The rationale eventually provided for creating an address out of a parking lot entrance in order to remove John West's name from the town's stationery was that it was an unfair advantage for a candidate to have a street named after him. It was worth thousands of dollars in free advertising.
Now fast forward to the beginning of this term:
One of the first disputes with former CAO John Rogers, was the meaning of " Corporate Communications".
Kristen Yemm, the manager of the operation presented an Annual Report to Council. There was hostile interrogation from the Mayor and Councillor MacEachern about the meaning of the word "Corporate".
It might have been the first time I raised my voice in this term. I find it difficult to accept that a person ,who must at all times maintain a respectful demeanour towards elected officials, should be mercilessly skewered by said officials in a public meeting for merely providing a professional
report.
Mr. Rogers explained the Corporate Communications Division informs the public of Corporate matters.. Once a decision is made by Council, it becomes the responsibility of the administration to follow through. It becomes "corporate".
The answer did not sit well. The Communication Division was too valuable a promotional opportunity to be left to the Corporation.
From that point on, there has never been a media release put out by the communications division which has not contained a reference to a comment from Mayor Phyllis Morris however weirdly it fits.
So much for the idea a candidate should not benefit from frequent display of their name on Corporate stationery.
It's pretty convenient also when an incumbent can call up the Fire Chief and order a fire truck be made available at the Town Hall for a photo opportunity with the Mayor to announce an "online" Sally Ann Christmas Kettle Drive.
I think there's a price tag for a fire truck leaving a fire hall.
There's also a rule that no elected official shall direct an employee.
It's in the Code of Conduct.
Who has the whatsits to call Phyllis on this?
ReplyDeleteSeems the Code of Conduct is only supposed to apply to you, Councillor Buck.
This is an example of how Mayor Morris' arrogance can get the better of her.
The people can see right through her.
A simple abuse of power by Morris, the self-perceived Sovereign of Aurora.
ReplyDeleteTo echoe Calling for an Audit, what can be done under the Municipal Act to call Mayor Morris on these issues?
ReplyDeleteShe just seems to go full steam ahead on any whim with little regard for cost to the town.
The town can't afford one more year of this ridiculous Mayor.
Early in the term, before I got wise to the manipulation, I innocently attended one of these orchestrated photo ops. It was for litter clean up day. Morris pulled staff from parks, works, communtications and fire, all with their trucks for the photo op. We all stood around wasting time until the real stars showed up - the EAC group, Walmer et al. Hundreds of dollars of staff time and resourses wasted in the middle of the work day. Took me a while longer to wake up, but I eventually did and stopped going.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight, Grace.
ReplyDeleteI sure wish you were still on council.
How does the average citizen call Morris on this?
Staff can't say anything without risking the wrath of Phyllis. I don't wish that upon anyone.
Whats amazing in all this, is the fact residents are finally waking up to the antics of Ms. Morris. Prior to being Mayor, she was a shameless self promoter who did all she could to get her name out there.For years under Tim Jones she was always the contrarian, voting against Jones and being the royal pain she now accuses Allison MC and Evelyn B. of being. As councillor she would not stand for these shameless photo ops nad would take Tim Jones to task.the warning signs were always there.It just took residents a few years longer and a election to figure this one out.
ReplyDeleteI was one of those people who were duped by Phyllis Morris. I realized too late that she is not a "real" person. Nothing she does is about the betterment of the town. Every move she makes is calculated to benefit her own profile and ambition. She is wholly political and essentially a mean-spirited and conniving bully. She is not particularly clever, but she thinks she appears to be. She gives politicians a bad name.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain what a fire truck has to do with the Salvation Army Kettle Drive anyway? Was it just that Phyllis fancied having a red background that day?
ReplyDeleteI think that all comments on all posts and blogs lately confirm very well that hypocrisy not integrity is the driving force of how town business is conducted now.
ReplyDelete