"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 20 October 2012

Yes,You Can Have a Say

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "About Repeating Facts":

It must be very frustrating to try & talk sense to those who will not/ can not listen. Every since the Mayor was quoted in the Auroran stating that he had ignored advice from the Town's lawyer and would do so again, that deal has been tainted. I know nothing whatever about all the municipal rules that are in play here, nor whether there has been any impropriety. But it sure looks very ugly.

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As frustrating as it is, I have to tell you it is far better than it was in the previous term.
Councillors do want to do things right.
They are getting different signals. 
In February, a motion was put forward for notice of termination 
of a bad agreement with the Culture Centre Board
Support for the motion was clear and  well articulated around the table.  
But when it came time for the vote, the Mayor paused. The  motion was amended.
What was intended was scuttled. 
Eight months later, revised  draft agreement was presented to Council in committeeprepared  by an ad hoc committee of staff and board representatives. 
It appears to be new and  improved. 
It will not happen until January 2014.
It is status quo. 
In 2011, frustrated in my efforts to have the current agreement scrapped, I moved the town solicitor review the agreement and report to Council any shortcomings.
The Mayor demurred. Thought the solicitor had too much work to do. 
Council concurred.  A report was submitted, revealing substantial shortcomings. Public interest was not represented
Change was recommended.
As noted, in  February of 2012. a motion was brought forward  to give 12 months notice to terminate  the agreement.
As noted, it was sabotaged. The Mayor failed to call the question and eventually an amendment was approved that changed the  direction.
Last week Council received  a  revised draft agreement,
The  Solicitor's Report on the current agreement and other relevant documentation is  attached. 
Access to the material  gives any sensible resident  a full understanding of what Council must decide,
If the town's web site and communication division has a purpose, I  think it should be to ensure public  access to all  relevant documents.
I'm not sure that's the case. 
I do believe the library has a copy of the full agenda for last Tuesday.
I believe also,  residents can  help Council  make the decision  by being aware and  providing informed input.              

3 comments:

Anonymous said...


I should hope to hell that it is "new and improved" after screwing around with all sorts of dumb ideas and concepts concerning town representation on the Board complete with potential conflict of interest allegations, not to speak of the actual contents.

You recently mentioned this new agreement is 73 pages in length. Is this correct?

I don't understand why the "new" agreement couldn't replace the "old" agreement until 2014. Now we are stuck with a bad agreement for another year.

Staff and Council obviously are incapable of managing much of the town's business, in this case a half a million dollar giveaway, most of which is opaque lacks accountability.

Shame!

It will be interesting to see the public's response when it finally has access to this new document.

Anonymous said...

Reading Christopher's work make me want to howl because of all that has been wrongly done. But the basic objection of residents boils down to more useless expense on an old, lousy contract when the economy is clearly headed downhill. Our ivory-tower Council wants to continue the same old way when the Province has drastically cut spending on the homeless. Screwed-up priorities have no place here.

Anonymous said...

" They laboured mightily and brought forth a mouse. "