"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

Friday 25 January 2013

ALL POLITCS IS PERSONAL

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Butt Out":

"I am not inclined to stop reminding him of that fact."

But, it's not personal, right?

***********
Let's look at the word and see what  it means. 
I use it in the context of political, rather than  personal..
Both the Mayor and myself are involved in the same political arena. 
The quote above was a response to a position of the Mayor on the
convenience and economy of being able to attend a piano concert   by a world-renowned artist at Church Street School.  
He referred  to a concert he attended by the same artist at the Sony Centre in Toronto recently. Cost of parking  was a concern. .
No doubt the  cost was closer to  $250. than the $30.00  for two  in Aurora with free parking and free refreshments.
That he wouldn't have to spend that kind of money for that kind of entertainment, was his argument for  continuing to support a board of governance for the Church Street School.
I was not persuaded
The Mayor has been consistent in his support for an autonomous board spending taxpayers' money at Church Street School  from the beginning. 
Well not exactly.
He did not make his position clear in his election platform. 
But we now know because he told us, he has attended meetings of the board, by invitation, since these many many months.
Board  President, in answer to my question, said the idea of financial self-sufficiency for the board had never ever been suggested to him.
The parties in consistent communication  with the board,were the Mayor and  CAO. That gives us a sense of where they stood on the issue.
The CAO doesn't live in Aurora. It follows, he does not pay taxes in our town. How much more of a burden taxpayers should bear is not his decision to make. 
I helped Mayor Dawe get elected. I have no regrets
And yet , in more ways than makes me comfortable, similarities between himself  and his predecessor disturb me.
When he gazes calmly and blandly explains he thinks property  taxes should include funding for his personal expensive  taste in entertainment, that's not personal.
It's  political.
When I  tell him, I don't believe you were given that authority  when you were elected without revealing your intention. that's not personal.
That's political.
Damned right.    
        

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also strongly supported the current Mayor and see the comparison to the former.Mr.Dawe is just a puppet of another former.

Anonymous said...

10:40 AM
Sorry, I totally disagree. Geoff Dawe ran because we simply had to clean house. Since election, he has chosen his own path much to the dismay of those who believed his electoral speeches. The thing with a puppet is that you can try to convince those pulling the strings to shift a bit. When you have an individual marching to his own weird drum, that is not possible.
The Mayor is not a puppet of any Aurorans.
Of staff, non-resident staff, perhaps?

Anonymous said...

FORD WINS APPEAL

Anonymous said...

John Mascarin called it wrong - again. Got to get the firm name up there in the papers & it doesn't matter if your predictions all bomb.

Anonymous said...

The Ford verdict was that he did Not have a pecuniary interest. They felt the Integrity advisor erred in ordering him to repay that money.

Anonymous said...

Clayton Ruby is planning to ask the Supreme Court to hear his side of the argument. Lots of luck there, buddy.