Insult To Injury

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Point Of Zero Tolerance...or No Return":

11:06 AM
The ACC is not ' doing ' anything. The ACC does not ' do ' anything. It uses taxpayer dollars to hire people to run the place on their terms. They call the shots - Aurora pays. The Board DOES NOTHING in return for being subsidized with the free use of Aurora's building and Aurora's funding. The ACC produces nothing for the town revenue and certainly nothing in the way of good will. They are merely tenants, non-productive tenants, too lazy or unable to support their chosen lifestyle.
*************

The above is a comment from an angry taxpayer. It cannot be refuted. No valid argument presents.

The board holds secret meetings and keeps no records.

The Mayor recently informed Council, he had been attending board meetings for almost a year. On condition he keep secret all that he heard.

The Mayor consulted the town solicitor before accepting the invitation.

He was advised against.

He did anyway.

And persists he would do so again.

The most recent council controversy was over a resolution presented, in accordance with all the rules, which was changed not amended,in contravention of all the rules.

Staff were directed to meet with the board to set up terms of reference for "negotiations" for a new agreement to replace the current abomination.

In three weeks, five meetings were held. The Mayor attended all.

The question needs to be answered. Who did the Mayor represent in the deliberations? The Town or the Board?

The query is valid. It arises from his previous attendance at board meetings and agreement to maintain secrecy: in effect,to withhold information from Councilof which he is a member.

Whose man is he? The Town's or the Board's.

The Mayor is compromised.

No doubt it was the substance of the advice given by the solicitor not to attend the meetings.

Council has now agreed to terms of reference for "negotiations"

The Mayor, who can no longer be seen to be impartial, has been given authority to appoint two councillors to negotiate and a different pair to the board.

What sense can we make of this arrangement?What confidence can we have?

The time schedule for meetings is almost a year.

Meanwhile money will continue to flow unchecked from the town treasury.

The pool of councillors to represent the town on the "negotiating" team is also compromised.

Councillor Gaertner and Ballard and Gallo are on record as content with the current agreement.

Although Councillor Gallo is in support of negotiating a new agreement.

Councillors Abel and Pirri proposed the termination clause.

Although, Councillor Abel has full confidence in the proposed plan.

Councillors Abel and Pirri fulminate great praise and sopport for the work of the board.

Councillor Thompson and Humphreys were not in favour of the termination clause but are now in favour of negotiating a new agreement without the "threat" of terminating the old one.

In principle,I favour no agreement detrimental to the interest of the people who pay taxes in the town.I do not favour delegating authority to a group who have demonstrated nothing but contempt for the authority of he people.

So....the Mayor who has compromised himself...cannot be seen to be impartial... will select two councillors, neither of whom can be seen to be impartial... to participate in "negotiations" unlike any negotiations ever seen, which are required to have a pre-determined outcome and an artificial time schedule.

To cap the illusion of accomplishment,council is assured of the need for secrecy in all things. Only two people can be in on the deal. And of course staff.

Other elected representatives are to be excluded entirely.

The Mayor and his selected candidates alone will know what's going on and will be required not to divulge any information to colleagues who have equal authority.

Progress reports will be made.

It took five meetings to create the above plan.It is unclear whose interests are represented.

On Tuesday, it was accepted by the majority of council.

The Sunshine Law recently revealed names of all public servants in Ontario whose annual remuneration exceeds $100.000. I never read the list. It's better for my equilibrium. But people do talk.

In Aurora, we have an Executive Leadership Team to manage the town's affairs. Collective cost to taxpayers exceeds $1.2 millionin salaries alone.

The current agreement with the Culture Centre Board must be laid at the door of the administration.

The same must be said for the plan put forward on Tuesday.

I do not believe the town is well-served.