I Just Can't believe It Happened

The delegation was listed on the agenda . The reason was noted. It was a request for the user fees to be waived for the bandshell for two days.

Then she came forward at public forum and said she wasn't feeling well. She would not follow through with her request for delegation status.

She never raised her eyes. She looked down and sideways throughout.

I concluded she lost the nerve to make the request.

How wrong I was . A hand-out of $2,000 from the Town had already been provided.More than enough to cover band shell and park user fees. No wonder the request was withdrawn.

It's not even an Aurora business. Pays no taxes here.

The Culture Centre provided free use of that facility as well.

But what I can't get past , staff gave her that money while Council was neither consulted nor informed.

I hate to think some members of Council may have known and others not.

I do not doubt the Mayor's approval was sought.

The significance of it blows my mind.

How many other hand-outs of public money have there been, we don't know about?

There's another possibility. The Chairman of the Economic Development Committee isn't even a Councillor. Did he authorize it ?

A few weeks ago, a staff person indicated concern about staff having to take direction from advisory committee members. I didn't ask for details.It wasn't a new complaint. Has it become a new area of concern?

Has it happened before? Chris Ballard is chairman of that committee. He is also a candidate for Council. Has he directed staff to pay out funds to anybody and everybody?I don't know how he could...I don't know why he would. He would have to be out of his mind.

These are serious questions that need answers. The Berlin wall between Mayor Morris and her majority of votes, is not likely to allow answers. We don't even have the opportunity to ask until the third week of August.

There's also the business of a town facility, managed by a "board" with half a million dollars of taxpayers money, providing free use of the facility to a commercial operation which is not even an Aurora business.

No other facility owned by the town provides free use. Everybody pays a user fee.

A small school parent group asked for a waiver of an $85. fee for the use of picnic tables and garbage bins and clean up of the park before and after a small anniversary celebration.

They were refused.

Nowhere that I know, is there a record of Council direction to pay that money out of public funds.

It has apparently been categorized as similar to Chamber of Commerce Awards.

We have had our say about that in the public domain.

Though not lately come to think of it.

Was that fixed so there wouldn't be any controversy about those awards, thereby allowing other hand-outs to slip under the radar?

But it hasn't, has it?

Oh My God!!!! Wait until Michael Evans hears about this !!!!

I just thought about something. Last year, days earlier than this, the Mayor was out of the country. An almighty effort was being made to get the Mascarin complaint against me filed with the Integrity Commissioner before she returned.

If she had succeeded, it would have been done during Councillor McRobert's watch.

Instead, it was repudiated by Councillor McRoberts and Councillor Collins Mrakas.