"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

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Why Oh Why are there more questions than answers

The problem is ,it' s not just a Farmers Market.

The  Market vision statement claims to  "promote a relationship between the
public and the arts and cultural community in our area"

Sponsorships are collected on that basis.Thirteen  of them , including from  the Town of Aurora.

It's  almost midday Tuesday. It was Friday  morning when I  requested the amount of finding by the Town.   As yet I have not received it .

Neither from the myriad pages provided by Ms Kroeplin how much money the Market Executive is handling.

We  know of thirteen committee members, including Chair and vice chair who are not vendors.
We don't know  if vendors  are committee members, But thousands of hours of volunteer  labour  are tallied for our enlightenment.

Recruitment.nomination and election process to the committee is as follows:

Every year those present at the annual general meeting (or by proxy)  can let it be know they want to volunteer on the committee

No matter who might volunteer, past members  are selected by  present members to be the governing body of the Aurora Farmers Market.

In effect, no election is  held. Current members select themselves , priority being  past experience.

It's hard to understand why  Ms Kroeplin believes the method commends itself.

Harder still to understand why Aurora Council  has no concern.

A  considerable edifice gas been constructed  to solicit funds from groups  and organizations insidde and outside the  community .

The Market consists of thirty-four vendors.  The Town  jas agreed for aa specific location to be used for a Market and issues permits  to vendors for a fee.

It's not obvious the vendors have an organization to represent them in  dealing with the town as required by the Famers Market Bylaw.

The Chair and vice-chair  are not vendors .

Why are they even on the committee?

Why are they soliciting funds on behalf of the Market?

Why do the have a business relationship with a developer in the area?

Why are they receiving  funds from  said developer?


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a shame the market is there to promote a relationship with the arts and cultural community. What about the sciences? Wouldn't it be nice to discuss bridge construction or stormwater detention problems at the market while picking up strawberries?

Perhaps a small oversight by one of the consultants on the town's roster of consultants.

Anonymous said...


In Aurora, as soon as you mention the words "culture,"
"arts," "committee" or "board" you have invited a whirlwind into the community.

How something as simple as a farmers' market can deteriorate into bedlam is simply beyond understanding.

Possibly the council should cancel this event for 2015 and invite true farmer/produce vendors to create their own organizational structure from which should be banned all "professional" shit disturbers. If this were done in time it could be operational next year and if not so what.

Life is complicated enough without a bunch of special interest groupies sticking their fat heads and loud mouths into things that really do not concern them. The few of them spoil things for the great majority.

Off with them!

Anonymous said...

The biggest " Why " is why this individual decided to put everything on the line with her presentation. It was quite clear that there is no proper "election "of representatives & now the vendors find themselves in a mess not of their making. I am fairly certain the lady did not call a meeting of ALL concerned before she appeared at the meeting.

Anonymous said...

To 16:50

You are correct in your question of concern.

Texts went out to members of committee to come out and show support at council.

Another tidy-bit of info surfaced this past Saturday at the market.

It seems emergency meetings after the market closed, and e-mail voting was the norm under this chair.

As Christopher(who I don't have much time for)says

"WTF".

Oh, once in awhile Evelyn uses that too.

Anonymous said...

What? A slag against Watts and it got published? WTF????