Clues Continue To Mount .

Sometimes I sit and Think.  Sometimes I just sit.

It was the caption  under the picture of a  small white terrier on a calender in my grandmother's kitchen,  a long, long time ago.

I tend not to suffer from anxiety. A lawyer told me once, if you get angry,the other side wins. Even in the last term of council, I didn't  try  to keep up with what the dreadful duo might be planning against me. I figured I would be able to deal with it no matter what. They were not that smart.

The  twins were  always  scurrying about plotting strategy. They were so transparent, they didn't have a Hope in Hades of convincing the sensible that I was the villain and they were the teflon girls.  That's how they came to spend  $126 Ks of public money on legal fees. They had previously retained an Integrity Commissioner to  make something stick. Even that didn't work.

Then another  integrity commissioner heard a complaint on a matter which was already  before the courts but his decision barely made a ripple. Though it cost the taxpayers $40Ks.

Finally a probationary employee was persuaded to file a complaint under the Code of Conduct and when that proved  to be out of time,  a complaint of harassment was processed by the CFO who is also the Human Resources Manager.

Now the Dreadful Duo are gone.  But not quite it seems.

The first person I ever heard complain about  "integrity being impugned" was Ms Morris It sounded like something out of  A Pink Panther movie. A  hilarious scene where Peter Sellars was at a  hotel registration desk asking  "Do You Have Ay Wrooom"   The twisted pronunciation of  words is classic British farce. It  never fails to entertain.

I hear the erstwhile probationary employee continues to be pestered to pursue the cause by the former Mayor. 

I do begin to notice  little things.  I  post  a blog....in the time it takes to move from  blog to  inbox ,  a snarly comment is waiting for me from the rear end of the donkey duo. It means of course a continued obsessive pre-occupation with the blog.

Two  weeks ago,  colleagues asked about the status of my law suit. I responded it was moving along. "That explains it"  they said.  They had noticed certain behaviour at the council table

The schedule of dates is  set for examinations for discovery.
 
Now we have this foo-fer-a  about my determined challenge to the administration's methodology of calculating water rates. It's the second year of large increases.It was twelve per cent in 2010. This year.almost as much , to a total of almost twenty- three per cent in two years.

The argument hasn't changed but the Council is new. The idea of  collecting a million dollars from water rates to make the  tax bill look  3.5%  better   may not have the same appeal.

The Chief Financial Officer's interruption of the Council debate  with a complaint about integrity being impugned had the effect of  sending the debate off the rails without  logical conclusion.

But it's not done yet.

On Tuesday at 4.P.M..Council met for a discussion on the Procedure Bylaw. It was a public meeting. Press were in attendance. None of the directors who followed the Chief Financial Officer  from the Council chambers the week before. No cameras. No audience at home.

The CFO was present. The Mayor indicated a memorandum to be presented to Council. The CFO  read as follows;

"Mayor Dawe. as you know I have many hats to wear here at the Town . Among those many hats, as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, I have a duty to serve Council with the utmost respect.As the Human Resources Director. I am also charged with guarding the dignity and rights of all staff.

Last Tuesday, I may have acted too hastily or could have chosen a different approach to address my concerns when those concerns got personal. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. For that, Mr. Mayor, I apologise  to you, this council, the CAO and the community which I strive to serve diligently".

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There's always something new happening in  town business. The CFO's interruption of a debate with complaint  against a councillor was a first .The meeting was disrupted. Discussion went off the rails.

The CFO's verbal  apology for his conduct   a week later was also a first.

I asked for a hard copy.

It's in the form of a memorandum to the Mayor with a copy to the CAO.. It was verbally presented  on June 14th  It is dated June 17th. It refers to the Meeting of June 7th.

Minutes of the Council meeting of June 7th contain no record of the episode.

Minutes of the General Committee meeting of June 14th contain no record of an apology directed  to the Mayor,the Chief Administrative Officer and  Council.

There was no apology to the person accused.  Moi .