"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 19 October 2012

It's Not True That A Statement Repeated Often Enough

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Logic or The Lack Thereoff":
Let's take a look at Christopher Watts' latest post, dealing with the "artifacts" of the Aurora Historical Society.

If the photographs that he has used to illustrate some of this material are representative, it almost appears that the best course of action would be to turf the entire collection. You could turf the Society at the same time and stop paying either $50,000 or $100,000 per year toward it's operating cost. Might as well pitch the curator while you're at it.
And depending on the suitability and acceptability of the Ad Hoc Centre 'tedium' one might give consideration to pitching it as well and start over with a vacant old, fully restored building. With the adjoining land owned by the town you could build a theatre/concert hall and have a world class facility right at the heart of our town.
*********************
Here lies irony. 
The history of the Historical Society grant has been told many times. How it  started, how it deviated into  something that was never intended and how it currently relates to nothing .
In Council ,it matters not a whit.
People in the community understand  it perfectly.
As the comment above illustrates.
Last week, the Mayor commented that  if  a statement  is repeated often enough  eventually it's  accepted as the truth. 
Why not if it's true ?
If  it's not convenient to deal with the truth what does it matter?
The Aurora Historical Society was given the second floor of Church Street School for a museum when the Board of Education moved out in 1976. A provincial grant was available to pay rent for a museum. 
An application was made, he grant was paid to the town and  the Historical Society had a facility rent free. .
A curator was hired. The museum became  more than  a static display.  Programs  were available to schools and  history summer camp  were created. . Professional research service  was provided to the town's planning department. 
In the eighties ,I discovered the grant received  that offset cost of operating Church Street School had morphed into a grant from the  treasury to the Historical Society.
No rent was being received but  a professional curator was providing services. 
 My questions about how that  had eveolved were never answered. At the time, it wasn't an issue. The community was receiving value in return for the funding.
When I returned  again in 2003, a different scenario greeted me.  There was no museum. The collection was packed away. .
The curator was still providing services to the planning department .
But then  after twenty-five years of service came a retirement. 
The grant continued. The curator position was refilled.  The Historical Society claimed  ownership of the curator.
The grant continued .Without the museum, the classroom program or the summer camps. 
The town hired a heritage planner for  research. A hundred thou combined added to the payroll.  
The new curator was instrumental in obtaining a $750,000 grant for the new museum facility being created in the Church Street School.
Also served as resource person on the Ad Hoc  Heritage and Culture committee chaired by Councillor Gaertner.
Shortly after  left to  accept a  position in the town of Markham. 
Before that the Historical Society withdrew thecommitment to manage the new museum. They had  a legal agreement  with the town to protect their financial investment in the Church Street School.
They surrendered that on advice from financial services. 
No museum materialized after the Culture  Centre Board agreement was signed. 
The grant  continued and and  a new person  appointed to fill the  departed curator's place, with a new title of Business Manager.
In 2012,  the town provided an additional $50,000 grant  to the Historical Society to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of HiIlary House. 
And that's the story of that;s the glory of  how we come to be handing all that money over to a small group of residents  who form the Aurora Historical Society, without receiving  a specific definitive benefit in return.
We don't even have  a cockamamie purchase of service agreement.
We repeatedly hear the suggestion the Historical Society and the Culture Centre Board should have the same status as the Library Board and receive a budget from the town.  
Responsible management of town finances? I don't see it. 
I have repeated the facts many times. 
Even though they are verifiable, it seems no one is inclined to accept them as true. .
Which of course means, another  issue  where the Mayor and I disagree. 
It isn't a question of  statements being repeated often enough eventually being accepted as true.
It doesn't matter whether or not they are true.
If the Mayor and Council are not inclined to deal with it

     
  


6 comments:

Anonymous said...


to SNARKY 9:58 PM October 19

Take your head out of the sand or from whatever bodily orifice within which you store it.

Scorched earth is destructive.

Taking a beautiful historic fully restored building and turning it into an instructional centre for all the arts and then to have adjacent to it a world-class theatre/concert hall where many of the same arts could be performed is hardly scorching earth.

Maybe you should reconsider your own rather vacuous statement.

Anonymous said...

This is all academic. Aurora is entrusted with providing tax-payers with necessities, their requirements to live in Aurora. It should not be playing around trying to fulfill the dreams and hopes of a few specially vocal residents. If an item on the agenda does not fit the requirement of filling a need for Aurora with suitable funding available, it should be shelved, probably permanently.

Anonymous said...

If they do not wish to hear people talk about sneaky meetings, the easiest solution is not to attend sneaky meetings. Residents would far rather the time be spent hammering away to reduce taxes.

Anonymous said...

"Taking a beautiful historic fully restored building and turning it into an instructional centre for all the arts..."

Which is what we have, so no need for argument.

Razing the Town's civic centenary project is "destructive" and should be a non-starter.

Anonymous said...

11:33 AM
Wrong. Your error lies in the use of the verb ' to have ' implying ownership and some degree of control.. Aurora has no control over programing or spending, the latter in advertising alone being outrageous. Aurora simply provides the building and core funding. Oh, and keeping up the building is on our remit, too. Possession is in the hands of an unelected, secretive board. It appears they may be 'allowing ' Council reps to attend meetings sometime but we know nothing about awkward instructions they might receive. Not going into all the details as you know them well. But, no, Aurora does not 'have' it's building.

Anonymous said...

Well, 3:46 PM, I don't share your negative perspective, so we'll just have to agree to disagree.

(Then I can pat you on the head and tell you to run along, you little scamp)