"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

Saturday 16 August 2014

A Missed Opportunity

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "As I Was Walking Down The Street":

Could the renting of the Hydro building been all a plan for the Parks and Public work dept. to get their brand new building?  Interesting  thought.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 16 August 2014 00:23


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Every now and again,I almost come to the conclusion it's not reasonable to expect people to be interested in the nitty gritty that exist between the lines in politics. I wonder if I'm wasting mine 
and everybody else's time by repeating the  details every time the picture evolves further.

Then I get a comment like the one above and I know I'm not.

Leasing the hydro building had nothing to do with the works and parks department's need for new facilities. 

The building  and yard was perfect for the parks department?  They had the artisan skills to build park furniture better than any. And all the space they needed in the yard for storage of  heritage salvage. The property had the capacity for future growth.  The office was being used for storage of  town
archives.

With the parks department  accommodated in the Hydro property,the site on Scanlon Court was big
enough for the works department to be rebuilt  with space to spare for future needs.

We had retained a space needs consultant. He advised the hydro property was needed for exactly how we were using it. We paid for that advice with taxpayer's money and ignored it in the haste to accommodate the Queen's York Rangers.

There never was  a need to buy and remediate a new site . Never the need for $27 million of debt.

The plan to  kick the parks department out  and lease the  hydro building  to the Rangers was the same as the one to pirate Church Street School away from the museum and give it to the "culture crowd."  Both were done in the same secretive under-handed way.

Neither plan  ever more than puerile politics by a gang of no-minds who believed catering to the"elite" was the  yellow brick road.

They never understood the community they served.

Who would have thought  the  process would dredge up a second group similarly ill-equipped
But without the evil intent?

In four years no effort was made to correct  the problems created and less still  was accomplished  save for a ton load of flim-flammery.

The photo of the Mayor  last week receiving a cheque for $750,000 from land developers;It was for the hospital . Why was the Mayor receiving it? Whose feeble  notion of promotion was that? Was that   using Town resources for political purpose? I think so.

A  second photo planned of an empty site with the CAO , the Director of Infrastructure and.

Environment Services  a contractor ,an architect, a candlestick- maker and any other hangers-on who want to get into the picture;  is that not also using town resources for political purpose?

A couple of months ago the Director of  Legislative  Services recommended a Bylaw prohibiting the use of town  resources for political purpose. The idea was rejected. I could not see what town resources  there were to be abused.  I never would have thought of such blatancy.

Remember the radio interview I told you about with  Michael Ignatieff. He had written a book about losing the election . He acknowledged not understanding until the night before the election...that it wasn't about him. ...it was about the people who were looking to him to help them with their problems.

He  publicly admitted he never understood until he faced the reality he had lost the election.

He blew the opportunity that came his way.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

There was a lot of potential and I have no idea where it all went this term. so many things were close to happening and just vanished into clouds of talk and studies of non-existent tourism.

Anonymous said...

I have been reading an article on the Brampton council. [ In the Globe for those who nit-pick sources. ] They had 2 integrity guys ! Seems council did not like the ruling made by the first one so they fired him and then hired another. It now appears that council is not supposed to interfere with these hires - just let them do their jobs.
Remarkable - I never knew that !

Anonymous said...

There is no "culture crowd." The programming and events held at the Cultural Centre are for anyone and everyone.

Anonymous said...

Elite? Your reverse-snobbery is showing again, Councillor. The Cultural Centre - like the Library, Community Centre, SARC, etc. - caters to the community as a whole; to whoever wishes to attend.

Anonymous said...

@11:35
That argument has been over-played. Always going to be a bird perched in the nest of another.

Anonymous said...

11:22 & 11:35 - Well I would hope so considering we all paid for it, and continue to pay for it dearly. That would be a good one...A sign to be put out that says: "culture crowd only"? And to say there is no "culture crowd" is hilarious. Of course there is.

Anonymous said...

13:12
It does like to use the labels, doesn't it ? The Blog has been accused of just about everything in the hope that something will stick.

Anonymous said...

All the critics should have seen the cross-section of the community that came through during today's Doors Open event.

Anonymous said...

19:28
I did - not sure what your point is. You see much the same when the town has its flu shot set-up at the town hall. Or at the polls.

Anonymous said...

We gave Hillary a miss as one in our party was dealing with a leg cast. Is it accessible yet ?

Anonymous said...

You just made the point, 08:36.

Anonymous said...

17:22
Are you seriously claiming that as a " cultural crowd ? " It was a gathering of Auroran residents in the summer doldrums and the numbers are likely to be fairly low due to the lousy weather and a good portion of the total hoped-for being otherwise occupied.

Anonymous said...

No, 19:09, I'm claiming that the Cultural Centre is enjoyed by a cross-section of the community, similar to the events that 08:36 cited. I'm claiming that creating divisiveness doesn't serve that community.

Others would suggest that it is an exclusive enclave attended by some amorphous, "elite," "cultural crowd" (composed of 'ladies who lunch' accompanied by pipe-smoking, cravat-wearing gentlemen, no doubt). Some holding that belief have never set foot in the Cultural Centre.

You seem affronted by the notion that townspeople (maybe even some of your neighbours!) found themselves on the premises taking in all that was offered. I find that amusing...and even a little sad.

Anonymous said...

20:54- Nobody suggested that it’s an exclusive enclave. Of course all are welcomed. All residents of Aurora paid for it, and continue to do so. But lets call a spade a spade…It was developed for the “cultural crowd” and it was marketed so that all are welcomed so that all can pay for it.

Anonymous said...

Does 'nobody' also include our blog host, 10:37? Because, like most of her hobby horses, it's been repeated umpteen times.

Anonymous said...

14:07- Ahh…Nobody including our host ever stated or suggested that the center was exclusive. If it were they would have paid with it with their own money and restricted its usage for themselves. That would have been the more honorable thing to do. Instead it was those that feel that they are entitled to this center and have everyone pay for their entitlement.

Anonymous said...

Over to you, Cllr Buck - time to disabuse the dimwitted (who managed to contradict themself in the course of four sentences).

Anonymous said...

21:31

If you were referring to the post of 21:31, they make a very good point. There is a difference between “exclusive” and “entitled”.