Monday, 8 September 2014
I Can't Fake It
I have registered as a candidate for Council. I wrote so many drafts that were not to answer the "simple" question, it was probably in one. I rode up to the Town Hall on my trusty scooter and did the deed.
My scooter is of the Fortress brand. The model is called "Winner". I swear I didn't even notice that until it came home. But it suits me just fine.
A comment from last week was correct. The "simple" question was "disingenuous". Do you not love our language? There's a word for everything. The person who sent it just can't stop talking about it
and insisting I have not answered.
I have been reminded of the invitation to a photo-op at the site of the new joint facility with the contractors and architects and the Director of Environment and Infrastructure.
If I don't go I am likely to be accused of not being in support of progress and courage to be a leader, all the qualities Councillor Abel so admires.
If I go and stand smiling with the Mayor and his band of steadfast supporters, I will be accused of
the height of hypocrisy.
A picture tells a thousand words. Either way I can't win. Except maybe with people who don't read or
pay attention to details.
It's a quandary.
I really believe the town's interest is not being served with this facility.
Not for a minute do I accept the extra floor is being built without a need being identified. It is
beyond credibility.
Or logic of a roof top garden as opposed to shelter for equipment or storage for heritage
salvage.
I am convinced the project has been piloted through in a calculated fashion every step of the way.
If half the effort was made to planning the project sensibly as has been devoted to getting it
approved at the last minute.
If they hadn't spent all that time chasing crazy schemes like fantasy heritage parks and university campuses, the location of which had undoubtedly been chosen before the invitations went out,
there might have been time to do it right and commend it unanimously to the community.
Like the elaborate and totally disrespectful pretext to choose a candidate for a vacancy when they knew their choicest from the beginning .
I don't respect that. I can't be a party to something I don't respect.
They can smile all the way from here to China, I will not stand beside them and fake it.
I think you are fine for that photo. You did your best to try and keep the project from mushrooming and probably made some difference along the way.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to another term reading your blog...
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in your campaign, Evelyn.
ReplyDeleteNo one can ever accuse you of not speaking your mind and putting it out there. I am sure that even from this comment that others will be critical of how you communicate through your blog but tell me who else has made the effort and continued on with it for the time that you have.
Stay away. The Mayor would love to get you in the shot. It won't look right or feel right.
ReplyDeleteGo for the photo. You are part of the Council from which the facility-to-be emerged. Even former Cllr Ballard could be included since I think the roof-goof was his input.
ReplyDeleteIf it’s a nice sunny fall day, go out and take the picture. Besides…they need a pretty face in that portrait to spruce it up.
ReplyDeleteTake the picture! And just before they take the shot put up two fingers behind Gallo's head.
ReplyDeleteGo forth & conquer. Cross your eyes.
ReplyDeleteHow old are you, 17:56?
ReplyDeleteBeing in a school photo never meant you got along with all of your class-mates or even that you much liked the teacher. Like going to Council when you feel like a dog's breakfast. It's your call.
ReplyDelete18:58
ReplyDeleteI see your sense of humour is in Park again.
18:48 Geez...Lighten up. You gotta admit...wouldn't that be funny? I'm sure Evelyn and everyone reading got a chuckle.
ReplyDeleteYours must be in elementary school, 19:34.
ReplyDeleteWow! Someone got $845,000 from a personal injury claim against the Town! I wonder what happened?
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, so the $845K is to pay the legal expenses of those that you sued.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you faked it in SNAP'd!
ReplyDeleteCouncil only on TV - no computers
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDining en plein air is one of the joys of life, when the sun is shining in a blue sky and fleecy white clouds go sailing by overhead.
Apparently three members of council are mentally constipated when it comes to simple pleasures, especially when they do not incur a cost.
Thank heaven that Sandra had personal experience of this and voted in favour.
ReplyDeleteDining en plein air is one of the joys of life, when the sun is shining in a blue sky and fleecy white clouds go sailing by overhead.
Apparently three members of council are mentally constipated when it comes to simple pleasures, especially when they do not incur a cost.
Thank heaven that Sandra had personal experience of this and voted in favour.
T'is truly the silly season. I finally realized that Council meeting was on the tube & discovered a fight about a patio of entertainment that shut off the sound at 7 in the evening.
ReplyDeleteAurora is really in the hopper if we cannot deal with such an innocent pleasure. Oak Ridges has one for crumb's sake.
It is getting too late. You will have to tell me what happens with the e-cigarettes. I hope they are not banned but expect they will be.
ReplyDelete18:40
ReplyDeleteThat insurance guy covered a lot of material. I did not hear him say what you wrote in your comment.
It's too bad that the Town is so narrow focused to only have meetings on Rogers when there are other TV providers to residents (Bell Fibe, Bell dish, Shaw dish, OTA, etc.).
ReplyDeleteYou mustn't have been listening closely, 08:43. There was one case only under the Personal Injury section, with Buck versus Morris et al. in smaller print.
ReplyDelete11:21
ReplyDeleteWas too paying attention - that is for contingency. No one has 'got ' it.
Good timing with that photo shoot. Tonight would have been impossible.
ReplyDelete10:05
ReplyDeleteThey could just hit the stream button.
I was really confused about Cllr Gallo's contention that the neighbours around that patio area were not informed. The project has been in the works for several months & I think I might have read about its progress in the Auroran. There was even a CoA meeting & heaven knows those committees examine stuff until the person involved wants to scream.
ReplyDeleteIt is awful what we pay Rogers to show or not show meetings. But you cannot take it out on staff when you go to pay the bill. They are all on contract and have to ask you who provides your phone service in case they can sign you up.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to today's post about 'anything can happen in politics'?
ReplyDelete515,000? Are you kidding? Who would the Feds sell this "historic" building to if it wasn't for the Town that came knocking?... Let me give you hint....Nobody! So how exactly did they come up with that value? Pathetic negotiating.
ReplyDelete21:55
ReplyDeleteWith that historic designation, it is useless to anyone else who might have been interested. There was no competition for the property -the price is totally artificial.
@ 21:55, they used the income method of valuation, according to the Auroran article. Here is a simple example of how that works.
ReplyDeleteFirst you determine the rate of return you should expect from the income you will receive from such an investment. Think of this as a "risk" measure. It is also known as a "cap" rate (i.e. the rate of return you would need to get on your "cap"ital investment in order to invest in it).
For ease of argument, lets say they used a 6% cap rate. To come to a $500,000 valuation, or in other words for an investor to be willing to invest $500,000 the expectation is that the investment would produce annual net income (after expenses, before taxes) of $30,000.00, or $2,500/month. If we assume a 5% cap rate (i.e. we assume the investment is less risky), then for $500K we would only expect annual net income of $25,000.
So, if you believe that the town will be able to generate the kind of annual net income on the building that would justify the $500K investment at a reasonable cap rate (in today's world, probably somewhere between 4-6%), then the purchase makes financial sense.
Provided that you can borrow money at less than the cap rate, an investment like this can be leveraged by using debt financing, thereby driving the return on investment up (same income, lower capital investment). I have no idea whether the town plans to leverage the investment or not.
So, from a negotiating position, if the town thinks/(knows?) that they can generate a lot more than 30K annually in net income, then they may have actually done a fantastic job negotiating.
Alison C-M has an excellent column.
ReplyDelete