Last NIght's Meeting

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Question Was About Taxes":

I couldn't watch last night's Council meeting. What did I miss?
********************
It was a mixed bag. Interesting because of it.
A resident opposed tax increases.Told  about working at three jobs for sixty hours a week to meet obligations and help a child 
with education expenses.No affluence claimed .
Demeanor was civil, language temperate. But  no  question  of  her purpose in being heard.
E-mails coming in  are making  the same argument.
A poll in The Auroran records fifty-per-cent in favour of using the hydro money to reduce taxes.
Voter dis-satisfaction with Council's budget performance is clear.
It's a good start. But  not enough
Council will listen, if people direct their comments to the source.
The effort to be heard. needs to be made. 


York Regional Police came to announce  Special Olympics Summer Games in  2013. will be held in the Region and they are the Sponsors.
Red laces will be on sale for  $5. at various venues . They hope people will  wear red lacesto signify support for the athletes. 
They showed a video. 
I wept.


The outfit pitching  a Heritage Park, created  with public assets,
delegated. 
John MacIntyre will sell his house to the town  at a discount.
Bruce Sprague, real estate mogul. will make his property available; at a price of course.
It's seen  as the perfect home for the  Aurora Museum Collection. 
Bruce Sprague processed a  development plan  for the property seven years ago.  Number of residential  units is either seventeen or twenty-seven. 
Representing millions of revenue dollars  to the town.
The property has been on sale for seven years.
Obviously the price isn't right. 
The delegate spoke of wonderful  commercial  opportunities in a Heritage Park.
Private investment is anticipated.
I  failed to share the vision. I might  be excited if said  private investors were falling over each other to get a piece of the action.
But no evidence of that was presented.  
The  request was for Council to put our hands in  taxpayers'  pockets and take their money. 
Of course we know the Hydro fund is the  targeted pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I  imagine McIntyre, Sprague and friends talking about how to  get some of that for themselves.
Mr. Albino made the pitch on their behalf . He is a recent member of  the Aurora Historical Society.That's all I know about him.  
Aurora Tennis Club has a similar  proposal  before  Council. A"Playhouse" to be built  in Fleury Park.
The private club could  play tennis in winter  but to soften the pitch, they also speak of a place to hold weddings and provide a venue for Performing Arts. .
There's no law against  people or organisations floating  purely selfish, private interests to  gain access to public funds.
We have seen it before.  
But there is an  expectation that  elected  officials  will  recognise such  for what they are and opt instead for the interest of the community at large.
The irony of a presentation  by a resident articulating hardship  in meeting family obligations, while property taxes continue to skyrocket and at the same time , a  group making a clear  grab for public assets should not have passed  unnoticed.
And yet.
Like a pair of Middle Eastern Potentates with  excess oil revenues to burn, Councillor Gallo and Ballard could hardly contain their excitement. 
The Mayor's name is on the list of V.I.P. supporters.
Councillor Abel moved the motion that gives the proposal status.
Off to the races we go.
To bet on a dark horse.
With public resources.