Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I
LIke Things To Be Real":
Unfortunately during the term of the
previous council, while there was no matching of skills to create a team, a team
was nevertheless created, 6 members.
This was as unskilled a group as one
could create, only in a nightmare.
And it was upon you personally that
this team directed its bile, and you well know the consequences, still awaiting
a judicial outcome.
Those who seek the people's trust must show a
strength of character by deed, not by promise or the spoken word.
Strength of
character is something we earn, from experience, from the ability to establish
meaningful and positive relationships with our fellows.
Ford's character
appears to be brass knuckles, bare bones and a pile driver. This will never
succeed.
McCallion has held office for 34 years, and apart from a hiccup
or two, she has led her community well. If she employs brass knuckles, bare
bones and a pile driver she does so discreetly so that her electors never
realize what she is doing. Possibly this is the reason for her success
***************
Aurora's previous Council was not a team in any sense of the word.
It was a gang with all the characteristics embodied in that term
A couple of ruthless musclemen and a bunch of followers.
Initially it was a slate of candidates with a majority of one.
Along with Denial of Charter Rights and Defamation of Character, they are charged with Abuse of Authority and Abuse of Public Resources.
The last fits the terms of a Breach of Public Trust.
They are being defended with public resources.
In the last campaign, students at St Maximillian Kolbe High School held a mock election as part of their studies.
A student sought an outline of my campaign platform.
I explained that basically I ask for people's trust.
Individual candidates cannot keep promises, I said.
Whatever is achieved ...or not...is the work of the entire Council.
I outlined what I thought were priorities .
Several e-mail exchanges and a phone call followed while the student tried to comprehend what I stood for.
She needed something from me to encourage votes on my behalf.
Nothing I said sounded relevant.
I didn't hear how I fared in the election.
I didn't bother to ask. No doubt the student felt she had been dealt a losing hand.
The fact is a campaign is not fought in a vacuum. The familiar question is heard on most doorsteps.
What will you do for me, if I vote for you?
A promise to care, To vote always in the best interest of the community as a whole. An outline of experience and reliability is hazy at best
Candidates alone cannot be blamed for trying to come up with the most persuasive answer.
For promising what they read in the voters comments.
How many times have I heard from a voter," I am waiting to receive all the pamphlets, then I will sit down ,read them all and make my decision." like because the word is written, it must be believed.
I'm not sure there is more substance to it than there is in a candidate's promises. It's a dance. We all know the steps.
It means a campaign is a two-way street.
Anyone who writes off the deliberate role of the voter hugely underestimates the power and the authority that goes with it.
All they have to do is disrespect it.
The last Council discovered that to their cost.
As I believe has been done with Rob Ford to discover the extent of that mistake.
.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I
LIke Things To Be Real":
The Mayor of London, Ontario is accused of using town money to pay for his son's wedding. They have photocopies of the cheques. He is refusing to step down. I do not know if this is going to involve the Municipal Act but the use of money s very different from what Mayor Ford was doing.
***************
I believe the Mayor of London is alleged to have used Federal funds to have paid for his son's wedding while he was a cabinet minister at that level of government.
the offence is alleged.
His Council is said to have decided to require him to stand aside.
He refused.
At the rate of judicial process he will complete his term,.guilty or innocent.
London will not have the expense of an election imposed upon them.
The alleged offense is a Breach of Trust which is a criminal indictment punishable by a term in jail.
Compare that to Rob Ford's vote against the ridiculous.
The Mayor of London, Ontario is accused of using town money to pay for his son's wedding. They have photocopies of the cheques. He is refusing to step down. I do not know if this is going to involve the Municipal Act but the use of money s very different from what Mayor Ford was doing.
***************
I believe the Mayor of London is alleged to have used Federal funds to have paid for his son's wedding while he was a cabinet minister at that level of government.
the offence is alleged.
His Council is said to have decided to require him to stand aside.
He refused.
At the rate of judicial process he will complete his term,.guilty or innocent.
London will not have the expense of an election imposed upon them.
The alleged offense is a Breach of Trust which is a criminal indictment punishable by a term in jail.
Compare that to Rob Ford's vote against the ridiculous.
I LIke Things To Be Real
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Rob Ford's
Folly":
The Judge in Mayor Ford's case was quite specific about it not being about the actual amount of money. Rather he seems to say, & I might have it wrong, that it was the ' appearance ' of a conflict that was the problem. He also made some suggestions about future wording to straighten out just what qualified as a conflict. He was fairly harsh and other elected officials are probably reading the verdict carefully.
***************
On Saturday, I had my annual lunch with a friend of fifty years .
We started off as always catching up on the well-being of our respective families but soon got into our favourite topic.
This year's argument was ferocious. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Most people tend to avoid political arguments at all costs.
The Great Gaels of Ireland
Whom the Gods made mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad.
Mary and I are Irish women at the core.
The topic was Rob Ford.
Because I disagree with what has transpired, Mary believes I admire the man. It's beyond her comprehension.
Everything that happened to him should have. He deserves it.
It hasn't happened to Hazel McCallion,despite more egregious circumstances .... but that's fine too.
Hazel has been an exemplary Mayor over the years and an outstanding human being.
Everything Rob Ford is not.
A vigorous argument with a friend is always good for several days of cogitation..
Respect for intelligence and integrity means the opinion can not be easily dismissed
Since I hold my own opinion in equally high regard, the root of our disagreement must be ferreted out.
Fortunately, the answer is at hand .The problem is a constant one. My logic is not easily understood.
It's the complexity of the enterprise that engages me.
Municipal politics are unique.
A council is chosen randomly.
That which has been wrought in an election cannot be known until the votes are counted.
There is no pattern.
No matching of skills to create a team.
Expectations are, those chosen will work together for the greater good.
But working together doesn't mean bland agreement.
It means expounding differences and again, random votes to determine the outcome..
It means personalities aside, every issue should be argued on merits. The chips must fall where they may.
An argument lost simply means moving smartly on to the next.
I have nothing invested in Rob Ford personally.
My passion is for the system to work as it will.
Ford is the people's choice.
He is a man without artifice. He did not mislead or prevaricate in the election.
He got down to brass knuckles and bare bones.
He drove a pile driver through a morass of doubt and insecurity left by David Miller and before him, in absentia,Mel Lastman and along with them, successive provincial governments who created a massive megalopolis, impossible to govern, despite planning fifty years ago to prevent exactly that.
Voters knew what they were getting in Rob Ford.Whether he would realise their hopes still remains to be determined.
Whatever his warts, they were writ large upon his face.
By judicial decision, that needed to be clarified, the voters choice has been reversed.
By half-assed legislation that allows Mayors all over the GTA to do freely in spades and with golf clubs, and receive credit for charitable works that which Toronto's Mayor is deemed to be guilty.
I don't have to be a fan of Rob Ford to find fault with inequity..
Rank injustice cannot be allowed to stand.
Not to mention millions of dollars in cost to Toronto's taxpayers and massive disruption of an additional election mid-term.
Personal feelings about an individual cannot be allowed to trump the community's right to choose who will represent them.
At no other level of government is the right to choose considered expendable.
Egregious conduct may cost a cabinet minister his post. It does not cost an elected member his seat.
Personal feelings have no place in conduct of a town or city's business.
Ideas are what count.
I am not a fan of Rob Ford.
I respect that he is true to himself .He is larger than life and twice as real.
In contrast to the sly, chittering, scuttling about of his would-be rivals, I find that refreshing
The Judge in Mayor Ford's case was quite specific about it not being about the actual amount of money. Rather he seems to say, & I might have it wrong, that it was the ' appearance ' of a conflict that was the problem. He also made some suggestions about future wording to straighten out just what qualified as a conflict. He was fairly harsh and other elected officials are probably reading the verdict carefully.
***************
On Saturday, I had my annual lunch with a friend of fifty years .
We started off as always catching up on the well-being of our respective families but soon got into our favourite topic.
This year's argument was ferocious. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Most people tend to avoid political arguments at all costs.
The Great Gaels of Ireland
Whom the Gods made mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad.
Mary and I are Irish women at the core.
The topic was Rob Ford.
Because I disagree with what has transpired, Mary believes I admire the man. It's beyond her comprehension.
Everything that happened to him should have. He deserves it.
It hasn't happened to Hazel McCallion,despite more egregious circumstances .... but that's fine too.
Hazel has been an exemplary Mayor over the years and an outstanding human being.
Everything Rob Ford is not.
A vigorous argument with a friend is always good for several days of cogitation..
Respect for intelligence and integrity means the opinion can not be easily dismissed
Since I hold my own opinion in equally high regard, the root of our disagreement must be ferreted out.
Fortunately, the answer is at hand .The problem is a constant one. My logic is not easily understood.
It's the complexity of the enterprise that engages me.
Municipal politics are unique.
A council is chosen randomly.
That which has been wrought in an election cannot be known until the votes are counted.
There is no pattern.
No matching of skills to create a team.
Expectations are, those chosen will work together for the greater good.
But working together doesn't mean bland agreement.
It means expounding differences and again, random votes to determine the outcome..
It means personalities aside, every issue should be argued on merits. The chips must fall where they may.
An argument lost simply means moving smartly on to the next.
I have nothing invested in Rob Ford personally.
My passion is for the system to work as it will.
Ford is the people's choice.
He is a man without artifice. He did not mislead or prevaricate in the election.
He got down to brass knuckles and bare bones.
He drove a pile driver through a morass of doubt and insecurity left by David Miller and before him, in absentia,Mel Lastman and along with them, successive provincial governments who created a massive megalopolis, impossible to govern, despite planning fifty years ago to prevent exactly that.
Voters knew what they were getting in Rob Ford.Whether he would realise their hopes still remains to be determined.
Whatever his warts, they were writ large upon his face.
By judicial decision, that needed to be clarified, the voters choice has been reversed.
By half-assed legislation that allows Mayors all over the GTA to do freely in spades and with golf clubs, and receive credit for charitable works that which Toronto's Mayor is deemed to be guilty.
I don't have to be a fan of Rob Ford to find fault with inequity..
Rank injustice cannot be allowed to stand.
Not to mention millions of dollars in cost to Toronto's taxpayers and massive disruption of an additional election mid-term.
Personal feelings about an individual cannot be allowed to trump the community's right to choose who will represent them.
At no other level of government is the right to choose considered expendable.
Egregious conduct may cost a cabinet minister his post. It does not cost an elected member his seat.
Personal feelings have no place in conduct of a town or city's business.
Ideas are what count.
I am not a fan of Rob Ford.
I respect that he is true to himself .He is larger than life and twice as real.
In contrast to the sly, chittering, scuttling about of his would-be rivals, I find that refreshing
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Some Things Are Sacred
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What a
Pickle":
Evelyn:
You continue to defend Ford beyond what is reasonable.
He is a boor, a bully and certainly not a proper leader of Toronto Council.
I am not saying that anyone else on that Council is capable of doing the job either.
You lead by setting an example, by discussion with direction and compromise.
You don't lead by being a public jerk, by argument, by foul and abusive language and confrontation.
If Toronto Council decides on a by-election Ford will win easily, although he doesn't deserve to hold that position, and Toronto taxpayers will have spent $7,000,000 really for nothing.
****************
Rob Ford's personality is not the issue here.
For me. the right of people to choose their political representatives is sacred.
Only at the municipal level, do we choose individuals.
At all other levels, party politics prevail.
Toronto had a choice.
The campaign was hard fought and won; fair and square.
Rob Ford's personality was never a secret.
He struck a chord.
Stop the gravy train, he said. people heard it and said....YES!!!!
I think the people of Toronto should decide in the next election how Rob Ford acquitted himself.
They should not have the unnecessary expense and disruption in the middle of a term.
Four years is too long between municipal elections.
Evelyn:
You continue to defend Ford beyond what is reasonable.
He is a boor, a bully and certainly not a proper leader of Toronto Council.
I am not saying that anyone else on that Council is capable of doing the job either.
You lead by setting an example, by discussion with direction and compromise.
You don't lead by being a public jerk, by argument, by foul and abusive language and confrontation.
If Toronto Council decides on a by-election Ford will win easily, although he doesn't deserve to hold that position, and Toronto taxpayers will have spent $7,000,000 really for nothing.
****************
Rob Ford's personality is not the issue here.
For me. the right of people to choose their political representatives is sacred.
Only at the municipal level, do we choose individuals.
At all other levels, party politics prevail.
Toronto had a choice.
The campaign was hard fought and won; fair and square.
Rob Ford's personality was never a secret.
He struck a chord.
Stop the gravy train, he said. people heard it and said....YES!!!!
I think the people of Toronto should decide in the next election how Rob Ford acquitted himself.
They should not have the unnecessary expense and disruption in the middle of a term.
Four years is too long between municipal elections.
What a Pickle
The clarification that allows Rob Ford to be a candidate in a by-election for his office gives his appeal a much better shot.
The Judge cites "considerably mitigating" circumstances for not imposing the penalty of banning him from public office for seven years.
He obviously does not believe Ford is unfit to hold public office. . He has decided the electorate should make the decision.
His decision was made according to the letter of the law.
He was not prepared to discern the intent of the law.
There is no case law to assist..
The trouble is,Toronto voters already made the decision They chose Rob Ford to serve as Mayor for the next four years. .
Now the city is to be put to enormous expense and upheaval and bitter division within the Council of choosing a new Mayor halfway through a term.
As if there aren't enough things to attend to.
Should other candidates be obliged to step down during the election? Like cabinet ministers in Premier McGuinty's government while campaigning to replace him.
Should City Council be prorogued during the campaign.?
How would that work?
Mario Gentile was a North York Councillor convicted of corruption in the 90's for accepting "gifts" from a developer among other things.
He had the same authority as Tom Jacobek in the city Council during the computer scandal. Both were controllers. In charge of finances.
One official who lost her job in the city was wined and dined and bedded and jetted about by a slick computer salesperson who apparently made millions from the deal.
Nobody went to jail for that corruption.
The inquiry cost the city $13million.
Conflict of Interest legislation got beefed up with penalties and the city, I believe , was compelled to strike a Code of Conduct and hire an Integrity Commissioner.
The rest of us got to do the Code of Conduct and Integrity Commissioner thing if we wanted..
In Aurora, we saw where it got us.
Mario Gentile was a very convivial fellow. A familiar figure at conferences. Amazingly generous with hospitality. Whatever he received and for whatever purpose, he certainly shared it about. to noticeable extent.
He ran for office again after his fall from grace.
As did Jacobek.
Neither succeeded.
Rob Ford does not compare.... No how..No way.
The Judge cites "considerably mitigating" circumstances for not imposing the penalty of banning him from public office for seven years.
He obviously does not believe Ford is unfit to hold public office. . He has decided the electorate should make the decision.
His decision was made according to the letter of the law.
He was not prepared to discern the intent of the law.
There is no case law to assist..
The trouble is,Toronto voters already made the decision They chose Rob Ford to serve as Mayor for the next four years. .
Now the city is to be put to enormous expense and upheaval and bitter division within the Council of choosing a new Mayor halfway through a term.
As if there aren't enough things to attend to.
Should other candidates be obliged to step down during the election? Like cabinet ministers in Premier McGuinty's government while campaigning to replace him.
Should City Council be prorogued during the campaign.?
How would that work?
Mario Gentile was a North York Councillor convicted of corruption in the 90's for accepting "gifts" from a developer among other things.
He had the same authority as Tom Jacobek in the city Council during the computer scandal. Both were controllers. In charge of finances.
One official who lost her job in the city was wined and dined and bedded and jetted about by a slick computer salesperson who apparently made millions from the deal.
Nobody went to jail for that corruption.
The inquiry cost the city $13million.
Conflict of Interest legislation got beefed up with penalties and the city, I believe , was compelled to strike a Code of Conduct and hire an Integrity Commissioner.
The rest of us got to do the Code of Conduct and Integrity Commissioner thing if we wanted..
In Aurora, we saw where it got us.
Mario Gentile was a very convivial fellow. A familiar figure at conferences. Amazingly generous with hospitality. Whatever he received and for whatever purpose, he certainly shared it about. to noticeable extent.
He ran for office again after his fall from grace.
As did Jacobek.
Neither succeeded.
Rob Ford does not compare.... No how..No way.
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