"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

Wednesday 12 August 2009

News Flash

The Director of Corporate Services has decided to retire. She will leave her office at the end of this month

The Chief Administrative Officer informed Council by e-mail yesterday and asked it be kept confidential to "allow Lucille to inform her staff."

A Toronto Star reporter called me this morning to ask for my thoughts on the matter. I told him what I was told; the Director had decided to retire.

But he persisted. Reporters are like that.

"Why do you think she wants to retire" he asked .

"You will have to ask the lady " I said.

"Do you have anything to say about it" he said.

"They wouldn't let her do her job" I said. "She was at risk"

"What do you mean" he said.

"The Clerk is a Statutory Officer" I said. " She is legally responsible for upholding Provincial Statutes. That is her area of expertise. She is the authority. She is liable of she fails in her duty.
She cannot use the excuse the Mayor or Councillor Evalina MacEachern or the Chief Administrative Officer or the Town Solicitor wouldn't let her " I said.

"Do you think that's why she quit" he said.

"Well" said I "if I carried that weight of responsibility and somebody was stopping me from upholding the law and putting me at risk I would have quit before now "

The interview ended.

Of course.... I don't have to.

As a Councillor, they can't make me quit and they can't shut me up. Even when they get a lawyer to write it and adopt a Code of Conduct, appoint an Integrity Commissioner ,get a lawyer to write a phony complaint against me, file it with the Integrity Commissioner, get shot down and fire the Integrity Commissioner.They can't make me quit.

All they did was prod me with a pointy stick and create another unholy mess for themselves.

Hallelujah...I cry

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting that it was to be confidential but the newspapers already knew about it!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to our new reality...

Could someone please provide a list of senior town staff, councilors, town consultants or agents (including integrity commissioners) and committee members that have been fired or have quit since this council came to office ?

So far I can think of two town clerks, the CAO (fired), the integrity commissioner (fired), one councilor (Marsh), at least one whole committee (fired), and a number of other retirements of senior staff.

To the victors go the spoils but I really have to wonder who wins in this instance.

Anonymous said...

This has gone on long enough. As a resident, I want my money back.

How many resident signatures do we need to get an election now? Can the regional and provincial government help us?

The crazy stuff that has happened over the last few terms is good reason why municipal government should just be two or three years.

I just hope our existing staff can hold on until the next election.

I think we all should say a prayer or two.