"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

Sunday 30 June 2013

He huffed and he puffed and blew thehouse down


He blew down the house of straw

He blew down the house of sticks

When he couldn't blow down  the house of f brick, he climbed down the chimney into  the cauldron of boiling water awaiting his arrival.



During the last term  of office, the town spent  Close  to three-hundred thousand dollars on the traffic calming scheme in the north-east quadrant. This term we had to start dismantling the same..

A communication from the Region indicates  Wellington/Yonge  intersection is among the worst  traffic hotspots in the Region . 

The  new condo on the north corner of Centre Street  will have ninety-six units and commercial units at street level

That traffic plan will likely have to be reviewed again. and more money spent to remove  obstructions to the safe free flow of traffic on those streets. 

In the last term,  Nisbet  Drive was moved west by a metre to allow  a sidewalk to be constucted a metre away from the property line on the east  and  a beautiful street tree removed to accommodate one resident's wishes. 

Also in the last term,  five or six residents on Knowles Crescent  got $60,000  handed to them to complete their  extravagant driveways  The acting-director of public works was pushed to the side and a consultant hired to negotiate to the lucky residents' satisfaction. 


Also, three lights  on Canadian Tire parking lot were hooked up to the  town's  street light system to satisfy demands of  residents of  condo owners who had a tri-party agreement  complete with dispute resolutions with Canadian Tire and one other party.

These  were but  a few solutions  conjured contrary to the town's  interest by the previous Council.

All  took the Oath of Office.   The majority signed the Code of Conduct.

At the Council meeting before last ,Councillor Gaertner accused the town's planning department of mis-handling   a matter  resulting in a cell tower being erected in another  municipality  under the regulation  of CRTC .

The Towns C.A.O.  followed with profuse apologies for the failure and vowed it would not happen again. 

The following week, a spokesmanfor residents   opposed to the cell tower  attended Council  and  demanded  a judicial review of the circumstances that led to the cell tower being constructed. 

Councillor Gaertner was joined by several Councillors  in supporting that request. 

All  of them of course too  the Oath of Office to ensblethem totake their seats and protect the municipality's  interest during their term of office.

We must give the people what they want" is  the Councillor's oft-repeated statement .

In her mind it seems "the people" are whoever is standing before her making  demands in their self- -interest.

It is difficult  to believe the Councillor's accusation of wrong-doing against  the town's planning staff  was  not the reason  for the demand for a judicial inquiry into wrong-doing by town 
planning staff.

Even more difficult  that it was not made  precisely for the purpose of  generating the demand. 





3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes, I wish there was traffic calming on Memory Lane.

Anonymous said...

Right Just what the town needs. Another witch-hunt this time directed at staff. By the same tight little group who claimed to be ' defending ' staff in the previous term. Irony abounds. It is also costing the town money as usual.

Anonymous said...

The Four Corners in Bradford has much the same problem, although on a smaller scale, as Yonge & Wellington. That town has grown outwards while the centre remains static. Fortunately there is an alternative route but it is already far too busy.