Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What
you hear is not necessarily real.": Didn't John West want to get his
hands on Library Square and build condos?
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What
you hear is not necessarily real.":
Actually, they wanted to put in
a bunch of up-scale condos. It might still be in the starting blocks since the
requested report on ' disposition ' of the lands around the Old Library appears
to have vanished into the Town Hall maw.
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I came back on Council in 2003. Three elections,nine years and three months since.
I have seen neither hide nor hair nor the slightest hint of a plan to put condos on the old Library site.John West was still on Council in the 2003- 2006 term.
Nothing whatsoever suggests John West ever planned to "get his hands on library square and build condos"
The town owned the property. Certainly there must have been ideas tossed about as to future use. Including the fervent request to allow it to be used as a new Senior's Centre'
I heard there was talk of a Senior's Centre on the ground floor, residential units on floors above and potential for a Senior Centre being created paid at no cost to the town.
No practical means existed to allow any of it without formal process and without public debate.
Ideas cost nothing. A healthy civilized society encourages ideas . Hopefully, they are abundant and imaginative.
But at that time, they got twisted to a level of political chicanery that brought me back to active service.
I had watched what was happening for several years. No-one on the scene seemed capable of putting the lie to it . New productive Councillors ,having no stomach for it, unfortunately believing it was the way of politics.simply quit after a single term
Councillors' employment was threatened. Employees were coerced to take actions against their own interest. Letters from lawyers for imagined slights were a common occurrence. Reputations were ruthlessly smeared.
I decided it could not be allowed to continue unabated.
John's status in the community made him first target for destruction by the dreadful duo. Nigel Kean joined them in their effort.
Tim Jones was also in their sights.
John never understood . The pattern is normally practiced alone. By personalities who trust no-one but gather followers to them under a cloak of righteousness.
Eager for shortcuts but without status , the fastest route is to attack someone with a profile Take it from them . By hook or by crook. Then claim the high ground.
Politics is not a tidy enterprise. But every astute individual knows there are limits.
The two assertions at the lead-in to this post are typical .
Conscience is absent No principle is involved.
No effort taken to support the allegations with a particle of evidence.
We all learn this aspect ofhuman behaviour early.
A pathetically inadequate student, desperate for approval, telling tales of wrongdoing to raise up their own image.Nether integrity nor righteousness enters the picture.
Only a desperate craving for attention..
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What happens is further self-abasement; degrading to witness and always the quotient for envy and revenge.
Some believe all is fair in love and war and politics.
It's not true. Voters have intuition and standards
Harm to others can never be perceived to be fair. .
The suggestion that condos be built there seems to have originated in some weird scheme to provide more supporters for the Centre. I never heard it connected to John West & suspect its genesis from Mormac.
ReplyDeleteI heard the John West/condo rumour about the 1963 Public Library site years ago (pre-Cultural Centre). I'm not connected to any politician or political faction in town, it was just some scuttlebutt that was making the rounds.
ReplyDeleteNot everything has a nefarious purpose or conspiratorial origin. What was someone saying about trying to be positive?...
At one stage, Councillor Timpson was on the Traffic Advisory Board. How did he fit into that mess? All I can recall is that he actually chaired our 2 meetings quite well and later indicated by his vote that he had listened. Ms. Morris began to attend those meetings once our little group had grown to need a larger room. She would shift-shape around the edges. The Chairperson did not appear too pleased but made no protest.
ReplyDeleteI recall a former councillor saying that he had told staff members with whom he had worked that they should have their resumes ready with the Morris slate was/were? elected. They thought he was joking but he had seen what was happening & was very concerned about them. First, as people he liked & respected. Second, because they were the backbone of the town & far more necessary than the ordinary resident could know.
ReplyDeleteHe was right on both counts..And they needed their resumes.
4:21 PM
ReplyDeletePerhaps you are confusing sites?
The New Library was done properly, land quietly acquired without fanfare. The land around the OLD Library has been a subject of discussion, many plans and not a single bit of action. The town owns it and hasn't the gumption or wisdom to use it instead of buying up more ' old real estate. '.
Thank you. Obviously no one has given up. We can do it again.
ReplyDeleteIf you can get past The NYTimes pay wall, Charles M. Blow had a good article, " Poison Pill Politics " about what is happening to our American neighbours.
ReplyDelete