Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Surprise
Party":
Can one ask where the figures originated? Could this be
another Staff initiative? I can't speak for seniors but generally they do not
seem to be over-reaching in their demands. They did not even expect the Seniors
Center although they love it. Might be a mistake to think they are stupid about
money.
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The idea of the celebration was the Mayor's. The Director of Leisure Services was directed to plan . I doubt the idea came forward without Mayoralty input.
I am equally certain the idea of using the hydro reserve fund did not come from this particular Director. He was part of the management team when the sale took place.
He knows how strong the feeling the money should not be frittered away with nothing to show for it. It was a difficult decision to surrender the asset of our own hydro. Had the Province not been pressuring to reduce small utilities, threatening higher prices for power, I doubt I would have supported the decision to sell or amalgamate with Newmarket.
Mine was not the only vote against spending this amount of these funds to hire a project manager to manage a year long celebration.
Councillors Thompson and Humphryes argued against it and inexplicably voted for it.
Councillor Gallo, Gaertner, Ballard and myself voted against
recommending the plan to Council.
That's half a person short of half the Council opposed. A project like this should have full support.It is a celebration for Goodness Sake.
The decision is not yet made.
It is not between a celebration and no celebration.
It's between a year long celebration and extravagance with multiple events and funds spent that should only be used to replace an asset lost with a new asset of equal benefit to the community.
And a great wing-ding of a party, over a long week-end that provides an opportunity to participate, brings friends and relatives home to Aurora to share in the excitement and joy, gives young people a memory of their home town that will live with them always, does not dissipate a precious resource and maximizes the
community's potential for creativity.
I don't believe profligate spending honors the town's history. Not in the least. No sirree. That's not a legacy in keeping with the town's character.
That's more like giving away half a million dollars a year and a precious building to an outfit that answers to nobody for the
spending of it.
We are doing that too. Same as the last lot.
Damned if I recognise efficient fiscal management in any of it. Despite the cost of high-priced advisers.
Maybe the Auroran can be prevailed upon to run a questionnaire. That would restrict voters to one vote per computer.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if the town has the capability to do similar. It probably should and then we could get referenda opinions on just about anything.
Maybe this tech stuff has some practical use after all.
Canada's Birthday gets handled over a long weekend. If Council simply must spend some money, please put it into a Council Project that Aurora can watch grow. We need to be participants, not photo-op close-ups in Snap Aurora.
ReplyDeleteMuseum. New Town building on old Library site. Habitat Housing. New park where Petch House stood. Hello, Out There ! As John McEnroe would scream," You cannot be serious! "
ReplyDeleteI see this as a temporary alliance made necessary. There has been no shift of allegiance. Should not have been needed.
ReplyDeleteCOUNCIL'S DISCRETIONARY RESERVE FUND
ReplyDeleteWhat you appear to be saying is that interest earned on part or all of the proceeds of the sale of our hydro system, is, in the Mayor's words, just sitting there doing nothing.
And a way of doing something with this non-money is to hire a part time events manager for $70,000 to plan a year-long celebration of Aurora's 150th anniversary at a cost of $who knows how much?
If the Queen of England can celebrate 60 years on the throne, and a rare marvel she is, within a four day period, how does one compare Aurora's history over its 150 years, from settlement, through village, through whatever, culminating in a town today with a population of some 56,000 people, all to be celebrated over the course of next year?
I have seen and heard of many stupid things evolve around Aurora's council table, but this one surely takes the cake, indeed many cakes, and large ones at that.
By all means let's celebrate this important moment in our history, but let's do so in a responsible manner that provides the biggest bang for the buck for our town's residents, in a manner that will be enjoyable and memorable for all.
MUSIC! FOOD! FIREWORKS! In many of the town's splendid parks.
The Director of Leisure Services can probably get this organized without an events planner/coordinator, using existing staff and/or volunteers.
Are we a town composed of nitwits? I hardly think so!
I know it runs counter to this blog's normal negativity, but I like what I'm hearing about the mayor's plan for a year-long series of celebrations.
ReplyDeleteThink big - fence off the ENTIRE town and sell tickets.
ReplyDeleteThe Magna golf course could be the beer garden!
We'll call it the "Aurora 150 Tap yer Toe Jam"
Why not have a "We've got $33M burning a hole in our pocket" Awareness Event to kick it off?
Anybody out there with connections to a local music group or promoter?
I was thinking that maybe jazz would be nice.
"If I had 33 million dollars - I'd buy you a culture centre or a museum but not a real museum - that's cruel...."
"And if I had 33 million dollars I'd buy a youth center, or a skateboard park or the Petch House , but not the real Petch House - that's cruel"
C'mon Aurora! just hum along if you don't know the words.