"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 August 2013

Messy Management is Not Management. It's Chaos

Of course it's a good thing for Council to lend support and encouragement to volunteer organizations who provide various programming for their children. Every organization has an executive to manage business affairs. Promotion is part of executive responsibility. It is not a function of the Town's Council. The business of the municipality should not be set aside to promote the activities of volunteer organizations. High -priced administrative personnel should not be kept sitting idle at the Council table . having to be compensated with time off in lieu or payment for time sent that accomplished nothing. The town des support volunteer organizations in many ways. Facilities for programs, advice for start-ups to name a couple. The Bulletin Board is accessible to voluntary organizations to promote their events. The town's web site contributes to circulation of information. We have a Leisure Services department with an $11 or $12 million budget in support of services other than services to property. The Council meeting is the town's executive meeting to deal with an operating budget of $52. million or thereabouts. Management of a business agenda that provides insufficient time for cmpletion on a consistent basis is not management. It is mis-management. Staff have, from time to time, tried to steer Council to recognize business priorities, to no avail. Councillors are not willing to take responsibility for properly organizing time. They are unwilling to risk the wrath of people who believe Council meetings and town business are solely about their interests. And don't anyone try to tell them otherwise. During the cell tower brouhaha ,Councillor's Gallo and Ballard asked me to remove their names from my e-mail list . They did not want to be associated with my "insults " to a resident. They circulated their request to the same e-mail list. Which, by the way, was not mine to begin with. A resident who was unable to attend one of the number of Council meetings the residents delegated, had not appreciated my response. He forwarded a number of questions for me to answer. I responded , civilly, with a couple for him to answer to himself. Gallo and Ballard decided they had something to teach me and circulated their reference to insults. The story encapsulates the a political dilemma. I believe the town's business is in chaos, starting with ill-managed business meetings which are never completed and cannot be completed because no control is exercised and time is improperly allocated. If that's what you see in the public forum ,why should anything different be expected behind the scenes. If Councillors are not encouraged by the community, and indeed are discouraged from making the necessary correction, there is really no reason to anticipate any improvement.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I fear electioneering has taken over & any semblance of progress is out the window. There was an American editorial of Obama being towed off to sea on water skis on his way to History. Our Council is headed in the same direction.

Anonymous said...

Everyone at that table was aware of the public anger over run-on meetings loaded with personal agenda last term. It seems astonishing that they have let themselves follow the same pattern.

Anonymous said...

The agenda is up. It would appear as if all the studies & reports ordered by Council to procrastinate have returned. Since there is no one in charge from those who we elected, there has to be a suspicion that staff are going to try to ram-rod the entire thing through the system. The treasurer's report alone is mind-blowing.

Anonymous said...


A good manager is someone who can set priorities and then see that they are carried out.

A good manager has to be a good leader, someone who can work with others and convince them that the course he/she is setting is correct, responsible and achievable for the better interest of all.

Aurora Council is no different from the Ontario legislature or the Federal Parliament. All are lacking in good leaders and hence all are being mismanaged.

It is interesting to note the initial comments by MPP Frank Klees following the PC Debacle in the recent by-elections. Initially there was no apparent concern with the leadership of Mr. Hudak. But within a matter of a few days Mr. Klees rethought the situation and felt that a leadership review might be a good thing.

And John Baird, from wherever in the world he is at the moment, is singing the praises of Mr. Hudak for a job well done.

Both Mr. Klees and Mr. Baird seem to have no idea about the reality of Ontario politics or the way voters perceive Mr. Hudak.

But then, all three of them fall short of the mantle of leadership, so why would they say anything different?

Anonymous said...

A good day at the office. Maybe windows wide tonight. Take care.

Anonymous said...

@19:10
You should read today's article "behind the curtain"
The media manipulation a lies and deceit are astounding
Of course since it is Liberal related partisans like you give it a pass

Anonymous said...


16:21 August 10

Unfortunately there is not enough space here nor an inclination on my part to cast spears at the "leaders/former leaders" of the major political parties every time I say something.

If my observation appeared partial it is because I was commenting on three members of the PC/C party.

I could just have easily have zeroed in on members of the others, and then I would be criticized by someone else.

If the RCMP is investigating senators over inappropriate expense claims I feel that former Premier McGuinty should likewise be investigated, for having directed and abetted a cover-up. In his case we are not talking about a paltry few hundreds of thousands of dollars but rather about several hundreds of millions of dollars.

Have a nice evening.

Broderick Epps said...

I followed the article mentioned by
@16:21
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/a-glimpse-into-backrooms-of-power/article13701432/?utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=E-mail:+Newsletters+/+E-Blasts+/+etc.&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links

and am curious why no outrage anywhere especially after reading the emails released.Especially the media manipulations that allow for lazy people to regurgitate what they read.It seems to be endemic here.