Another Reader Asks

Where else can a non-elected person communicate with solicitors retained by the town?
Well nowhere that I know. In fact, I have never known of council members being free to communicate with solicitors outside of conferences with council and receiving written reports.

I did a survey of York municipalities to determine which Mayors retain solicitors for any purpose, let alone settling political scores.

The answer is...none.

Second question.... What are staff doing?

The best they can .... under extremely difficult circumstances.

The Mayor has complete control over five members of council. That's a majority. That's what's needed to allow this stuff to happen. Sue Walmer helped get them all elected. They can't be allowed to forget that.

They were never allowed to discover the principle of their collective authority. They don't even understand when it's being disrespected.

On Tuesday evening, Council went behind closed doors for a performance review of John Leach.
a completely professional municipal clerk of twenty-five years experience. He has been with the town less than three months.

Purpose of the closed session was stated on the agenda .

An employment probation period in Aurora is six months. I have never heard of a performance review after less than three.

I did not attend. I understand it was what I thought it was.

Mr. Leach is the second clerk to join us since Bob Panizza retired in November 2008. We didn't have one for four months.

Lucille King who had signed a five year contract, submitted three week's notice the day she provided me, as she had to, with the decision of the Integrity Commissioner on the much publicised complaint against me by six members of council.

The Integrity Commissioner was fired within days but not before his decision was made public.

The Solicitor, with all of eight months town service and no experience as clerk, was acting clerk for the time between, while managing his own job as well.

You really have to have a sense of the pivotal role of the clerk in the town's business to understand how utterly ludicrous that was.

Like I said, staff do the best they can under the exigencies of the situation.