"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

Sunday 23 September 2012

Policies Are Not Cast In stone

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Riddle Me THis":

Whose Policy? Staff? Aurora? Region? And what are the consequences if Council does not adhere to it?

**********
A policy may be recommended by staff.
Once adopted by Council it becomes a  corporate policy.
A  variance from  the policy is a decision for Council to make.
Everyone is expected to abide by the policies.
But if Councillors don't know the policies , they can easily be led astray.
We have had a workshop on policies pending for months.
Staff asked immediately before the last election, for authorisation under certain policies to be transferred from Council to staff. 
I argued it  would be an excellent project for the new Council and provide  much needed grounding on what is council's responsibility andwhat is staff's
I did a lot of spitting into the wind in the last term. 
This term, not so much.
Other than  the people  choice at election time, there are no obvious consequences for not adhering to policies. 
But that bespeaks everyone being familiar with the policies and the policies themselves making sense. 
At the beginning of  last term, the person in charge of corporate communications presented an annual report .
The Mormac twins grilled her about what  was meant by "corporate communications" When those two didn't like the answer, they just kept asking the question over and over. Until I shouted 'Stop it"
Corporate communications meant communicating decisions made by  the corporation.
The answer didn't suit the  Deadly Duo. 
It wasn't long before  corporate communications  became the publicity arm of the  incumbent Mayor's office. 
Nothing was allowed to appear that didn't show her name.. 
Communications staff were required to attend Council meetings for furtive purpose that didn't sit well.
It wasn't long after it ceased to be Corporate Communications   the  division  changed  hands,  as well as  its purpose. .
That's how it is now. 
Management has changed once more.
The division has four staff. It still functions as  publicity arm  for the incumbent Mayor.
He has no idea why that should not be.
It suits him fine.    

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't it be remarkable if Everyone on Council voted ' No ' on a big ticket item? But, then, I couldn't understand all that garbage about giving the Auroran the contract. That should have been dusted away in a few minutes.

Anonymous said...

Strange. No one has commented to support the dual sidewalk paving or to correct grammar errors. Not since the Auroran contract when there were no supporters of the Banner position.