"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 23 October 2014

The Ostrich Syndrome

AAnonymous has left a new comment on your post "Dirty Tricks Again": 

21:01 – Have trust in Evelyn. She is wiser than most.
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 22 October 2014 21:

Anonymous  has left a new comment on your post "Dirty Tricks Again":

21:01
Ditto that. She is not going to allow herself to  dragged  into what could be potentially dangerous..

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 23 October 2014

*********************


I don't know about being  wise ............well yes.....thank you 

But the  point about posting both comments is not about being wise or about not 
 letting myself be dragged into potentially dangerous situations. 

There is nothing potentially dangerous about maintaining civility at a Council table. Quite the opposite. Civility is unassailable. 
  I have sat at the table ,in civility ,with Councillors Gaertner and Gallo  for  four years because that's what voters decided in the last election. It is what they expect. 

A  relationship between Councillors can be personal. It's not required. An elected Council is not a friendship circle. Factions are an impediment to clear and distinct decisions. 

Civility is paramount . Each has been elected. Each for the same purpose. To work together in  the  best interest of the people we  jointly serve.. In accordance with what each perceives the best interest to be. 

It is simply stated. Not so simply understood. Nor easily achieved. 

It can be learned. Once learned it can't be unlearned. 

But it is also intuitive.  Outside of politics,the people understand it. 

Last night, I received a phone call from candidate Linda Stephens. She had already phoned the police and Brock Weir,editor of The Auroran in a desperate search for means  to disassociate from an anonymous leaflet circulated yesterday. 

Her name was listed  as part of a slate headed by the Last of The Mormackians. 

Chances are slight the slate was composed without approval of the two heading the list.

So ....while no-one is identified as responsible, I believe we can be assured of at least two who approved that ad. 

And perhaps one other.

The ostrich  is proverbial. When threatened , he hides his head in the sand and thinks no-one sees him.  With brilliant plumes  and completely exposed  rear raised to the elements ,he thinks he is hidden from view.

Whence comes the term bird-brain.

Candidates have been receiving lists of voters at the end of each day of advanced polls. Many,many people have voted already. For them, the decision is already made.

But Election Day is still the final tally.

We shall see what we shall see.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

The disassociation has been total - no one admits having anything to do with that list. It just wrote itself ?
As for me, I scanned it and was grateful not to have voted for any of those listed on it. One person had originally been on my list.

Anonymous said...

Why would candidates receive a list of those that voted in the advance polls? I see no value in that.

Is it the intent to strike them off the target list for the last push of campaigning?

Had I voted in the advance, would that mean that I would not get Gallo's scary calls anymore?

Anonymous said...

I think the tech guys will sort this one out & locate the source.

Anonymous said...

During an election all candidates need to be aware that these types of leaflets can potentially pop up. They have been proven to work; they wouldn't have spent the time and money in printing and distributing them if it didn't work. It happens federally, provincially and in every municipality. There are newspapers that say they don’t endorse candidates just because they don’t print their names, but we all know who they do and don’t endorse just by reading their editorials. Facebook pages, that pop up anonymously for or against a candidate. The twitter world is going crazy with all sorts of cut-throat tweets, nasty name calling and twists of truths. People talk about the electorate being smarter than that. Wrong! Look at the Liberal provincial government, back in power with a majority. Go figure that one out. Yup, unfortunately all that nastiness works.

Anonymous said...

12:39
My information may be dated.
When I worked on a campaign in Albion, candidates received notices of who had voted in the advance polls. I also got phone calls on election day, during the day, about who had not yet voted, I think the idea was you should phone & prod them to vote or offer transit. ( didn't do either }

Anonymous said...

For those with a sophisticated plan and enough volunteers the whole goal be in local municipal, party provincial or federal is getting the vote out. If a candidate can identify pre-election who is supporting them from the voter's list then the goal is to ensure that they at least get those voters out to the polls and knowing who has already advance voted checks them off the list.

Anonymous said...

The Auroran is covering the protestations of innocence.

Anonymous said...

Someone has hired a lawyer
Back to the bad old days

Anonymous said...

Christopher

Anonymous said...

The leaflet is not the only thing skewed. Check out the poll numbers in the Auroran. There is an outfit you can pay to influence votes. Doesn't cost much either.

Anonymous said...


Has anyone noticed the polling numbers for mayor in this week's Auroran?

The percentages seem to have switched, within a couple of points.

I doubt if in all of polling history such a magnitude of change has ever happened.

It makes one suspect dirty tricks, although such a dramatic number tends to imply stupidity, which has been a constant to date.

Anonymous said...

I received the Sport Aurora magazine in the Auroran this week. I am offended by this publication in a number of ways.

1. By having Downey write a page, it appears that this is a Town puplication.

2. This particular edition talks about councillors that have "sport" in mind. It does not go out to endorse anyone, but there are a number of ads by candidates in it too, so you can figure out who is who.

Anonymous said...

17:03
Most made like Lady Macbeth

Anonymous said...

Only 3 & 1/2 days until one can speak or write without jeopardizing a candidate.

Anonymous said...

Election topic - Mavrinac Park

I am not trying to drag this up again - but just this week I was driving south on Mavrinac past the empty lot area of "controversy" and I turned west on Borealis and went by Hickson Park. It clearly struck me that these 2 areas are very close together. Taking a look on Google Maps and using its directions tool for walking I found that no where in that area (and for that matter in the whole of 2B) is any house further than a 10 minute walk to either the existing Hickson Park or north of it on Hartwell Way, the Ada Johnson Park. I also noted looking at the rest of Aurora that this kind of distance and walk is the norm and in fact many residents would have to walk further to get to a town park.

I know that one of the local residents' arguments is that the developer's misled them in their purchase of there being a school or park in that location and that they may have other arguments about green space, trees, traffic, etc.. But while putting a park in at Mavrinac would be great for the locals (and puts a park on their doorstep), IMHO, I can't see how it can be justified financially - it is not as if the area is under-serviced for parks or that the parks are anyway inferior to others around town. Also the Ada Johnson & Hickson Parks are amongst the better equipped parks in Aurora. According to the Town of Aurora website, the Ada Johnson park having basketball, fitness circuit, playground, splash pad, soccer & shade structure and the Hickson Park has basketball, bmx/skateboard, playground, soccer and shade structures.

I do hope this issue is not going to cost the Town any more money to fight or defend with the next Council though that is highly unlikely.

Anonymous said...


The polling numbers in last week's Auroran, for Mayor are:

Incumbent 931 64%

Challenger 515 36%

In this week's Auroran the numbers are:

Incumbent 1,197 38%

Challenger 1,915 62%

A complete statistical reversal when looking at percentages.

Votes the past week:

Incumbent 266

Challenger 1,400

Something is rotten not only in Denmark but also in Aurora.

Anonymous said...

I have not heard a thing about the two questions on the ballot. Does that have any significance ? I'm wondering if some voters do not even finish their ballots off after voting.

Anonymous said...

9:56
Duly noted. It is a red herring dragged in for the election. They have no lack of park space - just do not want housing.

Anonymous said...

10:39, we already know that you don't have to be a resident of Aurora to vote in the poll. I think the challenger has a very supportive extended family; one that resides elsewhere.

Regardless, there has obviously been an organized, concerted effort made to reverse the numbers. They're trying to change the momentum - the whole 'perception is reality' thing.

Anonymous said...

10:39

The "poll" on The Auroran is flawed for many reasons.

You can vote multiple times, you can be outside the electorate (geographically or by age), etc. So, I put no stock in Mr Weir's little rag's poll.

In fact, I don't put much stock in the paper as a whole. It's editorial slant is becoming more obvious every week.

It is not a fair and balanced source. And it really does not give me any more information on the issues of the Town.

Anonymous said...

13:16 What a meow !
If you prefer the Banner, by all means read it.

Anonymous said...

And what would that "editorial slant" be, 13:16?

BTW, wasn't it the MorMac faction that used to refer to the Auroran as a "rag"?

Anonymous said...



I can think of any number of people who could have signed in at 13:16, and they are all flawed.

Anonymous said...

Was there one poll that predicted a Liberal majority? and look what we ended up with.

Anonymous said...

18:27
Did I miss something ? I did not know that the Auroran has " predicted " anything. They have a poll- period.

Anonymous said...


18:45

Very observant.

Anonymous said...

Gustavus arafichief rectsdtDispatchersFreedom comes at a heavy price, as we have seen this week.

But freedom implies risk, and we should be ever vigilant.

Ultimately it is those we elect who hold the responsibility for both our freedom and the risk.

At whatever level they serve, these two things should always be foremost in their minds.

Anonymous said...

One candidate keeps denying any connection to leaflet. He does so by continuing to post it. Again and again.

Anonymous said...

The Auroran has an update on that campaign flyer.

Anonymous said...

@09:07

Like who's behind it?