"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

Tuesday 2 September 2014

What's in a name?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Stunning Revelation": The Gallo request to step down is but one side of this fable. I have never heard Gallo's side to see if there is any truth this story at all. 

However, the naming of streets, parks, alleys, walkways, whatever... should never be made for anyone that is alive. Furthermore, they should be dead at least 5 years before any naming is done. You never know how many skeletons are in their closets

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 2 September 2014 08:17

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Let us consider what we know. In the 2006 election, Mr. Gallo was unsuccessful. Councillor Wilson was closest vote to Mr. Gallo.

I was in the habit over the years, before e-mail, calling candidates the night before the election and wishing them well.

After the election, I called those who were not successful, congratulated them on their effort, and encouraged them not to give up. Try again.

It's no more than I did. I was not elected until my third try. My first run was in 1963. I was first elected in 1967.

Mr Gallo called me as I was about to call him to congratulate him on an excellent vote for the first time out.

He said. "Well, I guess there's no point in asking you then."

I said . "What was it? "  I asked.

Then he asked me to step aside and let him have my seat.

 I  was stunned and rendered speechless.

I'm not sure when I made the conversation public. I had no reason to keep it confidential. I was seriously offended. Councillor Wilson was runner-up with the closest vote to Mr. Gallo.

As far as we know, he did not make the same request of Councillor Wilson.

No apology was ever proffered. Nor was that a last time.

It was a telephone conversation.

Now to the question of naming streets. For as long as I have lived in Aurora and before, streets have been named after people involved in town development and growth.

The original village was Machell's Corners. Machell had a business at the intersection.

Charles Doane, village postmaster, chose the name Aurora when the Municipality was incorporated.

Staff and developers named the streets.

Not Council. My name was attached to a small lane long after Mayors and Councillors who came later.

I had advised staff early if a street was to be named for me, it should be a big broad avenue and bear my name.

Eventually it was attached to a pretty little street.

My grandchildren are impressed.

I was not a Councillor when it happened.

In my neighbourhood, every street is named for a town official at the time of development.

Who remembers?

Why does it matter?

New streets have to be named.

Who gets their knickers in a twist about someone else's name going on a street?

What is that about?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think people are remembering the problem with John West Way. That was ugly work & there is a reluctance to have it recur. Although I learned quite a bit about certain politicians by watching them wrest that away. Never have voted for any of them or suggested that another should since then.
Sorry if the sentences are run-on & confusing. First day of school & all that.

Anonymous said...


This Gallo puffery is ephemeral mist that will vanish after he loses the race for the mayoralty and disappears from our sight back into that little space from which he first arose.

What is not puffery lies on the front page of today's Globe and Mail.

FAIRNESS FOR VICTIMS ACT FACES MAJOR CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM

"As parliamentary officials scramble to fix an error-riddled parole bill, a bigger challenge looms: The bill, known as the Fairness for Victims Act, has a glaring constitutional problem.

I am neither a lawyer nor a constitutional expert. But I am a concerned Canadian when I read about an ongoing story that just seems to get stupider and stupider as our public servants and our federally elected members don't seem to have the capability to see that they have run into a block wall with their law drafting. That block wall is the Supreme Court.

So what will these bright people do next?

I guess we will have to stay tuned and watch and wait.

Obviously the Justice Minister does not seem to be engaged. It is the Public Safety Minister, whose parliamentary secretary proposed an amendment at a Commons committee that created this legislative nightmare.

How many MP's does it take to screw up new legislation?

Anonymous said...

He might have asked Mr Wilson too. There was so much going on under the radar about which the populace knew zip. It is only with the release of previously protected e-mails that it is becoming possible to see some of the strings.

Anonymous said...

17:34
Yes. The Auroran is doing an excellent job of researching current events. It is not common to find a newspaper doing well these days. Ron W put his creation in good hands.

Anonymous said...

Names are presented to Council by developers. I assume this is for approval. Sometimes a name will be rejected for some unknown reason. I would assume that all street names in the past were handled the same way. It would be unfortunate if the rejected name were someone's kin. Someone asked once and the names go back into a pot and can be presented again.

Anonymous said...

Council got very involved in the names for streets in the Bathurst/St John's Side Road development years ago.

Contrary to what our host posts here, they have a direct say in street names and they routinely will honour their own with a street name.

It is the height of hypocracy to say different.

Anonymous said...

7:49
This is making much of nothing. There are not a lot of streets named for councillors.

Anonymous said...

8:18...

I would disagree.... start listing them.

Anonymous said...

10:20
There is an Olhauski ? Spelling must be wrong - too lazy to check it.

Anonymous said...

http://www.aurora.ca/Live/Documents/Aurora%20Street%20Map.pdf

Map of all Aurora streets.... review the names.

Anonymous said...

19:01
There's her, Buck, Pederson, West (of course) - all from the same era. Not to mention the older names (Fluery and Machel for example).

Of course Norm Weller, Herb McKenzie have a park.

There's a Stemmle Drive named after a very much alive skier.

Correct me if I am wrong, builders approach the Town with a list of possible names and council approves them (or not).

Anonymous said...

11:51
You are correct. Developers add the names of their kids and sometimes even pets. Aurora has some weird street names. I have no idea what is bothering Cllr Gallo about Evelyn having a little lane-way named after her when she was not even on council at the time.