"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

Friday 9 September 2011

About Order And Chaos ...2

It  happens.  A post is started with a thought in mind . Then it takes off like it has a mind of its own.

The first on  Order and Chaos speaks to how Councillors work together, civilly, orderly and productively.

Rules  are useless if Councillors do not share a common understanding of their intent..

Wording must be succinct with no opportunity for  interpretation

Councillors Gaertner's  and Gallo's comments in Tuesday, provides  their perspective  of  how a Council functions.

I had no expectation otherwise..

The alignment of others with Gaertner's and Gallo's perspective is what concerns me.Once the Bylaw is passed, I have no other opportunity for influence.

Gaertner's main concern  is that confidentiality of information from closed door meetings should be thoroughly understood and observed.

Gallo expressed comfort with words like  obey and  consequences for disobedience.

The Municipal Act  is clear on matters a Council may deal with behind closed doors. 

Plotting  a scheme to destroy the reputation of a  Councillor who is not malleable,is not in the list.

Nor are public resources  to be  expended to destroy one's political adversaries. Or to punish one for "disobedience".

Rules of confidentiality are not to provide cover and secrecy for  plots of nefarious intent

Councillor Gallo's comfort with words like obey and disobedience  reveals a mind  beset with the concept of power of the majority over the rights of the individual.  .

A chasm exists between myself and these two councillors. No set of rules will bridge the gap.

But  who among the rest  aligns themselves with those two.?

Which  consciously chose wording to uphold the principle of  absolute dominance?

My concerns  would be resolved by a simple adaptation of Bourinot's Parliamentary Rules.

They  have withstood the test of time and practice throughout  history. Their intent is to serve the principle of order over chaos.

They have been written and amended to suit the times by experts acknowledged nation wide and through the centuries.

Instead ,we have rules flooded with redundancy and phraseology that disrespects the authority of a person chosen by the electorate;  denies the  right to exercise judgment;  leading to frustration and precipitating  bitter dispute and serious consequences.

Unanimous agreement made in good faith  for  rules to abide by.for the rest of the term is essential.

Nothing less will suffice.

Whatever time it takes to reach  a common understanding , is the time it should  take.

Hours of  futile wrangling at  Council meetings are not conducive to mutual or the community's respect.. .

Rules giving  power to the  majority, to beat the minority into the ground. like a  wooden tent peg splayed out with a sledge hammer,  have the opposite effect..

7 comments:

Brickbat Returns said...

This town is ripe with bullying.

It is disturbing to say the least.

The higher you go,the integrity thins like the air.

Anonymous said...

Councillors Gaertner and Gallo should be muzzled in return for being permitted to attend Council and General Committee meetings.

They should have available to them an electronic voting device with three coloured light bulbs that would display their votes:

RED - No or Oppose

Green - Yes or In Favour

Yellow - Abstain or Undecided - It really makes no difference.

The length of Council and GC meetings would probably be reduced by 40% and they could still claim that they had participated in the decision making process.

Tough times require tough solutions.

Anonymous said...

It is obviously frustrating for you Evelyn that no-one is listening to you.
It seems no matter how much you blog about it that it falls on deaf ears.
Good luck.

Anonymous said...

You cannot change them; the hope is that the
other councillors have seen what this sort of
behaviour can lead to....bullying, foul language and
endless involvement with lawyers. They would act the
same way all over again. Nothing has been learned
by either individual and that is truly sad.

Anonymoose said...

Anonymous, so what you are saying is that Gaertner and Gallo should shut up and obey and not being permitted to attend would be the consequence for disobedience.

Anonymous said...

It must rankle that if they had stuck to Town
Business instead of personal vendettas, they could
all have been re-elected. But we did our best to stop
them.

Anonymous said...

We all did a dance of joy when the last lot were chucked out, however, I feel that Councillor Buck has gone from being the bullied to being the bully.
Please, Evelyn, enough with the personal vendettas.
Read some of your posts - you are trying to do to them what was done unto you.
Rise above.