"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

Thursday 12 April 2012

Fie! Fie! Perfidious Foe

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Did I Mention":

STOP, could we have some FACTS up here. Have they lost the Trillium Grant and what about other sponsors? We are just penny ante stuff and don't matter to them. Facts, please.
*******

To find  the answers, I went on the web  site. I don't usually. But I had the same questions.

S.M.L.'s letter stated various materials had been prepared already and the Town's Logo was not included because we had not yet given our  support.

Last year they got support but  the Town's Logo was only on the second half of their printings.

In the past, the town would never allow anyone to use the Town's crest.  Not even if they offered to pay. Let alone pay for it to be used.

I found no indication of  any other sponsorships at this time on the web site. 

Although, council were  advised the application was for four days, the festival is advertised from Aug3/5.

I could have sworn I saw documentation with two lines of sponsors.
The web site appears to have none.  I could be reading it wrong or it is not up to date.

The information  below seems to indicate a band  participating at the festival could be paid as much as $10 thousand.

I heard somewhere the Trillium grant is  paid only once.

On the basis of Councillor Gallo's comments on Tuesday night, by refusing to  waive  user fees, Council has killed culture dead in Aurora. Fees for three days for the band shell ,park,preparation and clean up, are just under $1 thousand.

That would seem to indicate, if they don't get a free venue for the event, which they  fence off and charge $5 from  all who enter ,the event will not happen.

It would  be entirely the responsibility of  five members of council who did not agree to forego fees.

 Residents whose park it is, have to pay to use the  facilities for their own events.  But not this lot.

Unless they have friends in the right places.

The friends are Councillors Gaertner, Humphryes,Gallo and Ballard.

The town will promote the event; in the Town Notice Board, Web Site, at the Town Hall and on electric signs around .

We will allow the  park to be fenced off  and  are willing for our residents to be denied  access for four days to accommodate  a money-making event. 

There will be no recognition or even acknowledgement of  support
provided because it is not what was  demanded or perceived as entitlement.

In 2010, even though  advised otherwise, the manager of the event ordered people enjoying a coffee and a breakfast sandwich at a picnic table  in a space provided for them, out of the park and denied  others access to the  washrooms.

But no matter; it  certainly helps to have friends in the right places  quite without conscience  about using  elected  office  to take care of their friends .

The information below was an attachment to Morton-Leonard's letter.
 Sponsorship Opportunities
1. Key Event Entertainment Sponsorship :: $6,000-$10,000
★ Sponsor complete staging, lighting, sound and stage crew
OR Sponsor a major musical act
★ Receive full Platinum Benefits plus:
★ Highlighted print and blog recognition.
★ We are happy to create a complete package to suit your
sponsorship needs. What is your passion? How can we showcase
your company at the 2012 Festival?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you s'pose that they have actually managed to offend a sufficient number of people that they might actually have to work for their money this year? If so, they can hardly blame Aurora since they have made it plain, and nasty, that we are not necessary. Maybe all the volunteers who are kids getting their community service credits, will go and plant trees or attend another event. We have plenty available. Time to more on, as they say.

Anonymous said...

In recent days the Centre has vanished as a topic of conversation.

Let's see if we can do the same with the Jazz Festival.

Ideally we could continue in this vein and ignore Ballard, Gaertner and Gallo.

Anonymous said...

Trillium grants are one-time things. However, you can apply as many times as they want. Look through the Trillium web site at the successful grant receivers over years and there are some that have been successful year over year. There are three Trillium windows of opportunity every year.

As someone that has gone through a grant application, the process is not easy, pleasant or without challenges. Traditionally, the first application is always denied, but you are encouraged to change something here and there and resubmit the next time.

Anonymous said...

They certainly didn't help their cause by excluding Aurora's Service Groups. Basically a Public Relations' disaster.

Anonymous said...

"The information below seems to indicate a band participating at the festival could be paid as much as $10 thousand."

Are you sure that you read this correct. I think that the price range is in the sponsorship opportunities available not what the bands are paid.

I think you better be sure of your facts before you make statements of fact.

Tim the Enchanter said...

Last Tuesday the vote was 5 to 4 against.

Not against the Jazz Festival or "culture" but against perpetuating a nasty habit of granting favours to a group considered by some to be "special".

Five members of council proved that they understand their stewardship role when it comes to taxpayers money.

Five members of council showed that they understand that playing favourites is a game one cannot win and a recipe for disaster and disharmony.
To paraphrase a current TV ad: "Even kids know it's not right to waive fees for some and not others"

Five members of council proved that if you approach the Town with a business proposal you had better be able to demonstrate the return-on-investment expectations to the taxpayers.

Five members of council gave us hope that perhaps better days are ahead in terms of responsible governance.

Sadly, four members of council still cling to the notion that their function is to grant favours or otherwise be a "friend" to individuals, groups or causes that supposedly enjoy a higher profile in the town.