"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

Thursday 7 August 2014

Questions without answers

I spent the morning leisurely cleaning my stove top.I was guest at Heather and Andy's camp site. I didn't do any cooking but I  have done it for so long I still come  home with a new appreciation for the comforts of home.

I don't use steel wool pads to clean the enamel. It won't stand up to  scouring like original enamel.
 A stove could be a hundred years old and show no signs of wear.

I scrape the burned material lightly with the fine point of a sharp knife.It's slow but contemplative.
I like such tasks.My mind  can wander enjoyably without lighting on any item in particular.

I thought about  the  stream of photos Mayor Tony Van Bynen of  Newmarket is posting on Facebook.

Jackie  Playter, his best supporter  is doing the same. The Mayor is prolific in congratulatory messages to this group and that and very complimentary to his current Council.

Something  less but similar is going on in The Auroran with letters to the editor full of dire warnings
about who to vote for in the upcoming election.

I delete more than I publish  in my blog. This morning I published a comment from one who cannot recommend anyone from the current Council.

Well, I thought. There's gratitude for you. Using my own blog to cast me down. Probably thinks I'm
too stupid to realize the clever trick perpetrated against me.

The impact of internet is interesting. It makes a shambles of the requirement to declare election   expenses.

In a conversation with the clerk a few weeks ago, I was informed  signs left over from a previous campaign is an election expense and must be declared.

Really ,I thought. I already knew donated use of chairs for a gathering had to be priced and declared.

There would  be no actual expenditure but  a value had to be calculated and declared nevertheless.

Now then.... if a loaned chair  or collected, stored and re-used signs. which are not actually expenditures have to have a price attached  for  an audited declaration of  finances,what about a campaign conducted  on the internet that cost nothing but time?

What's to hinder a disappointed candidate or friend of such from filing a complaint  under the Elections Act against  a winner for spending more than allowed or declared ?

The biggest lament on the blog these days is lack of  credible candidates, particularly for Mayor.

The biggest irony is number of complainers versus numbers willing to throw a hat into the ring.

The field is  wide open . Any eligible voter is entitled to be a candidate.

The question that needs to be answered  therefore is why the choice is limited?

Why would the job not hold more appeal?

We live in a  compact, small community blessed with many natural resources.

Decisions are not complex.

Challenge   is not overwhelming.

It is simply to maintain and if necessary, improve services that must be provided.

And continue to provide a pleasing environment within ordinary means.

Once one battles one's way through the bafflegab, what's so hard about that

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is funny, E. Just this morning, after reading the Auroran, I was wondering if certain former candidates might not be sorting through their garages for left-over election signs. Nigel certainly writes the way he always did.

Anonymous said...

maybe the 12 people who actually post in support of you - the rest of us think Dawe will be great in the next term, once the 3 instigators are gone!!!!!

Anonymous said...

It is peculiar that any left-over money is supposed to go to the town or school board. I have never heard of a case in which that happened.

Anonymous said...

Dear Councillor Buck
If you were referring to the post on Aug 6 @ 21:19, that was me. I re-read what I wrote and can see how you may have interpreted my comment. I by no means meant to cast you of all councillors down. In fact, I am very grateful Aurora has had someone like you as a politician and a resident of this Town. The dedication and courage you have shown all these years has been inspirational. I hope that one day I have the courage to introduce myself to you. My sincere apologies for my comment councillor.

Anonymous said...

15:25
What is " the rest of us " ?

Anonymous said...

The lack of candidates is relative to the pay scale. You get what you pay for I am afraid. If you pay bananas, you will only get monkeys.

Make it worth while for a successful business person to give a minimum of 4 years of their career and you will get extremely good candidates. Until we realize that, we will get crap.

Anonymous said...

@15:25
Correct me if I am mistaken.
Did not the past administration say much the same thing ? That they would be fine if only the malcontents were gone ?
How did that play out for them ?

Anonymous said...


Aren't you glad you are not the former premier of Alberta?

The provincial Auditor General nails Redford to the wall.

It seems that the higher up the political ladder you go the more taxpayer money gets squandered.

It's so nice to inhabit a small town with a small budget, relatively speaking.

Anonymous said...

15:25- I don't know what's funnier... your belief of the 12 supporters?.... your belief of who the rest of "us" are? Or Dawes being great in the next term?

Anonymous said...

It seemed as though there was a great deal of interest in filling in the space left by Ballard - not so many want the full-time positions. Still it is early days,

Anonymous said...

There was no cost and only a 3 month commitment to getting Ballard's seat. Running for council is a whole different story. To think that you would have a chance to win in October, you'd have to be sending a lot of your own money in advertising, campaigning, etc. in getting your name out there (if you're not an incumbent - who should be better equipped and known). Otherwise what are you doing it for? (the experience??) Also if you win in October it's a 4 year commitment and it's not as if it pays enough or the duties are full-time for someone to quit their job and be a full-time councillor and make their living at it. So small town politics is a part time gig for those whose hobby is politics.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't want a council composed solely of "successful" business people. We need a combination of individuals with different types of backgrounds - it's a community, not a company.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone noticed that once again the new candidate in town with the worst reputation, is still bullying another fellow new candidate?

How is this ok?

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should leave Aurora politics aside every so often ? Like i saw there was a poll in TO that Olivia has dropped to 3rd place. Didn't click on that story but it is very strange that they have such a narrow choice of candidates. Makes us look great.