Read This ....Twice

Section 70 (4) 3 of the Municipal Elections Act expressly prohibits municipalities from contributing to campaigns. Contributions include not only money but goods and services as well. Many municipalities are taking the high road and have policies prohibiting or have advised their members of council not to use town issued equipment such as telephones/blackberries, voice mail and email for campaign related activities as it could be seen as a municipal contribution. The question to be asked then around this public relations campaign is, has a targeted effort such as this one occurred before (ie. in non election years)?

If it is a one off that just happens to be occurring right before an election then you have to wonder. I can't believe that some staff would jeopardize their positions and their professional integrity by using town resources (and our dime!) to get a member of council re-elected not even to mention putting the Town in possible contravention of the Act.

A seasoned public servant knows to do their job without fear or favour. In this case, I would suggest that they not put all their eggs in one basket - word on the street has it that this mayor is on her way out.

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Thank You for this comment.

One has to be closer to the scene I guess to understand how much harm has been done during this term.

Except for three,I believe staff who had a good grasp of the separation of authority between Council and administration, are no longer with us.

Except for one, I believe those who took their place have never been under any illusion about what is expected of them from the Town's Mayor.

With A Mayor who does exactly as she chooses, because of five constant votes under her control, there was never a possibility of rules or policies being understood, let alone observed and respected.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have flooded from the treasury to ensure the votes will be there for her at election time.

The list is endless. I believe consultants and lawyers are instructed by the Mayor to give to Council the only advice she intends Council to receive.

Staff reports have dwindled as decisions are made without Council authority and therefore without input from the elected body.

If a specific Councillor had questions, department staff were instructed to defer to department heads.

Public records on such matters as expenditures for external legal retainers, was refused to be divulged.

In camera meetings were convened to hatch plots to settle political scores with a minimum of a hundred thousand dollars utilized to that end.

And that does not include funds spent on two lawyers at the outset of the term designed to destroy the reputation of the former Mayor and political rival .

All under the cloak of A Code of Righteous Conduct and its attendant sham.

When this election is over, the task that awaits the new Council is staggering in its enormity and complexity.

To the knowledgeable person who contributed the comment above,who knows how the corporation should function, you cannot begin to imagine the damage that awaits repair.

It won't happen quickly. It will take an abundance of intellect, integrity and above all a strong sense of fairness.