"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

Saturday 1 February 2014

Last One Through the Gate is Mammy's Big Tumshy

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Forefinger to the floor,man And Keep to the Beat...":

It could be seen as a poor reflection on council...but more so it's an extremely poor reflection on staff. Staff should have done the job of finding out these technicalities with this switch. I don't think anyone on council is an expert with LED technology.

********************

I disagree.

By election, Councillors  accept liability for  decisions. 

Members have responsibility for inquiry. 

It has never been so easy.  Every member is on line. Information is as close as one's fingertips. 

Ledd lighting is a  new marketed,manufactured  unproven product . 

The plan is to replace functional fixtures with the product In one fell swoop ,at a cost of $3 million. 

It's not complicated .

It's a common sense decision. 

Is  Council  accountable for careful stewardship of public resources ? 

Has the Council table become a casino table ?

Is it about winning with stacked odds ?

Devil take the hindmost.

And no greater principle involved .

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think what that person might be getting at is what happened in that subdivision to the south. The plan was to bring the lighting up to some new standard. The neighbours objected. Really didn't want it done. The staff person basically said it had to be done even if it wasn't wanted or needed. Required of the town. Sort of like a few of the accessibility requirements. Elevators to nowhere.
You have to wonder if staff work for the town or the region. Sometimes it is awfully hard to figure out. Even for staff.
But you are quite right. Computers make a plea of ignorance untenable.

Anonymous said...

Some of us are new to this dance. You'll have to be patient as we are coming to realize how fragile any coalitions we thought existed really are.

Anonymous said...

Cllr Thompson is an expert on everything.

Anonymous said...

You're right Evelyn. At the end of the day Council is responsible. But someone's ass should be grass for whoever on staff headed this project.

Anonymous said...

20:24
It is a team now - no one takes the hit.

Anonymous said...


I don't think you can say that as a consequence of getting elected Councillors accept liability for their decisions.

Let's turn the clock back to October 25, 2010 when a new mayor and four new councillors were elected, taking up office on December 1.

None of these five people had ever been elected to public office before. They did not even know the procedural rules, much less the facts about any one of many dozens of things that must have come before them as a municipal council during their first few months.

They turned to staff for guidance and advice, particularly if there was a fairly technical component or one that required an element of significant cost. Most might not even have known the questions to ask.

Responsibility does not necessarily equal liability.

At the present moment, after almost three and a half years as a council, the individual members seems to be making a greater hash of things, despite their inquiry, their knowledge(?) than they they did as rookies.

There are several matters involving multi-millions of dollars at play that make the $3 million lightbulb issue seem like child's play.

This council has wasted countless hours on stupid discussion that had nothing to do with the care and well-being of the town.

Time is money and wasting time is wasting money.

The Hillary Park spectacle would find a better reception at a crap game, which is probably where it belongs, along with its advocates.

Anonymous said...

The common sense decision would have to reflect the fact that Aurora does not have a handy $3 million to throw away.