From the release provided on the Town's web site, he has advised many other municipalities. Of what?
Municipalities provide a basic level of services. Many similarities exist between them. But none are precisely alike.
Different problems and priorities needing to be resolved.
A parachutee ....no matter how smart ,knowledgable or experienced, cannot simply pick up where another left off.
Pending decisions like disposition of redundant buildings will have a definite stay of execution.For a minimum of six months but probably longer.
Directors of Departments will have the responsibility of bringing the new and interim chappie up to speed.
Aurora has an eight member management team. Each with authority for a department and substantial staff resources. Each has a record of competence which should be known to Councillors and the Mayor.
Each director has a different level of institutional history.
Some are better known in the community than others. Some know the community better than others.
Each has had ample opportunity to demonstrate level of competence.
Last we read, the Mayor and Human Resources Manager ( both on the sunshine list) were delegated to develop terms of reference for the position of CAO.
A job description is already at hand. Lord knows we've seen enough organizational charts.
But that's not what they recommended .The Mayor and HR did not do as Council directed.
Instead, an outside consultant on a six month contract to act as Interim Chief Admknistrative Officer and assist in recruiting a Chief Administrative Officer is recommended.
It creates a needless hiatus in town business.
Nothing commends it.
Cost of the exercise is not indicated.
Will the town advertise the job and conduct interviews? There's a known cost for that route. We have the staff resources on hand.
Will the town retain a head -hunter consultant? Fees can be determined for that service too.
Is a consultant needed to advise Council which decision to make? Isn't that part of their job?
Has consideration been given to promotion from within? If not, why not? There must be a rationale.
From the sunshine list, we know the CAO job pays $220,000 a year. Are we not entitled to share the logic that determines the means of filling that position? Who is accountable?
Maybe we should spend less time worrying about cell phone towers, how best to deliver mail and why a Howard Johnston Hotel did not succeed in Aurora and more time talking about things that are town business and Council's responsibility.
BTW , the town's economic development department has at least two planners on staff. One on the sunshine list. Why is the hotel's failure such a deep dark secret?
Isn't that their job to know ?
If it isn't ....what is?
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28 comments:
Your initial supposition is correct according to the auroran - they have hired one to find the permanent one - I have no idea what that means tho
You have raised too many very valid points and then slung a row of questions towards the end.
Most stuff and councillors won't be able to handle all of this.
Leave the hiring to HR and the Mayor and Council can get on with more important business for god sakes! Maybe the issue of economic development and why Young Street is now a ghost town with nothing to offer it's citizens - we can thank past councils for their petty revenge tactics for the very poor state the town of Aurora is now in from a business, and amenities offerings perspective.
There is no doubt that losing the guy who boasted that he saw every paper that passed through the Town Hall is going to cause problems. How big the resultant upheaval will be depends on council. Like it or not.
I don't think Aurora is in a poor state of business offerings. Besides not having a hotel, What other amenities are missing for residents or visitors? What we're missing or losing is the taxes that business revenues provide to the piggy bank.
Evelyn, when the hotel was bought, I don't think they had any intentions of keeping this opened for very long. They really stopped maintaining the hotel once they purchased it. They got rid of their full time maintence man just shortly after they purchased it. They only did what they had to, to keep the fire dept. by-law and eveyone else off their back. They bought it for the property. If the closing of this hotel was a surprise to the Town, they really need to get to know the businesses of this Town better, especially If they can inpact the community like the hotel did. If they did know, why did't staff react sooner? It's just like the Magna exit. Was it really a surprise? I don't think so, and I'm hoping plans are already in motion. If not heads should be rolling. If it was a surprise? Heads should have already been rolling.
In one place the town says they will alternate the various heads to take the place of the CAO at council - which makes it sound like over quite a period of time. In another, they say the hired gun will act as CAO
Communications at its best as usual
The Interim CAO is a former Executive Director of AMO, with four decades of experience in municipal government - his network of potential hires must be vast.
Your right. It would be vast. Which could mean that they're looking for someone outside of the Region and the sourounding municipalities.
I would love to know what amenities Aurora has? A bunch of pubs that over serve and let people drive home. Maybe 3 restaurants worth eating the food at. A farmers market. That's it. Recently we were in a small town west of Aurora visiting friends, and talk about amenities - 5 different restaurants have been profiled on "You gotta Eat here" - plus another dozen in town that are all sole ownership (not your standard Montanas or Keg) - they have their own hospital that is a sister hospital to Southlake, they have a Farmers Market that runs all year long. Every weekend in the summer there is always a festival of some sort. In July alone they have a Buskerfest, Rifest, Rodeo (all bringing in commerce to the town - which does have a hotel, and 3 motels). Their downtown core is packed with great shops that are busy every day of the week - a skateboard park, several splash pads, an incredible walking trail system, and their housing is affordable with nice piece of land - shall I go on????
20:21
Who would know absolutely nothing about the town and who council members would still grovel before whenever they met him/her. The mayor has set a pattern of staff-preference.
Everyone knows why the hotel failed. Everyone who has lived here for very long that is. But council, or maybe just the mayor, seem determined to bring outsiders in the advise on how to conduct town business. It truly boggle. Mr Stronach will have an entire complex built before the town realizes what is going on. And even he seems to be looking away for business opportunities,
9:29- Knowing nothing about the Town might not be so bad.It would mean that he would know nobody as well. He or she can look at things with fresh eyes and ears. How many staff members working at the Town live here? Besides a paycheck what vested interest do the have? The more I think about the more I feel someone outside and very far away might be better.
Having lived in Aurora for over 20 years it seems to me that the town supplies basic services fairly well: i.e. garbage collection, snow plowing, water, parks and recreational programs, collects taxes, supports some public entertainment activities and definitely not others.
But move away from these, and I probably missed a few, and things turn to rat dung. There is no practical vision dealing with growth, with small business makeover for the downtown, larger than average concepts that staff and council seem unable to grasp, i.e. joint-operations centre following a publicized free-lunch meeting to see the old and the new to which 9 people attended; computer systems, communications (???), micro-management vs. macro-management (is there a difference?), pot-hole infilling seems to be a lost art - as soon as filled the contents seems to run off - there must be a large pile of material somewhere, maybe to build the snow retention storage facility that is not needed. And then, of course, there is the tree by-law - I'm not sure if this was passed or lost with the 3-tree debate.
Government at all levels has become too complicated while those entrusted with its enactment are getting simpler-minded as time goes by.
Is there no one out there who can do the job???
It must be reaaally interesting in the Town Hall these days.
Cllr gaertner knows full well the tale of the hotel. suddenly she is acting surprised at not being able to locate the owners, This is not a new story
I do hope you are having a lovely time with your family, Evelyn. Enjoy the gifts of sun that manage to get though over the holiday/
16:37 - The problem is...they shouldn't be getting into some of these jobs or programs in the first place. I couldn't believe the amount of our money that's going out to "outsourcing".
8:55 - You gotta be kidding. Are you new to this Town? or maybe you don't get out much. Google a service and let me know what exactly is missing (besides a hotel/motel).
18:14 - Gaertner knows nothing about anything on her best days.
16:36 I have lived in this town for 43 years - it has nothing on most towns! My guess is that you are the one who doesn't get out much - try leaving york region once and awhile - it's good for the soul
9:53- I've lived here for 15. Longest place I've ever lived. I've lived in Toronto for 10, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Mississauga for a better part of 15. Have travelled all of Canada except for Nunavut, the US, Europe, South America, parts of the Orient and Africa. My soul is good. And it's because of these travels that I've decided to live here hopefully the rest of my days. Don't know exactly what you're looking for here, but I'm quite happy with the business and their services that is available. Yes, a hotel would be nice, but I'm certain we will if someone believes that one is viable in this Town. We have some great local Realtors in Aurora that can certainly find you another Town or city where you would be much happier living.
16:30 - very mature response!
"I have lived in this town for 43 years - it has nothing on most towns!"
If that's how you feel, why have you stayed?!
It isn't how many amenities the town has that matters.
What is important is how much we are paying for our services which are just average compared with other towns.
Council, the last one which is mostly this one, has admitted that we pay in the top tier for services that are nothing special.
Aurora would be perfect if we had an enlightened dictator to govern us.
The present crew is simply the "same old, same old" with a few different faces, and not a functioning brain between the lot.
Sounds like someone needs a new address! Lots happening in Detroit. I here there's some pretty good deals on property.
18:32- can you imagine living in a place for 43 yrs and not being happy? Sad.
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