"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 10 October 2012

Last NIght's Meeting

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Question Was About Taxes":

I couldn't watch last night's Council meeting. What did I miss?

********************
It was a mixed bag. Interesting because of it.
A resident opposed tax increases.Told  about working at three jobs for sixty hours a week to meet obligations and help a child 
with education expenses.No affluence claimed .
Demeanor was civil, language temperate. But  no  question  of  her purpose in being heard.
E-mails coming in  are making  the same argument.
A poll in The Auroran records fifty-per-cent in favour of using the hydro money to reduce taxes.
Voter dis-satisfaction with Council's budget performance is clear.
It's a good start. But  not enough
Council will listen, if people direct their comments to the source.
The effort to be heard. needs to be made. 


York Regional Police came to announce  Special Olympics Summer Games in  2013. will be held in the Region and they are the Sponsors.
Red laces will be on sale for  $5. at various venues . They hope people will  wear red lacesto signify support for the athletes. 
They showed a video. 
I wept.


The outfit pitching  a Heritage Park, created  with public assets,
delegated. 
John MacIntyre will sell his house to the town  at a discount.
Bruce Sprague, real estate mogul. will make his property available; at a price of course.
It's seen  as the perfect home for the  Aurora Museum Collection. 
Bruce Sprague processed a  development plan  for the property seven years ago.  Number of residential  units is either seventeen or twenty-seven. 
Representing millions of revenue dollars  to the town.
The property has been on sale for seven years.
Obviously the price isn't right. 
The delegate spoke of wonderful  commercial  opportunities in a Heritage Park.
Private investment is anticipated.
I  failed to share the vision. I might  be excited if said  private investors were falling over each other to get a piece of the action.
But no evidence of that was presented.  
The  request was for Council to put our hands in  taxpayers'  pockets and take their money. 
Of course we know the Hydro fund is the  targeted pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I  imagine McIntyre, Sprague and friends talking about how to  get some of that for themselves.
Mr. Albino made the pitch on their behalf . He is a recent member of  the Aurora Historical Society.That's all I know about him.  
Aurora Tennis Club has a similar  proposal  before  Council. A"Playhouse" to be built  in Fleury Park.
The private club could  play tennis in winter  but to soften the pitch, they also speak of a place to hold weddings and provide a venue for Performing Arts. .
There's no law against  people or organisations floating  purely selfish, private interests to  gain access to public funds.
We have seen it before.  
But there is an  expectation that  elected  officials  will  recognise such  for what they are and opt instead for the interest of the community at large.
The irony of a presentation  by a resident articulating hardship  in meeting family obligations, while property taxes continue to skyrocket and at the same time , a  group making a clear  grab for public assets should not have passed  unnoticed.
And yet.
Like a pair of Middle Eastern Potentates with  excess oil revenues to burn, Councillor Gallo and Ballard could hardly contain their excitement. 
The Mayor's name is on the list of V.I.P. supporters.
Councillor Abel moved the motion that gives the proposal status.
Off to the races we go.
To bet on a dark horse.
With public resources.  



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reality Check
Council should watch a tape of last night's performance & re-visit the absurd idea of taking such a thing into schools. It was difficult enough for adults watching on T.V. with easy access to washroom facilities

Anonymous said...

It is like that old show " The Millionaire ". With everyone wanting a chunk for themselves. In The Auroran is a letter desiring money for tree bugs. which sounds fine except that the science is still very fuzzy about the medicine to treat the trees. I would speculate that Council is going to grease the loudest, most showy squeaky set of wheel and that there is nothing Mr and Mrs Average can do to prevent it. It won't help any individuals get elected if they all pile on but that doesn't stop each of them from hoping. Pity that.

Anonymous said...

I watched coverage of the council meeting last night and was dumbfounded at the conclusion of Mr. Albino's presentation to council members. Several members gushed and fawned over the wonderful, refreshing concept and plan that Mr. Albino put before them. The gushes praised the plan as an innovative approach, "thinking out of the box" and feigned innocent delight as though they had never imagined such a project.
How strange! The mayor and several other councillors had each been treated, on separate occasions, to an individual pitch about the proposal and project by Mr. Albino himself during the summer. I can attest to that. They also each lent their support to Mr. Albino before each meeting adjourned. They knew all about it and backed it long before last night's meeting. So why all the drama, pretending and acting? Why the paying lipservice to public consultation and feedback when a majority of council has already pledged support? Is that how business is done in this town? Whay wasn't one of them honest and upfront?
Mr. Albino talked about the "involvement of very important people in putting together the proposal - in fact THE most important people in Aurora"... and then he dared to ask for a handout from us, the taxpayers! How reassuring to know that "the most important people in Aurora are devising ways to spend my money when we are faced with a > 8% property tax increase!
I think not, council and Mr. Albino! Let's have you and your "very important people" cough up the money to fund your "out of the box", innovative projects.
Have you not noticed that there is a multitude of "not very important people in Aurora" who cannot afford your proposed tax increases, especially to fund such elitist projects. God knows we have been snowed enough over the infamous "culture" centre. I suggest you join the real world and represent the majority of your, ordinary, joe blow taxpayers and get your noses out of the asses of Aurora's high and mighty "most important people." Many of this town's taxpayers are hurting more than you can imagine. It's about time you listened and lent your support to THEM.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, 5:48 PM. Thank you, thank you! But we are so small and tend to be quiet unless there is an election. Even then, voices are seldom raised. I was so grateful to you, but haven't a clue what I can do to help you.

Anonymous said...


Go for the Gold - Anon @ 5:48 PM


We need more like you and less of the McIntyres, Spragues and Albinos. That these sainted gentlemen are offering our town, at a cut-rate price, the properties that would permit the creation of a Heritage Park makes my eyes water. Just what is this other than old three houses on Yonge Street?

Have the mayor and other members of Council attended secret presentations, for which they have all pledged their support, at the cost to taxpayers of potentially several million dollars?

This is, at the very least, some version of the breach of their oath of office.

Has the Hydro Fund so corrupted the thinking of some of our elected representatives that they are now involved in a race to see who can do bigger, better and more expensive?

Anonymous said...

OMG! Here we go again!

Tim the Enchanter said...

Anonymous 548PM

Hit the nail on the head.

Lacking the will or the skill to regain control of the Church Street School "club", council now thinks it'll be easier to just build a second cultural centre - this time with a museum.
A pure stroke of genius!
Plus we'll still get to pay for the first one.
By the time the special interest groups get their hands on the $33M all we'll be left with are more Clique of the Week clubs that will send a delegation to council once a year to A. Tell us how wonderful and important they are to Aurora and B. present their "request" for ever-increasing annual funding.

Meanwhile we're getting the tax increase shell game they play every year. Start with 8% and then present themselves as fiscally prudent by cutting it to 4% when in fact it should be 0% although I would grudgingly live with 1 or 2% to keep in step with inflation.

Anonymous said...

Heaven forbid we build on the site of the former Library where we already OWN the land. Everyone has gone crazy since the Hydro RESERVE Fund ceased to be considered RESERVED,

Anonymous said...

Excuse me, please. Who is Mr Albino and how long has he lived in Aurora? I ask because members of the Historical Society have a history, no pun intended, of coming and going, leaving messes in their wake.

Anonymous said...

8:01 Has a point. What do we know about the current board at the society? Evelyn, any scoop?