"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

Friday 11 February 2011

Confrontational and Lecturing ?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Mid way February .... No Budget Yet":

So what are you saying? The new council doesn't listen to you either?

Perhaps you should look at your style of inter-personal communications. The confrontational or lecturing approach grates on people.

*********

I've considered  that possibility. Then ;  nah ! that's not it. Obviously my style doesn't grate on all of the people.

What kind of  politician is it who needs to be coaxed and cajoled  and pandered to with sweet talk? Not my kind that's for sure.

A couple of weeks ago ,Chris Watts featured  a  Lyle  Glover cartoon. Dressed like Matt Dillon with a long  gun across my arms, I was seated on a treasure chest in the middle of a field. It was the Petlavany property, 14 acres of land owned by the town , sold for $35 k on a promise of four industries  ready to re-locate .

I argued the town's interest was not protected  and the agreement was registered against the title of the land.

Subsequently Councillor James Murray successfully argued it should be removed from the title. Councillors spoke to  a solicitor to be re-assured,  from the phone in the council chamber, during a council meeting.

 The day the town awarded the contract to service the land  at the price we received in the sale, it changed hands for $75K.

It was years before five acres  at  the end of Scanlon Court changed hands again.

The town bought it back and the  works  yard has been in that location ever since. The price paid by the town was never divulged.

I was a brand new Councillor. A lone woman among nine. I claimed no pretensions of any kind. Even the Banner withheld   credibility on the issue.

My quote  at the time; "The town was sold down the river" .

But I gained  a valuable lesson. I learned to trust my own judgment.

I  was right. They were not.

Even after the town was obliged to buy back  land we gave  away for nothing  and allowed someone else to make  better than a hundred per cent profit,  the original bad decision  was never acknowledged.

No-one wrote a letter to the editor to say; "AHA...See...Evelyn was right."

So.... sometimes I   won and sometimes I lost.

Much of the time, the community is  not  well served.

But all of the  time the community is served by  people  chosen in a free election

It's the way it has to be.  I would not have it any other.

I make no complaint.

I certainly make no apology for how I  fulfill  my commitment.

2 comments:

Call it as You see it said...

Councillor you can contiune to lecture and confront on all matters municipal , your brand of politics is sadly lacking in this day and age , It seems the fear of calling a spade a spade has clouded the thinking of far to many polititions and we are paying a kings ransom because of it. No one yet has proven you wrong and its not likely to happen any time soon,

Unknown said...
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