"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 11 November 2010

A New Beginning

As this term of office comes to an end,I leave it behind without regrets. 

On the one hand, I missed the satisfaction that comes from working together and accomplishing good things for the community. On the other, I had complete freedom of  posting  how things were going from my perspective.

I  never enjoyed  that facility before the Blog.

Had there been a  mutually satisfactory  Council working relationship  to nurture, a degree of  discipline would have been required . Since there wasn't and  I was constantly placed in the situation of having to defend myself ...well... that  provided a free-for-all  environment not customary in politics or any other professional relationship.

There was  an  element  of conflict.  I  decided not  to provide space in my blog for  enemies to abuse me.  I was not so much inclined to protect them. Though I did sometimes and  my conscience is  clear,.   They  generated adversity by  their own activities. I was simply "the channeler"

I am hopeful of a good working relationship with our  new Mayor and Council. Civil interaction is always more dignified and agreeable. I  enjoy the give and take of  ideas at Council meetings and the opportunity to have input on decisions.  I  really  missed that in the last two terms of Council.

So, we start anew.  There's  a chance for a fresh  beginning. Part will be discipline. Withholding the obvious. Exercising restraint. Biting my tongue. Discretion the better part of valour and all that jazz.

You will know it when you see it and recognise it for what it is.

It will last as long as it is productive which I hope will be the entire four years

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah Evelyn so very well put, and even more relevant that you qualified the problem terms being the previous two , Anyone who actually watched the proceedings closely over these dysfunctional years of Council knew very well the main source of dysfunction, So sad that it took 7 years and squandered tax dollars to rid the Chambers of the Terrible Twins and Co. In all likelihood The real magnitude of this dysfunction is soon to be rolled out,

Anonymous said...

Hopefully there will be some sort of investigation into how some tax money was spent..

The Farmers Market,Cultural Center/missing museum,and others require looking into.

Anonymous said...

Hey anonymous.

Was it Phyllis' fault when Tim had to throw Evelyn out of council chambers?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 7:52 AM

You know it wasn't, it was over an issue she had with Ron Wallace, something to do with a newspaper. Lol.

Let's see what the new Mayor uncovers when he looks into consultant fees, legal expenses and the like from the last four years before adding another layer to Phyllis's pedestal though.

Anonymous said...

Since moving here in 2004, I only renewed my lifelong interest in politics after the last election. I started to attend and/or watch council meetings on a regular basis. At first I found them rather "Pythonesque" but then noted the underlying motives and agendas and farcical humour became disgust.
My husband had watched council meetings during our first 2 years in town (2004 - 2006) and often commented on how dysfunctional the proceedings were especially on the part of a councillor Morris. I really didn't take any notice at that time. Now I realize that, while our ex-mayor has been trying to convince us of how functional and productive this council has been and that it has been marred by one disruptive member, it is Ms. Morris who simply prolonged her obnoxiously disruptive and subversive MOD from councillor to mayor's position.
Such a shame that she has no insight into the part that she has played in the fiasco that is the last 4 years. I think the same goes for Ms. Maceachren too.