"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 30 January 2015

The Point Is Definitely Worth Repeating

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Councillors Do Have A Function":


The Hoover dam, a large and complex engineering feat on a grand scale, was completed ahead of schedule. There were financial penalties if the work was not completed on time. It was constructed in the 1930's.

Today we have this nonsense on the leisure complex. The contractor found mold, roof now needs more support and the completion date is guesswork. The mayor and council have to determine who is responsible among the staff persons and departments and take action to prevent a recurrence.
The problem I see is most of the council members are incapable of taking appropriate action because they have to ask staff what action needs to be taken. They could spend months and months trying to make sense of staff reports.

Now I understand we are going to attempt to build a works garage on a difficult site with a flower garden on the roof.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 29 January 2015 at 15:11


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

If I have to, as most  know, I will keep hammering the point until the nail grabs.
Council has full authority and complete responsibility for all decisions made.

Yet  quotes on the bad news of five months delay in completion and $600,000 additional cost were  from new Councillors.Nary  a word attributed to the Mayor or his trusty Deputy or any other re-elected Councillor except for Councillor Thompson.

Councillor Thompson!s comment was not enlightening.

During the last term, Mayor Dawe was content to align himself with the administration.Council could have changed that but they opted not .

Safety in numbers I guess. Avoidance of "micro-managing" as good an excuse as any.
A  memorable quote comes to mind. "What do you expect us to do......storm  the walls of the Bastille"

Mais non,  mon ami ...what I expect when a twenty- six year employee in a modest job has her job slid right out from under her is a satisfactory explanation. But once again, I was  the only one

With Mayor Dawe, Council was never in charge. Nor did he so choose .

I have received a call urging me to go see what's happening on the site of the J.O.C

We read that staff are directed to study widening Industrial Parkway to four lanes to deal with, among other things, problems of traffic to be generated by the centre . It is situated on an extreme bend in a road designed  as a Bypass for  through traffic.

Other than letting you know to go see for yourself, there's not much else to be done now.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...




Does the word RESPONSIBILITY no longer exist?

Is there anyone out there prepared to take it?

And if not, why are they being paid?

Anonymous said...

I really think the time to widen Industrial might have been prior to the installation of sidewalks but then no one asked my opinion. But it will be paid for somehow..........

Anonymous said...

The Bastille is crumbling. This budget cannot be blamed on those who came before. Nor can the problems on the various sites owned by the town that just keep coming to the surface.
It is quite a different matter to be in a term with no visible enemies. Just a bunch of disgruntled taxpayers who can see where the responsibility lies.

Anonymous said...

To really make your day, check out the Budweiser "Lost Puppy " Ad !

Anonymous said...

09:42 - Where are all these "disgruntled taxpayers"? You do realize that the mayor and all but one incumbent councillor were re-elected, right?

Anonymous said...

Christopher.....

Anonymous said...

12:23
The emphasis was on keeping out the obvious nut-bars. Unfortunately we lost Evelyn because of the split. Now councillors have to justify themselves & it is not going to be easy.