"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

Thursday 24 July 2014

STUFF. HAPPENS

Staff received an e-mail this morning that Councillor Gallo will  not be able to attend the meeting on July 29th. The possibility was previously indicated.

 Councillor Gaertner has indicated difficulty with timing of the meeting.

Night before last I had a fall. My tailbone took a hit and moving about is proving difficult and more than a little painful.

I am hoping  a week will make  a difference  and I can attend.the meeting . But  sitting from three in the afternoon until eleven o'clock   or  possibly later,  presents a challenge.

Despite my total opposition to the process , the person  who should occupy the seat is entitled to  my vote.   I will do my best.

I have  notified the town of  my  situation.

If I can't make it  the  meeting could proceed with a quorum.

Regulations provide  until August 23rd  to make the appointment.  No indication of dreaded  and heinous punishment if it's not made by that date. But there is no imperative to make it on July 29th.

On September 12th, everybody  becomes a candidate,including the group electing to elect a single candidate to occupy a single seat for a matter of hours of town business.

Eighteen  people have been  certified as  candidates for the vacancy.

Two are electing not to participate in the  hokey process. My word not theirs.

Fourteen will attend.  Anticipating a fair  and impartial hearing.

Some may  take a day off  work. Perhaps forfeit a day's pay. The chosen one will be more than compensated.

If three Councillors  are absent, five will make the decision.

What if the choice is the one I speculated it would be.?

What are people supposed to make of that?



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry about your tumble. Feel free to sit that meeting out - if you can sit comfortably at home.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't matter Evelyn. Stay home comfortably. The appointment has been decided already.

Anonymous said...


You state in a following post that in July and August council is in recess. I would suggest that council is in recess for the better part of each year based on what has been accomplished by it during this term.

I don't know the reason for Gallo's inability to attend nor Gaertner's difficulty with timing.

While this current process of selecting a seat-stuffer is ridiculous in the extreme, what if the vacancy covered a period of 15 months instead of 3?

Would a mayoral candidate still plead inability to attend and would an incumbent councillor find the timing a problem?

If you accept the verdict of the voters and you take the Oath of Office you should damn well be in attendance at what is a most unusual, and potentially significant event.