"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 13 April 2013

Mea Culpa Mea Culpa

I have a confession.I have examined my conscience carefully. There can be no other conclusion. I am an agist. Councillor Gallo has helped me to see the error of my way. At Tuesday's Council meeting,I was arguing against referring to staff,a real estate boondoggle scheme to separate the municipality from millions of dollars of Hydro Reserve money. Why would a staff member have better judgement than an elected member. I chose my words. I did not use the word "boondoggle". Nevertheless, Councillor Gallo,interrupted on a point of order. It's a pattern. He disagrees with my argument and recognizes no rule that compels him to present a reasoned argument in response. Like a small child, he simply interrupts. He is the arbiter of language. Under the rules, a point of order is required to be stated clearly and succinctly and await the ruling of the chair. But Councillor Gallo likes to ramble. He states his enjoyment in listening to me "talk". Then invariably, he references the patience he exercises in listening. Hw gives no hint of understanding the difference between formal debate and social conversation. It's always at that point,in my mind,I fall into the error of bias. I look at the Councillor and listen while he speaks. He has four years experience under his belt. He indicates post-secondary education at York University. Yet progress as a Councillor has been minimal. He no more understands the difference between casual conversation and formal debate now than he did initially. If competence is not there to grasp the logic of simple rules of procedure, how much judgement may we expect on serious matters. His contribution,like most around the table, is a serious of halting, hesitant questions of staff and obvious difficulty comprehending answers. Years of discipline mostly prohibits me from revealing my thoughts,exploding in frustration and crying out to All the Saints in Heaven to preserve us. The rules do not permit Councillors to criticize one another. So I don't. I think... Oh My Lord!!! What has Aurora done to deserve this ? Then I rationalize the lack of knowledge and judgement with the lack of life experience. There it is. In a word, I am an agist. Mea Culpa!!!!!Mea Culpa !!!!!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...


Evelyn:

Keep right on being who and what you are.

Yours is the Platinum Standard.

The others can make do with that scummy golden one.

Anonymous said...

Nope. That's not it. Because Councillor Pirri the youngest has clearly got a handle on the rules of engagement. So that fault cannot be laid at your feet if Councillor Gallo has failed to figure out what is going on around the table. It's not as if the Mayor is setting the pace.

Anonymous said...

Grace Marsh once commented about several councillors driving some distance over a couple of weekends in order to attend classes on The Procedural Bylaws. Have any councillors currently in office done the same thing or are such courses still available ? It would seem a reasonable thing to do. I'm not seeing much evidence of development except perhaps in Councillor Pirri.

Anonymous said...

He does seem to get the idea better than Councillor Gaertner. And Councillor Gaertner has been on council a lot longer than Councillor Gallo has.

But both have a lot to learn and could learn a thing or two from both Councillor Pirri, Councillor Thompson, Councillor Abel and yourself.

Anonymous said...

There was no need for the majority on the last Council to study the rules because they were above such things. And Councillor Gallo joined the conga line late so he just watched how the others reacted. We should consider ourselves fortunate that he did not imitate Councillor Wilson's wild paper flapping and chair tilting antics. It is enough to just watch the various permutations of his coiffure.

Anonymous said...

Why do we never mention Councillor Humfryes? Have we written her off with Councillor Gaertner as being past their learning curves ? I simply can't figure her out at all.

Anonymous said...

It is a very quiet day. Perhaps it might be fun to try & cast our councillors from Dickens? His women seldom amount to anything but I seem to see Uriah Heap when Councillor Ballard folds his paws complacently & pontificates. Any takers on the others? Or someone else for that part?

Anonymous said...

6:37 PM I assume your spelling is deliberate to lure in our Must-Be-Perfect critic. But ROFLAO !!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Whatever, 6:37 PM. What are you on?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said... April 13, 2013 at 4:14 PM

Why do we never mention Councillor Humfryes?

Because she is a 'thank you' lady at the table.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how this fits into the topic....

To agist is, in English law, to take cattle to graze, in exchange for payment.