"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, 1 September 2011

You Were Saying

Something Fishy in Aurora has left a new comment on your post "Whereas......It Is Hereby Resolved":

With the history of this topic, I wonder how successful the search for the new curator will be.

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To replace the original curator, the  Historical Society was successful in retaining the services of a highly qualified curator.

The $770 thousand grant received for the Church Street School was the result of  a successful application by that curator.

The resource person  to the Ad Hoc Committee  Council appointed to oversee terms of reference and an agreement with a board of management for  the facility when it was completed was the curator.The curator was no longer there when the agreement was finalised. 

It was during that time, the Aurora Historical Society withdrew their commitment to manage the Church Street School and agreed to dissolve the legal agreement they required the town to sign signed to protect their financial investment.

It was about then the curator accepted another position in the Town of Markham.

I do not see employment by a volunteer organisation as secure employment.

Volunteer Membership is fluid. Executives change . A commitment by one executive can be withdrawn by the next. It happened.

There is not much point in staying in a job if the rug,figuratively speaking, has been rudely removed from beneath your feet.

The position with the Historic Society is now described as manager/curator. I understand management refers to the business of the Society.

I believe with the municipality as employer, the position presents as a more attractive and secure opportunity.

Not counting the last Aurora council .

Also, Council is the body responsible for expenditures and accountable for  return.

In principle, I absolutely oppose non- elected groups having hundreds of thousands of tax dollars allocated to spend as they see fit.

It's unthinkable. It is not traditional.

The oversight I regard as part of my responsibility as an elected representative does  not include funneling out hundreds of thousands of dollar to non-elected bodies who bear no responsibility for its disposition, in the hopes they will think kindly of me at the time of an election.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Talking of funnelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to non-elected bodies that bear no responsibility for accounting for how it is spent, have you ever mentally prepared a report card on the mayor and your fellow councillors?

Ability to think (under fire/otherwise) Ability to speak coherently Overall performance Political Future
____________________________________ __________________________ ___________________ ______________


Geoff Dawe 6 6 1/2 6 unclear

John Abel 6 6 6 unclear

Michael Thompson 5 1/2 5 1/2 5 1/2 unclear

Paul Pirri 6 6 6 unknown

Sandra Humfryes 4 1/4 4 3/4 4 1/2 questionable

John Gallo 4 3 3/4 4 none

Wendy Gaertner 0 0 0 * retire

Chris Ballard 4 3/4 5 4 7/8 very questionable

Evelyn Buck 8 1/2 9 9 1/2 ** unlimited


* This grading system does not permit negative numbers ** Bonus point

On the whole, the result is probably on a par with many other municipal councils. But there is a great deal of improvement that must be made if Aurora residents are to get the service to which they are entitled in exchange for their tax dollars.

There is far too much time wasted at both Council and GC meetings on matters such as repeater delegations, awards (should be separate), motions and questions and points on purely procedural factors.

Meetings must be managed better and agendas should be completed for each session.

Thinking and speaking clearly MUST be improved if our town is going to have the future it deserves.

Please try and get this layout right.

Anonymous said...

Someone will propose that bimbo from the historical society who said no one ever visited a museum more
than once and that no one in Aurora cared about
history. Wasn't she briefly, very briefly, going to run in the last election ? Went i to register with Wilson and
his bully buddy and then vanished ? No one could
find her.

Anonymous said...

Duck ! Incoming instant historical experts who all
love Aurora ! Have Christopher Watts check their credentials.