by-law from the people like me following the trail of slime through the mazes of bureaucracy. Hope that clarifies a few specifics.

Anonymous said...

12:42 PM
Super Work on a weekend. It does seem odd that the town's Records' Management system chose now to shut
down. The Keswick Blogger has been quiet, too. Anyone check if he is OK?