"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

Monday 15 October 2012

No Misunderstanding Here

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Heart And Soul":

"I find the suggestion that people who do pay attention to municipal affairs should be discounted entirely because so many do not."

No such suggestion was made; you must have misunderstood the contention being refuted. A commenter who obviously pays "attention to municipal affairs" would hardly discount those that do.

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Sorry but that's how it read.You said " only a tiny fraction of the people calling for change and those responding to it"

In that statement "those calling for change'' are dismissed as insignificant because they are " a tiny fraction"
There's no room  for misunderstanding.
Error perhaps.  But not misunderstanding. 

This weekend , I heard  of a concern I suspected  must be there
but not hearing  it, meant I could not speak of it.

Rib Fest is very popular. It's  American. 
People come from miles around. It's on for three days. Thousands  hunker down at picnic tables to feast on ribs and other delicacies.  
Others  carry it off  in  stacked  clam shells to enjoy at home.
No fees are paid for use of the park.
No local taxes are derived.  No jobs are created.
What about people in the restaurant business, who do pay taxes to  and provide employment? 
Who can't speak out  for themselves because of the absolute imperative of  good relations with potential customers.
The same people who enjoy Rib Fest.  
Well this week-end I did hear about it. In a round about way.
The impact is devastating.Restaurants  might as well close their doors.
Should that concern Aurora Council?
I think so.
Because we  have created  the problem.
We did not create Rib Fest
We provide the free venue that allows it to flourish  and  for three days, wipe out a segment of our  local business.
It's competition you say. 
Well no, it is not. 
Not when one  group  pays nothing and scoops up  and carries away hundreds of thousands of available dollars courtesy of the local municipality.    

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ALL organizations benefiting from Aurora's largesse should be required to contribute the the town coffers. That is the job for a Council that evidences significant spine. Which we appear to be lacking.

Anonymous said...

The Ribfest is a community event put on for the town by the Town. What 'organization'?!

Anonymous said...

The 2 that spring to mind are the Centre and the Jazz outfit. There is money flowing from the town rather than any sort of balance. Perhaps that draft agreement with the Centre will seek to redress the balance. But, me, I'm not too hopeful. The mere existence of the Hydro Fund has made Council a bit silly. Public money just looks too easy. Weird as Council members, pretty well all of them, pledged to stop wasteful spending at that pre-election event held by the Sports people. I did believe them at the time.

Anonymous said...

To 5:12 PM:

The blog post referenced the Ribfest, which prompted the 'organization' comment. The Ribfest is not an organization (the Cultural Centre is a facility, and the St Kitts "outfit" is *fill in the blank*).

Anonymous said...

And didn't you tell us that town staff get free rib dinners? So what does the Ribfest cost the town if no revenue is generated?