So now everyone can relax.
Well no...we can now turn our thoughts to how this outrageous and severely punitive event came to be. The Morris Defamation Suit was initiated by the Town of Aurora and paid for with town funds.
A decision was made by six individuals, to spend public resources, to take three residents of Aurora to court because one of their number was being criticised by an unknown party .
A solicitor on the town's payroll advised the action was merited.
On no count was that action found by the court to be merited. Quite the opposite.
Two Councillors refused to attend the meeting at which the decision was made because the matter was not the business of council. A third repudiated the decision before it was ratified in Council.
Yet, $65,000. of public resources flowed unchecked out of the public treasury. to pay for it.
No policy was cited. No approval sought for court action to proceed.
No estimate or limit approved to pay for the action
Yet money was spent.
The tap was turned on and not turned off until the new council got into the routine of regular meetings, months after the blighters were defeated in the election.
We are now assured of a policy that never allows such a thing to happen again.
Sorry my friends. Why would you believe that?
In this day and age, why would you accept, there was no purchasing policy in place that should have prevented this from happening?
With an administration that willingly allowed itself to be steered to refuse to release to the public the total funds spent on legal fees over a specific period of time, why would you believe the taxpayers
of the town did not need to be protected from such abuse by political chicanery????
Three citizens of the town have had to incur thousands of dollars to defend themselves against legal action funded by the town.
Another citizen is in the process of using personal resources to bring the matter of Conflict of Interest by the former Mayor before a court for a judgment.
Is this not a scandal of gargantuan proportions for a small Ontario town of fifty thousand people?
Does this not warrant a demand for answers ?
Instead of a meek and mild warranty, it will never happen again?
It never happened before.Why did it happen during that term of office?
Hundreds of thousands of dollars of cheques have been written on the town's treasury, to make villains out of honest law-abiding citizens who did nothing more than insist on exercising their right to freedom of expression and run afoul of six individuals who had no concept of limits to their power, no administration left to remind them. and a treasury that spilled money out on demand.
The town engaged in litigation against three of its citizens .
How many were involved in facilitating the action?
Now that the Judge has handed down a decision , is now the time to require answers as to how, with all the checks and balances in place to protect the public interest , was this appalling debacle allowed to
take place ?
Why should anyone believe money taken from them in taxes, on the understanding it is to pay for public services, is now being properly expended for that purpose?
Where does the public take confidence that all is well in light of these circumstances ?
Thursday, 21 July 2011
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21 comments:
Thank Heavens! What great news! Is it possible that the plaintiff(s) (by plural I mean Mrs. Morris and the town) can be made to pay the defense costs? Seems fair to me.
Whoopdee Spit, Bells and Whistles ! Two more to
go !
So the judge found no merit in the case and tossed it out. Does that mean the defendants receive compensation for their legal fees?
For those reading Evelyn's above post I believe she may be referencing the following online article at The Auroran http://www.theauroran.com/article/789226935 entitled "Morris Motion dismissed by Judge".
WHACK!
The work has just begun.
Oh what a big surprise , there would'nt be a judge in the land sober or otherwise that could have made that stick!
The appalling debacle is the former mayor.
Her place in the history of our town will be a small asterisk.
In the athletic world this symbolizes disgrace.
That's what she was and that's what she is.
Heavens to Murgatroyd, there is justice after all!
Now, how do we get a full accounting of how it all happened and who was involved in every step of the process along the way?
How do the taxpayers get their $55000 or so back that funded a lawsuit that should never have been allowed to happen?
How do the 3 families get reimbursed for their expenses?
I know, how about Morris, Maceachern, Gaertner, Wilson, Granger and Gallo, the 6 who launched this debacle, put their hands in THEIR pockets and put it all right financially?
As for putting things right with respect to trust, integrity and morally, I doubt that will ever happen now. It will all remain as a permanent blemish.
Judge's decision can, or must,be appealed within
a week. It will be a long 6 1/2 days.
Now if the other lawsuit can be similarily tossed out the legal fee gravy train will stop!
Where does the public take confidence that all is well in light of these circumstances ?
Very good question. Not sure how to resolve it. Unfortunately the combination of a Mayor with a mission, and a majority of co-hort councillors to agree with her, and administration willing to sign the cheques under (I'm sure) threat of losing their jobs allowed it to happen. Strong leaders with integrity on all fronts (council and administration) who are not willing to break the rules for convenience/personal gain is what is needed. Do such people exist?
'Judge's decision can, or must,be appealed within
a week. It will be a long 6 1/2 days."
TIC TiC TiC , can there be any doubt about an appeal one need only look at the West Hill Debacle for an answer. Oh that s right !! it was the tax payers who funded that one
I remember last year wondering why no kids turned
up on Hallowe'en wearing frousey Blond wigs and
hand-made chains of office to frighten residents.
Maybe this year they will do it. Would sure beat out
the usual monsters. Next Court appearance for the
creature is at the end of October. How timely .
This Judge comes across as very sharp, highly
literate and even funny in a couple of stinging
sentences. Don't know where there there is any
room for appeal.
What is most sad is that the egomaniac, who still cannot accept that the town voters threw her and a few others out of office with a big bang, will also not accept a judge's decision and she will continue regardless of the cost to others. Hey, but then that's how she conducted herself when she was queen mayor, so now she is just a lowly pleb, she has to pursue her delusions of grandeur in any forum she can for as long as she can.
"Don't know where there is any
room for appeal"
Come on , there’s always room for appeal when you are right and the rest of society is wrong, just look at the litany of waste and hundreds of thousand spent by the queen of cloths lines on the West Hill appeals,
The Norwich Pharmacol Motion was just one part of the lawsuit against Bill Hogg, Richard Johnson, Elizabeth Bishenden, Automattic Inc, and three anonymous defendants.
The lawsuit has not ended with this decision.
Costs can be decided in a variety of ways; the costs decision on this motion has not been made.
It's interesting that so many anonymous commentors find this lawsuit so amusing.
Thankfully some folks like Paul and Evelyn sign their names to their writing.
There you go again, Elizabeth. I have not read
a single post saying there is anything amusing
about the lawsuit.
Dear Elizabeth,
Yours is not the only lawsuit out there, and
none of them are 'amusing'. Yours has taken a
step in the right direction for which we are all
grateful.
What I don't understand is how Morris could see fit to use town resources to fund her private lawsuit given the following snippets from the Code of Conduct read as follows...
"Public office is not to be used for personal gain." ($55,000 of the town's money to fund a private lawsuit isn't "personal gain" ???)
"The decision-making process of Town Council is transparent, accessible and equitable." (I guess it all depends on how you define "equitable".)
"The conduct of Members of Council is of the highest standard." (This must refer to the "Gold Standard of Democracy" as defined by Ms. Morris)
"Members of Council will recognize their obligations to follow and respect the provisions
of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act."
I'd like to hear how Phyllis explains herself on this front but I'm betting that will never happen.
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