"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

Monday 21 May 2012

The Job Of A Councillor?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Occupy Aurora Town Park":

If this idea pans out ,perhaps one of the excluded service clubs could get a permit from the Town to sell refreshments? That way, something positive could emerge from a negative
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As I understand , the service clubs removed themselves from the park during the "jazz" festival when the demand was made to turn over  proceeds of their endeavors to the organizers.

The first beer garden held in the town was during the first July 1sr celebration. It was held in the community centre. Volunteer firefighters provided security. 

Rhe police objected to that because firefighters had no authority to eject anyone who might need to be ejected. It was a riotous affair. 

After some years,like homecoming,  the beer garden  moved out of the building but was still enclosed in a tent in Fleury Park.There was never a suggestion  an entire park needed to be fenced.

I still believe somebody besides myself needs to come to  a meeting and tell Council you don't want your park fenced off  to keep you out unless you  pay $5. admission.
Doesn't matter how much  abuse Council  gets  from the ST Kitts crowd, they still seem inclined o accommodate them.

 If no-one  in the community, whose rights are being trampled, comes out to object, why should you expect your Council to take a stand. How novel.

It's the answer I get all the time. "I don't hear anybody else complaining "

It's the  problem  with having a huge turnover  in several consecutive elections.  It's like completing the job  of escorting the town's institutional history of principals and traditions out of  door of the town hall. 


New Councillors have no idea of their role when first elected. Normally they learn  from past practice as they go.

If they choose to learn it from the administration ,you  don't have a Council. You have   re-enforced administration.

If you have  a media that believes "uninformed" "uneducated" Councillors should just do what "the professionals tell them.   The  electorate that doesn't know any different either.

That's how we slowly but surely get  sucked down into the quicksand.  .

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Right now we have a total embarrassment, both staff and Council.

The "special interest groups" are laughing all the way to the bank - with our money.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was only in emerging countries that the people in charge of permits could demand a cut of your take. In Aurora, it seems bizarre. No one has suggested that the take off the top goes to the two charities either. The charities would appear to be just window-dressing. Last year there was somehow enough money left to have a self congratulation party - not in Aurora, of course.

Anonymous said...

12:33 PM
I have to disagree with your blanket assessment. Could we agree on 'some' staff & 'some' councillors? The rest of your comment is valid.

Anonymous said...

How long are we going to call these councillors "New"? It's coming up on two years!