No New Agreement

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

I guess I am too naive or stupid, but after witnessing Tuesday nights meeting, I thought the Mayor was on track with getting the job done. Mr Able supported his efforts and I heard mostly support for Mayor and the work done so far. The only councillors up in arms over this were yourself, Councillor Gaertner and Councillor Ballard. I thought Mayor Dawe was working with the concerns that Mr. Mar outlined. I know you would like to see an entirely new agreement, but maybe that's the next step after the current one is fixed to our legal departments approval. I believe Council IS moving forward and in a positive direction.

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I have no interest in seeing a new agreement.

 I accepted the professional advice provided, that an arm's length board of governance charged with  being financially self-sufficient  within a given period of time, was the way to ensure Church Street School and the program would not be a burden on the taxpayers.

I was wrong.

I am not about to make the same mistake twice.

I am not up in arms.I have one vote on council. My responsibility to the taxpayers is to take a position based on my experience and knowledge, make sure they understand it, use whatever influence I have to persuade council and if that fails,sleep easy knowing I did my best.

Church Street School is like every other  town facility. It can and should be managed on the same principles  with user-pay fee schedules calculated to cover costs  of providing individual programs.

Duplication of programs is  not sensible.

Organisations like the  Society of York Region Artists shifting about to get free use of facilities and staff and a free venue to market their product should not be possible between town facilities.Any more than it is in any other municipality.

Now that we've paid for it, the grand piano would fit quite nicely in the council chamber. With a little re-design of the seating, piano and other concerts would enjoy better accommodation and a  far more pleasing and suitable ambiance in the town hall than the limited space available in  Church Street School.

All those musical aficionados ever had to do was rent the space and organise the events to enjoy what has apparently been missing in their lives.

The Council Chamber is never in use on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. It is available to rent for suitable functions.

The culture vultures  didn't have to behave like thugs, steal the museum's home and shoulder the Historical  Society out of their rightful space.

Holding secret meetings without  records does nothing to generate public confidence or trust.

Thumbing their collective  nose at the authority of the town's council is not conducive to winning friends and influencing people.

Nothing Mayor Dawe or Councillor Abel has to say  persuades me the Culture Centre or any other board  should be given authority and resources to use in the community's interest.

A person would have to be soft in the head to imagine anything might change.