"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 13 August 2015

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE THE LESS THEY ARE THE SAME...IT'S TOO BAD

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "THE GAME IS UP": 

18:06
If that is the same bunch that rejected a tennis bubble, phooey on them .
This is Aurora. We can deal with parking issues. 
Sp what if they have to walk a bit further to exercise. It's better for their knees, 

***************************

Yes it's the same. But just a minute. 

John Gallo, tennis player, was on Council at the time and potential candidate for the office of Mayor. They had plans for the Hydro Reserve Fund. They were the ultimate entitlement bunch. 

They have exclusive use of the tennis courts at Mcmahon Park. The club house, built by the Aurora Lions, is shared with the Lawn Bowling Club. They pay hydro bills. 

The tennis club gets the courts at no cost because they operate the tennis program and provide lessons for beginners.

The lawn bowling club used to maintain the bowling green. They don't  any more and they don't pay user fees either. 

It's  still not all you need to know. 

Klaus Wwehrenberger, demanding  to use part of the park for a community garden, lives in the neighbourhood. He has a garden. Why does he not grow vegetables in his own garden?  Why should the town turn over,no pun intended , part of the park for community garden?

The town already has a community garden for green thumbs to grow things. I've always thought of them as people not having a garden of their own. 

Gardening is a therapeutic occupation. It's good for the soul. 

If the town has property not being used for anything else and it doesn't cost anything , there's no reason why it should not be gardened. Jim Tree's people help with turning over the soil. It may take a couple of hours in a season. And the food bank might benefit as well.  

But McMahon Park is used for something else. It's a park. The determination was made years ago. 

Just because Klaus wants someplace handy to grow vegetables doesn't mean a slice of the park should be fenced off and handed over. 

Parking is limited. It almost always is. 

Just because  the tennis club has earned itself a reputation for utterly selfish endeavor doesn't mean some other outfit ,equally selfish. should get a favourable nod. 

 Klaus  Wehrenberger is as capable as the tennis club of coming up with unrealistic demands. 

The Lions Club demand for free space in the old library is likely a different kettle of fish. 

The nifty piece of extortion  at the last Council meeting could easily have been invited by a member of Council. 

We've seen that happen. 

It's how the museum got siphoned out from Church Street School. 

It's how the Hydro Reserve fund  came close to being sucked dry for a crazy heritage park. 

A photograph of former Mayor Dick Iliingworth receiving a cheque was misleading Dick was not Mayor in 1978. He was co-chair, with former Councillor Betty Pedersen of a fund-raising  committee for Aurora  library. The woman in the photo was not Betty. 

The Lions Club of the day did not demand freebies from the town. Payback would never have been contemplated. 

Quite the opposite.They saw a need and went to work to meet the need to benefit the community without burdening the taxpayer. 

It was the purpose of a service club. 

I heard  some time ago ,the Club was thinking about folding when they sold hall at the corner of Mosely and Metcalfe . Then they held a recruitment. Who ever heard of recruitment for a service club. 

A Lions Club that comes to Council to make demands on the basis of past service to the community 
Is not the same Aurora Lions Club. 

Fie upon them . Shame ....Shame

The town is "forcing" anyone  to pay $5 for Ribfest. Last year's entertainment was paid for with a grant from the Provincial government. 

$5 admission charge may keep the event of the tax bill. I believe the cost. Was $12 thousand in previous  years. I never thought taxpayers should pay for that. 

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let Klaus and the tennis folk fight it out. It will give our negotiations-loving mayor a work- out.

Anonymous said...

There is a big difference between a "demand" and a request. The community gardeners' proposed allotments for McMahon Park, and the Lions Club suggesting another use for the Town's 1963 centenary project building, were requests NOT demands.

Both proposals strike me as good ideas.

Anonymous said...

"...at the corner of Mosely (sic) and Metcalfe."

FYI: Mosley and Metcalfe are parallel streets running east-west that don't intersect.

Anonymous said...

Mr Gallo did not contribute much to the tennis-playing community. He single-handedlly delayed completion of the courts at David English. And I have no idea what he thought he was accomplishing by making sure that the tennis bubble was rejected. The thing was not going to cost the town anything, was going to be on land useless for anything else and would have been completed last term.

Anonymous said...

Anything, anything, to postpone demolition crews on the old library lands. Evelyn is right. Nothing has changed since the beginning of the Mayor's first term.

Anonymous said...

"The town is "forcing" anyone to pay $5 for Ribfest. Last year's entertainment was paid for with a grant from the Provincial government.
$5 admission charge may keep the event of the tax bill. I believe the cost. Was $12 thousand in previous years. I never thought taxpayers should pay for that. "

You know what. The Ribfest tour hits almost every city and town in Ontario starting in May and going through the fall. Not one of any of those that I attended charges admission.

Last year's entertainment was only onstage one night out of the two because of extreme weather.

I think that it is disengenuous to advertise the RibFest with "free admission" to all until 8pm and then not only do you have to be over 18, you have to have a wristband that you purchases weeks previous.

I make decisions about these types of events sort of last minute after factoring in the weather. Asking me to commit now for something in September is crazy.

If the Town wants to keep the event off the tax bill, then they should get out of the business of having the event in the first place and let another group organize it.

Anonymous said...

14:39- There is one. The Town of Milton, But its a suggested $2.00 donation to the many charities that they raise money for at this event. In fact, many of these rifests' donate some of the proceeds to local charities.

Anonymous said...

Evelyn - you continue to get this wrong - the Lawn Bowling Club "does pay" user fees to the town. I know, I used to be on the board for three years until I moved out of town.

Anonymous said...

16:33
Maybe the mayor's golf tourney could pony up the money and people could all bring a small cash donation or stuff for the Food Bank. In the fall that would be a huge help and he does not seem to consider it to be one of his "charities ".

Anonymous said...


The Mayor is going to walk to Mars and back. Auroran

Anonymous said...

Surely the Ribfest tickets will still be available come the day. Rogers is still trying to unhold both day and night session tickets at the entrance.

OMG said...

Is "unhold" the same as "release"?

Anonymous said...

@ 22:29
I do believe that you are being played. That is at least the second time in a week that you have risen to deliberately mangled words.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be too sure, 09:19.

Grace said...

"I heard some time ago ,the Club was thinking about folding when they sold hall at the corner of Mosely and Metcalfe . Then they held a recruitment. Who ever heard of recruitment for a service club."

I know this is not the main subject of your post, however, this comment caught my eye. Depending on your definition of "recruitment", I can tell you the Rotary Club is constantly recruiting. We have had difficulty maintaining membership, never mind increasing it. We have tried various methods, such as newspaper ads, booths at events, photo ops etc. It just seems that people are too busy working harder at the job that pays the bills, focused on raising kids or a myriad of other things that take up so much time. I think all service clubs are struggling a little and looking for whatever edge they can get to stay viable. It's too bad because most do so much very good work behind the scenes.

Anonymous said...

I think Ribfest will survive without selling a lot of tickets ahead of time. But the person who mentioned the weather had a good point. If it is rotten the expected paying customers will simply not show up.

Anonymous said...

Hi Grace
I agree that it is tough for the service clubs. Not helped one bit by competition from that other place either.

Anonymous said...

14:23 I am a member of a service club and agree 100 percent.

SCC does not help our efforts.

Anonymous said...

Hey, that unnamed "other place" must be pretty popular and successful by the sounds of it, 14:23.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

@ 16:34
Well, of course. It isn't like they have to worry about little things like expenses......

Anonymous said...

I eagerly await the day when that outfit presents yearly and substantial cheques to the town in return for all it has received in the past and continues to receive with each new budget.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

18:59- That will never happen. They already stated that they will never be self sustainable.

Anonymous said...

Great! That means they'll want us to cough up more money. With all the money they get now and all the plugs they get fron the mayor and his side kick,....pathetic.

Anonymous said...

21:17
There are others on council and talking to them between now and their next cash grab will help. At the last budget they just missed getting cut back further, This next one might be better. You know you are on the right track when councillors say aloud that they do not want another set up like that one. Maybe it cannot self sustain but it should reduce its expectations,

Emphasis on the Jerk said...

Ha! Touch a nerve and wait for the knee-jerk reactions from the haters.

Anonymous said...

The Town is looking to establish a Cultural Precinct extending from the library to the armoury. What place is going to be a centrepiece of that initiative, do you think?

You haters are going to be gnashing your teeth and crying the blues for years to come.

Anonymous said...

Nah. I beleive you will. You see, these brilliant tax crabs come and go, just like term councils.. Enjoy your next 3yrs of free money along with the mayor and his side kick support.


Anonymous said...

23:22 and 23:31
Your comments show exactly how much " culture " you represent.

Anonymous said...

See Mr Watts' new post on how well Aurora deals with its culture.

Anonymous said...

It is so juvenile. Any time someone suggests that the Centre largess be curtailed, that person is automatically a " hater ".
I think spending should be reduced pretty much across the board. So I must be a real big hater.

Anonymous said...

11:36- Your right, I think the spending should be reduced across the board as well. But the the SCC is a huge ticket item that has huge impact on or property taxes. I've been a "hater" of that center from the beginning, but was opened to change. When they openly stated this year that they had no intentions of being self sustaining, well lets just say there is nothing this center or this Town can do to change my mind. And I tell everyone about that BS as well. AS far as the Town wanting to curtail the spending...well they voted down a hiring freeze just last week, so Cha-Ching!

Anonymous said...

13:43 I think it will take time but the direction is better than it has been. But then I think we can change things in Ottawa too.

Anonymous said...

"So I must be a real big hater."

Good for you for owning your hater status.

Anonymous said...

"But the the SCC (sic) is a huge ticket item that has (a) huge impact on or (sic) property taxes."

HUGE exaggeration. HUGE falsehood.

Anonymous said...

18:18 - Oh yeah that's right... Just a few extra dollars per resident right? Oh and I'm sure you would also like to add how this SCC is contributing to ALL residents ”quality of life”...How about talking about all those private businesses that provide those services?, and those services that the Town already provides through their recreational programs? All huge falsehoods eh?

Anonymous said...

21:50 And hijacked a building to achieve the scheme.

Anonymous said...

13:43 and 21:20

Stop calling it SCC. It makes you sounds like a moron. Just like calling the paper the "Error-Banner". Grow up

Anonymous said...

7:25
As long as it get under your skin............and are you not the one who calls critics " haters " ?

Anonymous said...

07:25, I'd say it's a case of 'monkey see, monkey do' - sophomoric and juvenile, regardless.

Anonymous said...

18:18
It does have its own special place in the budget. Every year those who never use the place wonder at why this " service " has such status. And those are not haters - they do not even know it exists.

Anonymous said...

I like the ring to SCC...

Anonymous said...

Call it whatever you want. That thing is a top-heavy PR disaster.

Anonymous said...

12:20
Okay a PR disaster is a lot different than what the Buckeroos think it is. They feel that it is an endless black hole of money being drained from the Town's coffers. Because they don't get it.

Anonymous said...

"...and are you not the one who calls critics " haters " ?"

No, that would be me - I call the "[space]haters[space]" haters.

Anonymous said...

"Every year those who never use the place wonder at why this " service " has such status. And those are not haters - they do not even know it exists."

You just did a very good job of contradicting yourself - aware of the service that they don't know exists?!

Anonymous said...

It is an endless black hole. It continues to drain the Town's coffers.
What part of that don't you get? No one is planning for self sustainability, just more handouts.

Anonymous said...

Oh these services exist. They exist through private businesses and other dublicated town programs. I"m still waiting for the icecream shop. There's a perfect location too! The armory! And right beside a park. How appropriate is that.?

Anonymous said...

@ 13:20
Let me take that one.
Residents see the item in the budget and, not having used or maybe even heard of the place, they might " wonder "
at the cost.
Hope that helps you.

...and Thank You said...

True dat, 12:53.

Anonymous said...

12:53 " True dat " ?
Thought we had gotten past the juvenile nonsense.

Anonymous said...

"What part of that don't you get?"

Not any part that you're spouting. I'm waiting for you to get the the truth part - admittedly, in vain, no doubt.

Anonymous said...

Nah, 18:03, that's not what was stated. You're attempting to ascribe logical thought to a source that doesn't demonstrate it.

Nice try, though...

Anonymous said...

To even think that the money that is spent at this SCC and consider it a value to this Town an its residents is ludicrous. The commenter that keeps posting about the ice-cream shop may be on to something. If the Town wants to get into competing with other businesses and their own programs, why not an ice cream shop? You can bet all residents will know about it and generate revenue to be self sustaining. Now that is value.

Anonymous said...

C'mon, 19:12, get with the hipsters.

Anonymous said...

23:21
My son talked like that until his sister remarked that he sounded like a fool. He is eleven.
But don't let that stop you......

Anonymous said...

I bow to your daughter's obvious expertise in detecting idiocy, 08:52 She no doubt has experienced a lifetime of exposure to it.