"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 20 June 2014

Code of Conduct ...Procedure Bylaw ...All for Nought

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Furthermore":

Seems like there are a # of negotiations about which councillors [ some ? ] are not been kept informed. When the matter of the dead-lock between ice time & the CofC was discussed the other night, the Mayor mentioned that he had been working with the 2 sides. Nice if he could just drop a note when something reaches the stage where it hits the council table.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 20 June 2014 15:12


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

The situation illustrates what has been the entire term .

Council passes a resolution...there's no follow through.

Instead the Mayor takes it upon himself to hold meetings and discuss matters and out of that comes recommendations to Council. 

He  was attending closed meetings of the Culture Centre Board   at borad invitation, and keeping it  to himself for a  year before Council  even knew he was doing it. 

A resolution  was passed to  appoint a  museum curator  in the first year of the term 

Instead , without authority ,the Mayor  and CAO  had meetings with the President of the Historical Society and worked out something they thought was a better idea. 

The term is almost over and we are back to appointing a curator and nothing else  of substance has 
been accomplished. 

A couple of weeks ago I suggested Council should meet with representatives of the United Church congregation to discover if there is opportunity for mutual advantage in plans that must be made as a result of  Church being lost in a fire. 

Councillor Abel indicated the Mayor has been  having talks with Church representatives without Council authority.

I don't know if  other  councillors  are in the Mayor's confidence . It seems likely.

It's apparent Council has  not privy.

Commitments made by the Mayor have made without Council authority .

Such as the Mayor's signature on a looney tune  real estate scheme to separate the town from $11
million fore Heritage Fantasy Park. Even when all the  facts established no benefit to the town, he still persisted it was a good idea.

I'm never quite sure what route a staff recommendation has taken before it gets to the Council table.

The idea to compete with builders to acquire  the Stronach  development lands on Wellington Street for a community park, a real estate appraisal had already been obtained  and paid for.

It was $750,000 an acre. The price obtained under the bidding process was $1.2 million.

Not only was the  effort futile, it failed to take into consideration forfeit  revenues from Development  charges calculated  for use in the ten year capital forecast.

Nor did it factor reduced population figures derived from development  already factored into Master Recreation Plans.

These details  would not come  naturally to  the  Mayor's thinking because of his lack of experience.

The issue was  discussed behind closed doors because it was about real estate matters.

Council had not authorized  staff proceed in that direction.

Town resources were spent chasing after something that was senseless from the beginning.

The  Procedure Bylaw sets out requirements for  Council  to direct staff.

The Code of Conduct  clearly states  staff  take direction from  Council.

No single member of Council has authority to direct staff..

The Mayor is a single member of Council.

Time and time again recommendations are received  not requested  by Council.

Council resolutions  giving direction to staff are not followed through.

Part of the Mayor's function is to ensure Council direction is followed. in a timely manner..

That's not what happens.

If anyone at the table besides Councillor Abel is in on the strategy, if that's what it is.it's not apparent.

The  pair are members  of the closed meetings of the Culture Centre Board.

No record  exists of town involvement in  board affairs.

The Mayor and Councillor Thompson are  the  finance monitoring committee on the joint facility project.

Not a dicky bird has been heard  on that issue either.

Whatever comfort can be taken from the situation entirely escapes me.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yup, & the word " transparency " sure get bandied about too.

Anonymous said...


Why don't you put up that piece from yesterday about San Jose, California?

We seem to be moving in that direction at a fairly fast rate.

When there is no more money staff will get laid off, including police and fire personnel.

Anonymous said...

At the next council there is an item on debt financing of the Joint-Ops Project. Since we are in the middle of an election campaign begun far too soon, I do not expect any surprises. Same old, same old.

Anonymous said...

This type of activity is a page right out of York Region council.

Anonymous said...

Be gentle with your Italianate neighbours - they were expecting a longer run in the World Cup.

Anonymous said...

It’s unfortunate that the word “trust” in government has disappeared and probably never to come back. “Codes of Conduct”, “Codes of Ethics”, integrity commissioners, public inquiries, police investigations and even the media are all just smoke screens. It’s funny,I remember Ballard was a huge Code of Conduct/Ethics proponent with “teeth”, and now a Mpp for the Liberal gov’t. They only way we can change the way government behaves is to look for candidates with integrity. I would rather vote for a candidate with a track record of integrity and not like their platform than to vote for someone with no integrity and agree with their platform.

Anonymous said...

8:27-They're still in. Besides... They're already won the world cup being the best looking team. :)

Anonymous said...

10:19
Codes of Conduct & the like are usually for " others ".

Anonymous said...

Codes of conduct and the like were created to quiet those or "others" that are trying to break an old club.