"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

Tuesday 3 June 2014

The Question is Why

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When Is a Market , not just a Market nor even main...":

14:16

WHY do we need a councillor responsible for the market in the first place? That is what got us into this mess. Do we have a councillor responsible for other business that elect to do business in Aurora? Why can't the market vendors just get a permit from the Town office and leave it at that. Anyone that has something to sell can do it. I think we have made this whole thing more complex than it should be. It is just a market.

Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 3 June 2014 14:5

******************

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually, what we have done is add an extra layer of bureaucracy to the simple granting of permits which could be easily handled by the town. It is not as if the vendors would run riot if they were not " controlled " by a visionary-intermediary.

Anonymous said...

The Town sponsors this Market. I don't have a problem with a councillor being a liaison to the market especially if my money is sponsoring it. I don’t have a problem with volunteers running it either! But we obviously have a problem with both. Time for a change!

Anonymous said...

Found the streaming. So delighted that the Hillary-McIntrye Project is dead.

Anonymous said...

Why is Cllr Gaertner so determined to spend town $ on figuring out what to do with the Armoury ? Last time I checked Aurora did not even own that building. We do own Petch which her Mentor/Master was determined to save. Perhaps she should start small & see how she does with that assignment ? It is part of her legacy.

Tim the Enchanter said...

In my opinion, the petty squabbling over the Farmers Market is almost a carbon copy of the JazzFest mess.
Ms. St. Kitts wasn't to blame then and Ms. Kroeplin isn't to blame now.
That Ms. Kroeplin may or may not be playing games is strictly a matter of opinion and is quite beside the point.
If there are games afoot it is council's fault for allowing them.

First problem.
Quite simply, too many council members do not appear to know the definition of two key words:

de·bate [dih-beyt]
noun
a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints
a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers.

tes·ti·mo·ni·al [tes-tuh-moh-nee-uhl]
noun

a written declaration certifying to a person's character, conduct, or qualifications, or to the value, excellence, etc., of a thing; a letter or written statement of recommendation.

something given or done as an expression of esteem, admiration, or gratitude.

Debate belongs at council.
Testimonials belong at award presentations.

Second Problem.

Council and staff apparently need to review their definition of "delegation"
It's not a difficult concept.

Most councils receive delegations.

Delegates appear usually:
- To express views or opinions regarding an issue appearing on Council agenda
- To identify a specific concern requiring a decision.
- To provide general comments for Council to consider about future community decisions.

Neither of the two presentations to the May 27 council regarding the Farmers Market should have been given delegation approval.

One was nothing more than a glowing self-tribute (see Testimonial) meant as a preemptive
strike against a perceived "threat".
The other amounted to an extended plea for sympathy which left this viewer none the wiser as to whether or not the complaint had any validity.

"Any questions for the delegate?" means just that.
C. Humfrye's gushing tribute should have been stopped by the mayor.
It was no less inappropriate than C. Ballard's endless declarations of undying love for the Jazzfest.

This is NOT council business.
It is however a tested and true method used by special interest groups to identify on camera who their council "friends" are.

To add insult to injury, the real business of looking at the market by-law never happened which is shameful.
Some may feel the by-law is just fine. Some may not.
Some may have questions.
Who makes the Market rules?
Who has ultimate authority?
Who has responsibility?
Is there a reasonable dispute resolution protocol in place?
Should the Town even get involved?
Are amendments needed?
Further discussion? clarification?
You know.
The whole debate thing.
BTW. If the Market By-Law was posted on the Market website like it should have been in the first place we could all read it for ourselves.

So a lot of wasted time with no apparent resolution.
More whispers. More gossip.
All completely unnecessary.
All due to a misguided idea of what a council is supposed to be about.

Anonymous said...


Printed Tim's piece so I can look at if when I get depressed by what so many others write and more others say, especially at council meetings.

Foolish puffery.

Knaves and knavelets.