It's 4.23a.m.
I am not sleeping.
I've been carrying a great weight inside of me since Saturday morning.
It's always worse in the night.
I have nowhere to go with it. I need to share.
A comment notes I weave a marvelous web. I suppose, if a story is told , as it happens, it could be perceived as a web woven strand by strand until it's complete.
On Saturday morning ,before the budget meeting started, I learned I had been powerless to prevent two decisions which by my standards were merciless and unjust.
An employee of twenty-six years service was displaced by a decision to eliminate her position . I sought an explanation and was informed that would be micro-managing.
On Saturday, I learned of a second position eliminated. Council made the decision this time. The employee was informed a week before Christmas.
The tasks remain. Cost still needs to be borne.
It's hard to reconcile the decisions with an argument for economic efficiency. There is none.
Even harder to justify the devastation to a loyal and conscientious employee.
The cold, grey heartlessness that countered my concern ... the lack of empathy around me ...was certainly an assault on my consciousness.
Experts have determined all decisions are based on 80% emotion and 20% logic.
What emotion was involved in the two decisions?
It certainly wasn't compassion
Or even simple humanity.
How were eight people , Mayor and seven Councillors influenced by a single emotion?
I had no stomach to join the group on Saturday for budget discussion.
I did anyway.
I did so again last night.
I will again to-night.
In a $75 million dollar budget I argued against membership in an Institute for Excellence ...competing to be one of a hundred best employers in Canada.
And against an $8,000 grant to the Chamber of Commerce for Business Achievement Awards;
framed paper certificates presented to businesses lucky enough to survive, presented at a gala dinner which may or may not be held within the municipality.
And against $8,500 to advertise in a commercial sports magazine ,
Trivial amounts to be sure.
Symbols nonetheless , of a perception that's not really true.
We are a small town ....eighty-five thousand souls.
We elect a Council of nine to serve the community's interest.
At the very least we should expect no harm to come of it.
The treatment of staff by the previous Council was a key indicator of how badly off the rails they had gone. It is perfectly natural for you and those of us who observed that to take notice of current events. I find it bizarre that councillors are not supposed to care about staff and how they are getting along while working for Aurora. They are town employees and you councillors are there to represent us. We are not talking separate operations - there is only the whole.
ReplyDeleteHang in there - the days are getting longer.
Looks like window-dressing to me. Like then maybe no one will mention the big-ticket items. Won't work.
ReplyDeleteThis should not have been necessary. If you had been informed at the beginning with whatever reasons there might be, then you could have made a decision on the wisdom or lack of. The smoke & mirrors stuff about micro-managing is hooey.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the saying: "look after your pennies and the pounds will look after themselves." Sometimes people don't realize that you have to look after the small amounts to make a difference. If you go to the coffee shop and spend $2 it doesn't seem like very much. But if you go every workday (let's say 200 days per year) that's $400 for the year. For some it's not so much for others that's a lot of money. And if you needed to save you'd find another way to get your coffee -i.e. buy a thermos & brew your own. The problem is that there is no real pressure to save on the budget.
ReplyDeleteIt struck me that the new works building is going to cost what $18 million and yet supposedly the province is going to announce a new hospital for the Niagara region in the price range of $26 million. Wow! That must be some kind of building that Aurora is getting or one cheap hospital whose real costs are hidden.
Enough already ! Shut us down and cat-nap during the day. There is absolutely no point in wasting your energy up here. Take care.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSerious decisions involving senior members of staff appear to being made without the full involvement of all councillors.
Out of decency and respect for the position of councillor the mayor should postpone such decision making until all members of council have had the opportunity to participate in the discussion and resulting conclusion.
His lack in doing so reflects badly on him and on those seven councillors who were a party to this.
If each of the mayor and the individual councillors have the same right to vote then they should have the same right to participate in debate and the results that flow from it.
Do I have this right?
ReplyDelete1. This past Saturday a position was eliminated. Long term employee - she will no doubt get a good severance and based on the years of service, she is probably close to the OMERS number to retire, get another job and move on.
2. This past Saturday YOU were made aware that someone else was let go before Christmas. Where have you been to find this out almost a month later?
Now, people on this thread are all bent out of shape for trimming the payroll but out of the other side of their mouths are complaining about the people on the sunshine list? An unfortunate reality is that sometimes people loose their jobs. In today's economy it is more frequent than we like, but there is free lunch.
Sorry for both of them, but I am sure that they will land on their feet.
Come late October, there will be some other people at Town Hall looking for work too.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up now councillor. You have never been known to back away when the going gets tough. You only have a few councillors to engage as the remainder don't think for themselves or don't have the capacity to think for themselves. Some may even be pre-occupied with trying to get a placement from the "Centre for Excellence".
Just wait until the Mayor shows "The Centre" the plans for the new Town garage. As one of your posters points out, it apparently will cost just about as much as a new hospital in Niagara.
God forbid the Town ever contracts out snowplowing or parks maintenance (I think we contract out some sidewalk snow clearing now) like other jurisdictions. Lets get the nod from the "The Centre" now and worry about an empty garage later.
12:21
ReplyDeleteI understand your point. Mine would be that we appear to have an excess of staff who are very well paid, more than in comparable towns, who do not seem to be able to handle the job which has not changed much over the past few years. The financial section has increased but I see no new business that needs attention. Jobs are actually leaving Aurora. Too many cooks perhaps ?
@14:27
ReplyDeleteThank you. That might explain why our sidewalk has been chewed up. It looks like someone mistook paving for ice.