It's Not Corruption

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Here's A Thought":

The Town of Aurora, according to a Media Release dated June 28, 2012, "approves Strategic Plan" - it runs to the year 2031.

It has "three Primary Goals and a number of key objectives to support a vision for The Town of Aurora as an 'innovative and sustainable community where neighbours care and businesses thrive."

There are a lot of pretty pictures in the 24 page document and all sorts of altruistic statements, objectives, dreams, prayers.

The Plan is to be reviewed every five years in order to make adjustments to the successes or failures.

Like all such documents it is a waste of money. The town will advance in small increments as its needs arise, and having a Strategic Plan hanging overhead will not advance Aurora.

So to those who have worked so diligently in the creation of this document I say thank you but your 
time was totally wasted and you certainly don't get any brownie points for any possible future endeavours.

Better luck next time.

But I do have a possibly dumb question. Since this Plan was announced just over two years ago, what 
has been  been  accomplished
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 20 July 2014 12:58
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Quite a lot has happened. Little of it accomplished by the town however.The July 1st Parade and Santa Under The  Stars always reveal  new buildings in the downtown core. 

North of Wellington and south of Mosely have changed dramatically.New buildings that can't be 
distinguished fromold  in the north and east side of Yonge. New commercial buildings blend in perfectly with commercial /retail in the south.

All of it private investment. None of it at the expense of the municipality.Applications continue.

Empty and  ill-used  spaces exist in the library area that call for town intervention.

The United  Church has asked for heritage designation to be removed from the k church site. We may assume  the  Church's Board of Governors intends not to re-build on the site.

We lament the reason but it  means opportunity for substantial renewal.The Church owns two houses between the site and Temperance Street.

It' s the reason I asked Council to  seek joint organization meetings with the Church to contemplate
possibilities between us. But that was a no go. The Mayor has it in hand despite being without authority from Council.

It might have fitted with the Strategic Plan ?   Obviously  not with the Mayor's.

I mentioned before we had a Strategic Plan. It was a simple, straightforward,sensible realistic statement of  goals and objectives. It needed nothing more than review and determination
of need for  renewal and adjustment if needs be.

Instead we  bought  $80.thousand  worth of bafflegab. We went further. We gave staff authority ti "implement "the plan

It resulted in several staff re-orgaisations that improved nothing. An army of managers were created.

$300 thousand was spent in preparations to re-locate town hall staff  for additions and renovations to the town hLl that never took place. Estimates were well in excess of budget approved and the plan was cancelled even without council consideration.

The decision pending on surplus buildings on library square since several Council terms ago ,got to the stage of to demolish.That was deferred to consider using the old library as a Fab lab in keeping with the Strategic  Plan.

It never happened .Neither did the staff recommendation that arose from  Council direction and time and resources and public input expended.....and wasted.

We spent months of  financial  and staff  resources following the will o' the whisp scheme to spend $11 million of  Hydro Reserves on a sham of a  Fantasy heritage park that came to nought and still it seems the Mayor sees it as a positive plank in his re-election platform.

The list is endless.

Not the least is the intention to decide to spend nigh on $30 million of a joint works and parks garages and yards  at the last  meeting of Council before Candidate Registrations close.

After an elaborate scheme to hold a public selection for  appointment to fill a vacant seat to guarantee a winning vote on the question.

Last Tuesday Council approved a recommendation to remove $814. thousand from the estimates.

it will still be spent on a scam of a  "Snow Treatment Facility" but the contract has been divided so  the amount can be discounted. From the whole.

It is all so puerile...so obvious... so pathetic....it is positively juvenile.

Readers may believe ....or not. The option is always there.

They should hope few will.

Because ...It is my perspective.......a damning Report on Stewardship.

I have previously cited  a wise old saying seen on a poster in the Office of A Medical Officer  of Health.

                                  It's not corruption you have to worry about.

                                   It' s stupidity.

The best that can be said   is ...there has been no corruption..... But stupidity and wasteland  been colossal