Rumours Are Flying

Heard this morning, Councillor MacEachern is planning to register as a Mayoralty candidate on the last day .

Of course , we know rumor is just that. Some people delight in planting rumors.

Bobbie(Buchanan) and Dickie(Illingworth), little rascals in Lyle Glover's cartoons in The Banner years ago, did it for mischief.

They found merriment in how a planted story grew or changed from the original by the time it got back to them. Then they had to wonder if there was any truth to the story.

But this rumor engages. Registered as a candidate in 2003 ,incumbent Councillor MacEachern withdrew from the race at the last minute.

Councillor West had registered. As I did.

Councillor MacEachern promptly withdrew. She publicly stated she would rather spend time with her children than sit on a Council with the candidates who had just registered.

It was weird on two scores. It anticipated voters' choice and trashed it the same time.

What candidate in a democratic election, contemplates asking to be the voters' choice and at the same time trashes other potential choices.

Well.....they do.

I was offended.

Councillor MacEachern pursued her hostility. One of her last acts was to demand a re-count of the votes. She had expressed a lack of confidence in the machines recommended by the elections officer previously.

But first, she asked the runner-up to request a re-count.

I was less than a hundred votes ahead . After the re-count, it was still the same.

The runner-up had declared himself content with the voters' decision and privately added he had no stomach to serve on the next council.

Ms Morris had been re-elected with a favourable vote.The runner-up had served with her on a previous Council.

He graciously took his leave.

It was odd . I had not been on Council for fourteen years.

I was barely aware of the controversy over the Ann Bartley Smith lands, transferred to Heritage Trust in exchange for full assessed value in provincial tax relief.

I'm not absolutely sure how those deals go down.I know an appraisal is obtained.

I contacted an official of Heritage Trust by e-mail recently to discover the value of the exchange for the Ann Bartley Smith lands. She responded the Trust was negotiating a contract with the town, so she couldn't say.

Isn't that interesting?

Our deal with the trust is ,we take financial responsibility and liability for maintaining the land while having no authority whatsoever of how it will be used. Or that it can be used for any significant purpose.

The controversial arrangement of years ago was twenty acres of pre-serviced land with a development designation would be sold by the Trust , in return for which the Town would receive outright ownership, no strings attached, of the remaining acreage.

Councillor MacEachern lived on a street that would be completed as planned before the "gift" to Heritage Trust. The serviced area was proposed to be sold for development.

Sue Walmer and Guy Poppe lived on two acre estates with a marvelous view of the rolling hills of unspoiled lands.

With Ms.MacEachern in the lead. they formed an organisation and named it S.W.A.T. They battled the idea of twenty acres of land to be developed to a stand-still.

Now a Councillor, Ms MacEachern recently declared a Conflict of Interest when the maintenance contract was being discussed. Because of " previous involvement".

Accusations of skull-duggery galore were hurled at Council and the Heritage Trust during the battle.

They sounded highly unlikely but that's how it goes in politics. You have to take the bad with the good. John West and the others had weathered storms before.

I was going back and forth to Scotland at the time .My mother's long life was coming to an end.

So MacEachern's hostility when I registered as a candidate, was puzzling but not disturbing.

When a person appears to be steeped in spite, I think that's their burden to bear.

The rest of the story has been played out on the public stage over the past four years. Whatever it is that drives them , from my perspective, it is not the community's well-being.

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

I heard another rumor. A follower of the St.Kitts woman is rumoured to be contemplating candidacy .

The Mayor was overheard advising against.

Tis said,she said; " I advise against it. You are better off as an appointee"

Supposing it's true. The woman is a supporter of the St Kitts. woman. Why would the Mayor discourage her candidacy?

Maybe the Mayor's slate is full. And all that remains is to discourage anyone who might siphon votes away.

Anyone has a right to organize and run in a slate of candidates. There's no rule against it.I personally like to maintain my options .

But I think, especially after our current experience, slate candidates should be open about their intentions. They shouldn't be sneaky or ashamed to admit they don't think they can get elected, if they only have themselves to offer.

After all, voters have a right to know what they are voting for ....

Right!!! Yea Right!!!!.. Absolutely ....

Like they did last time.