Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Here's A Thought":
"A person who has never held public office. Has never competed in an election. May not even be known by many, may cast the deciding vote that plunges the municipality into mega millions of dollars of debt."
Is it better that some with experience on council cast the vote to plunges the municipality into mega millions of dollars of debt.
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 21 July 2014 08:36
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This is an interesting question. What would be better?
It would be better if the vacant seat need not be occupied at this late date.
Someone asked about cost to the municipality? A Councillor salary for four months.
There is not enough time to have an experience Council, Certainly not enough to become familiar with the operation of a public institution. No time at all to determine how it differs from private business function .
Certainly not nearly enough time to win confidence of taxpayers.
Never enough time to know if a person could ever win sufficient votes to have authority for decisionsq on behalf of others.
Until the start of the next term,every Councillor has been given that authority by the voters.
I disagree with colleagues about the spending on a works and parks garage and yard.
I do not challenge their authority to make the decision according to judgement and conscience.
They were elected to do so.Now that we are required to appoint to fill a vacant seat...I believe the logical choice should be a person who has previously won sufficient votes to occupy a seat. Who left undefeated. Who has continued to attend Council meetings and stay on top of current events and is willing to accept appointment.
I do not know how he would vote on the Joint facility. I have not asked. Nor would it be appropriate for me to do so.
I believe he would be an acceptable choice to a majority of residents.
Since the Strategic Plan is the reason given for the extravagant joint facility I believe I know how Ms Harris would vote.
I also believe that vote would be the reason for her appointment .
Also the reason for going through a cruel hoax with a pretext of an election.
I would not ordinarily choose to make this choice.
Since the choice is forced upon me...that's my thinking on the matter.
Monday, 21 July 2014
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15 comments:
The choice has to be one of two. Anything else is going to have a whiff of trouble which Aurora really does not need.
I hope that someone like Christopher Watts - no, not like Christopher Watts - but he, himself, is in attendance on July 29 to record Aurora's own version of Amateur Hour.
He could then use it to demonstrate the stupidity, and no doubt, embarrassment on the part of the applicants and also members of council who have to feign their serious interest and attention to the pledges of the would-be councillors. Then council members have to ask a penetrating question of each office seeker and then listen riveted to the reply.
After all the candidates have had their few minutes of fame, councillors will go into a scrum, and voila, a name will emerge.
This brings to mind the olden and golden television shows - "Queen for a Day", or a much shortened version of "This is Your Life."
A copy of Christopher's video should be lodged with the Aurora Historical Society to remind future generations of how things were done in 2014, and not to repeat them.
If you look at the list of new candidates there are maybe two that have any marbles ........ one is closely aligned with Morriss and Gallo, "so he thinks", and has threatened lawsuits to town citizens, and out of town citizens, as well as tried to have a citizen fired from his volunteer role....? I believe the devils we know is a much better choice!
perhaps council could use the same method as the Vatican when they elect a new pope.
Black smoke - no councillor
White smoke - new councillor
@10:42
Do they get to ask questions ? Please tell me that this is not true.......it will be endless.
There is one perfect individual willing to do the job. The rest can just have their 3 minutes of film if rogers decides it has nothing better to broadcast that evening.
10:51
I don't think we have to decide a darn thing now. It is quite probable that a couple of candidates might " switch horses " before the deadline & there are likely some more waiting to announce.
10:42
Sorry to disappoint but it is unlikely I will attend the auditions Aurora's Next Town Councillor.
As you are well aware this meeting will likely be recorded by Rogers, and the Auroran will be present to report but as you are very interested perhaps you can share with us your views.
FYI The Aurora Historical Society demonstrated themselves incapable of managing the Aurora Collection and had to hand it over the to town. I suspect they no longer acquire artifacts given that the curator they employed (through a $70,000/yr grant from the town this year) has moved on to a more stable and professional post with the City of Oshawa.
To Christopher Watts:
My view is quite simple.
One of the applicants is the deputy mayor from the previous term. He is experienced and could fill the vacancy with grace and dignity.
Appoint him.
The rest is window dressing and will likely prove an embarrassment to many of the participants, including some members of council.
16:55,
I do not share your view, and this isn't a one pony race.
In your rush to appoint Bob McRoberts you have excluded a candidate who was also a council member from the previous term that is equally experienced and could fill the vacancy with grace and dignity.
Grace isn't her middle name but her first.
17:41
I quite agree but it is impossible to choose from 2 such candidates. Which is why Council has to look like a bunch of idiots. And why we get a range of candidates in a real election. The whole thing is a farce.
To: Christopher Watts
Yes, I know about Grace Marsh.
She said she wanted to give something back to the community. I appreciate her words and her desire and am grateful for them.
But she resigned her council seat, for very good reasons, mind you.
We are not talking about filling a vacancy that will be of significant consequence in the life of this term of council. It will not meet during October and in November will be a lame duck.
So the procedure to fill the vacancy will be more significant than the actions of the person appointed.
The fact that there are so many "ponies" in the race simply serves to fan the fire. The whole thing is totally unnecessary.
But this council was never noted for constructive intelligence.
Aurora's Next Town Councillor by Christopher Watts posted to his Newsletter
It would appear that Mr. Watts has appointed himself campaign manager for Grace Marsh as she seeks the vacant seat on council. But he over-reaches by a great deal when he says:
"Grace Marsh was unable to complete her 2006-2010 term on council due to the toxic environment that saw a plunge in town staff morale with several turnovers not to mention the ludicrous integrity commissioner and a SLAPP lawsuit.
This opportunity seems like a fitting way for her to re-enter a role she was once elected to do and find the closure where she was otherwise denied."
I had a great deal of admiration for Grace Marsh but was disappointed when she announced her resignation. If you want to fight something you have to be in the room with it, not outside and from a safe distance.
Mr. Watts is apparently opposed to Bob McRoberts and lists a number of the latter's failings during his four years in office. It is not my intention to argue with Mr. Watts' accusations.
But let there be one fact right from the beginning. The toxic environment was not something that hovered around but one person; it suffocated entire rooms and even an entire building.
Fact number two. The integrity commissioner created by a Code of Conduct was done virtually simultaneous with Ms. Marsh's resignation.
Fact number three.The SLAPP lawsuit was filed in October 2010, almost two and a half years after Ms. Marsh resigned her council seat.
I'm not sure if applying for a seat on council with one month effectively left before the election and then another month after would provide any significant degree of closure where it was once denied.
"You go girl!" seems a rather clumsy way to end a political campaign.
But to each his own.
7:52
This is why the entire exercise to replace Ballard was doomed from the beginning. All this garbage over an individual to warm a seat for a few month. I do not care if Bob or Grace are chosen. I just want it done cleanly.
12:46
Nothing in politics is clean. I was at the Richmond Hill appointment; it was dirty politics from the timing of the resignation of a councillor right to the appointment. This appointment in Aurora has already been made….it just hasn't been announced.
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