I received a comment this morning referring to a position held about committee meetings when I was Mayor thirty-five years ago.
It appeared in a column published by the late Dick Illingworth in 2005 and was sent under cover of Anonymous. I didn't print the comment but I did print a response. It gave me the opportunity to recollect how things were thirty five years ago and how they are today.
It's in my personal Blog and I don't know how to switch it.
Dick Illingworth and I were Councillors together. We did not share the same political philosophy. He was loyal true Blue and Orange Conservative and proud of it. He learned it from his mother when he grew up in the Danforth neighborhood in Toronto during the depression.
He left school at fourteen and went to work in a woollen mill for a weekly pittance. It was the only family income because Dad,like thousands of other Ontario heads of families was out of work.
His political beliefs were honed by hardship. They were strong.
My experience at that age was twelve years after, throughout a war and in an older.different society. . My political background was Labour. My political inclination was just as sharp and strongly honed.
The rivalry between us was real. I had different ideas about what a municipal Council could and should achieve.His were about what they shouldn't.
The differences were clean and clear. They created a healthy tension.
If the clock could be turned back and debate continued, I would not expect his views to change one whit. Nor would mine. He might mutter darkly about my "socialist" backgound being the reason for my wrong thinking. He would be correct about the background. As I would be if I said his Conservative bias was the reason for his.
But we would raise a glass to-gether regularly, toast our differences and come back again together, to enjoin and enjoy the battle on another day hence.
Knowing him as well as I did, I believe today we would be in complete agreement. He would share my concern about the loss of principles and traditions of basic decency which have governed Aurora's politics throughout her history.
Councillor MacEachern has circulated Dick's comment to the candidates in the election. She is looking forward to my response
Her e-mail shows the comment came from aurora.facts @ gmail.com
You made some nice points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found mainly people will consent with your blog.
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