"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

Wednesday 16 March 2011

What Was The Deal?

That was quite the flurry of comments about the  hydro building lease.  Councillor Ballard's involvement with  Queen's York Rangers  was unexpected.

The understanding the building had been sitting empty and idle for four years was also a surprise. Especially since it certainly was not.

The building has been in use ever  since Powerstream left.

There was reference to all the revenue coming in.

Rent  started in February. Council was informed about the lease out of the blue, in September/October.

Town money has been spent on the building since.  No authorisation was sought from Council .How could that happen? Where did the money come from? How much has been spent? What secret stash exists that doesn't need Council approval?

Why do you  want to see the lease,someone asks. So that you can skew the facts, she answers.

That's an interesting observation. If the deal is as  fantastic as the former Mayor proclaimed it to be,  how could it be twisted to reflect something else?

If  it is a public document, and I contend it is, how can it be misrepresented?

Why do I need to be a real estate lawyer or a forensic auditor to understand a landlord/ tenant lease? What can be so complicated?  What it is that needs to be kept secret?

Yes indeed. An interesting reaction.  One might even say  panic in some quarters.

Why would our erstwhile open and transparent administration consider it appropriate  to sign away a lease on a property of considerable value either as a sale, or for  town use, to another government  institution which  requires details of the deal to be kept secret from the  public owners of a public  property?

Does anybody else notice a powerful aroma?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it possible that it is confidential because it is a military contract (of sorts)?

More Questions than Answers said...

it’s about time this issue got to the front burner. Even more so when you say that there is a space issue and the bureaucrats are looking for big bucks to build another municipal yard, who is running this show? how can an error of this magnitude have occurred ? or even more bizarre, how can a person that we elected to mind the mint not be entitled to view a legal agreement or better yet, have read it before you agreed to it.