"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 8 June 2014

Readers

An average of  almost six hundred people  a day read the blog .

A third spend almost five minutes reading ,  Two thirds  spend half that time.

Stephanie tells me  the shorter time is average time span of reading .

Considering the  blog concentrates mostly on  Aurora's political  affairs, I'm delighted with that level of interest.

When I started ,I had no idea  whether anyone at all would tune in to see what I had to say.

I could expand the issues. I won't as long as I'm a member of Council. I think there's a  specific job to be done

I don't seek  advertising revenue. I've no idea what that might entail. But I write about what I know about as a result of being a member of Council. It's not mine to sell.

I tell you about Councillors and positions they take. But they've taken them in Council. They're  not secret .They are yours to know about.

I try to convey the pressures.Sometimes Councillors do well .Other times not so good. It's not different to most  people. Which is what we are .

Code of Conduct preamble says we are privileged and a higher standard is expected .

Getting elected is not a privilege. It's a trust and a responsibility.People do not aspire to politics.

We're not better than anyone else. Winning an election does not change us Why is a higher standard expected of us?

Why is a normal standard not good enough?

Why is criticism  the norm rather than encouragement?  Because we are politicians and  people need to vent.

Every parent knows about that.

Councillors need to know what  people think and  people need to tell them. It might be polite,it might not.

The heritage park fantasy gained  traction  and resources were expended because proponents in the Historical Society and the Heritage Advisory Committee collected names to influence Council.

It lost traction because those  who thought it was a crazy scheme pushed back and told Councillors
exactly that. The staff repot was a face saver.

Heritage district  designation  got started , a contract awarded and $34,000 spent before Council understood how much opposition and evidence there was against the project.

That only  happened because property -owners organized , gathered research and blew that boat right out of the water.

It's the way things ought to work.

I think the blog has contributed  to the process.

Having Council reverse course is a mark of success.

It would be better if the decisions were not  made  in the first place and no resources wasted.

That calls for  faster, more determined reaction from the community at large.  It's unorganized so it takes longer.

But we are  getting there.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I understand your point, Evelyn, but feel that it is a good thing that the community is not organized at the moment. That means that the entitleds are unable to find an easy target. They are hard pressed to come up with lists of those they find offensive when the supposed culprits are spread throughout the town. The down-side is that they can attack your Blog.
If a white knight or knightess or two should emerge, then there might be an occasion to organize.

Anonymous said...


Most of us go through life representing ourselves, whether as children, adults, married or with children.

We are primarily responsible for ourselves and our families. But that responsibility should always be maintained in the context of our existence as a member of a community and our interaction with members of that community.

I don't agree that elected officials are privileged. If anything, they carry the burden of public office.

But trust and responsibility are fundamental, and if these are somehow abused than our democratic system breaks down.

I suppose a "higher standard" is just a way of elevating trust and responsibility a little way above the average.

People who are entrusted with creating legislation, and then with enforcing it, should be held to this vague
"higher standard."

But we all know that even the highest officials in the land are but human, and we see their failings all the time.

Maybe they broke a trust or shied away from the responsibility that was theirs to deal with.

The world is imperfect, as are many of its rules.


Anonymous said...

Congratulations Evelyn! What an incredible job you've done.

Anonymous said...

12:53
They can attack all day long...The Blog is strong enough to bite back and any given moment. How?...It has a strong leader at the helm.