"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 28 July 2015

STEM ROT IS A BAD THING

So....we have dialogue . It's a good thing. 

Brock Weir excels in using accurate quotes. Choice  of quotes is his decision. 

I take cues from the Auroran. It's  the source of news for most. I fill in details from personal experience. Chris Watts posts are extremely informative. . Anna Lozyk Romeo attends meetings and posts regularly on her Blog. 

I think Brock is biased but no more so than any other reporter. He's not writing Hansard. He has to start, flesh out ,finish every story and fit it into available space. It's the nature of his job. 

It also represents  an occupational hazard for politicians. 

The former CAO has been credited  with maintaining order at meetings.

It's not his job and that's not what happens.,

Staff reports bear two signatures. The relevant Director and CAO's 

Had  he still  been on board, the CAO signature would have been the second on the radio station feasability report. 

Unless he decided Council's authority should be disregarded. It wasn't likely. It clearly was the Mayor's 
Heart's Desire. resolutions by a Presinf Member is not the norm. 

During the last term and the previous, the elected body was frequently disrespected. Resolutions passed were never heard of again. The process was selective and the Mayor was complicit.,

If a Council can't depend on the Mayor to support  their collective authority.,they are compelled to exercise it themselves. 

That never happened.  

The right to govern ourselves, well or badly, as far as I could tell, was a foreign concept to this Mayor and the former and various staff members.


The Chief Administrative Officer is not a traditional role and is loosely defined in the Municipal Act.

The Municipal Clerk carries the weight of  statutory responsibilities. His signature accompanies the Mayor's on all legal agreements and municipal bylaws. It is his/her job to ensure Council direction, determined by resolution,is precisely followed.

He is under pain of prosecution if things are not done according to his  legal responsibility. 

Public Records rest entirely with the Clerk. 

A duly certified municipal clerk  and deputy-clerk are required to be appointed by law. No such stricture applies to either CAO  or Town Solicitor position. 

think the office of CAO conflicts with legal responsibilities of the Municipal Clerk. 

In the last ire-organization, recommended by the CAO, the position of Director of Legislative Services  was terminated  to "save money" . The Municipal Clerk now  serves under the jurisdiction not only of CAO but alsoTown Solicitor, who is also not required by law.

Bad stuff happens and has happened in Aurora because of lack of clarity and confusion generated re authority of the  role of CAO and Municipal Clerk.

The former CAO exercised authority surrendered to him by current and former Mayors , each for a different reason but both for political ends.,

In my judgement, the community is not well served by the circumstance.

Successive Councils have failed to recognize or exercise their authority.  The Mayor is but one of nine. 

A Council  member disrespected means all members and the community at large  are disrespected.

The institution fails. 

Nothing good can come of it. 

And nothing has. 

14 comments:

Anonymous said...


Would Donald Trump make a better mayor than Geoff Dawe?

Would Donald Trump survive in any elected position that he might capture?

Is Geoff Dawe surviving as mayor of Aurora, now well into his fifth year? Has he learned anything? Not much.

Donald Trump would certainly take our minds off the apple while the orchard was raped.

Unfortunately we in Aurora have to watch the rape of our hard earned dollars.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

20:55- We don't have to watch any such thing. There was a post earlier that said we need to be actively engaged with are elected officials if we want change. I certainly remember when residents packed council with that bell tower, the clear garbage bag program, the tree cutting drama, and all those that showed up for that culture center. It worked for them. It's amazing to me the amount of money we hand over to our elected officials and then just ignore how they spend it.



Anonymous said...

The Mayor does forget he has just the one vote - it is always amusing when he hits a seed-bumo and a group take sits own directions. A leader as long as there are followers. But the assistance at crucial moments by the departing one are now just awkward gaps.

Anonymous said...

I agree 20:55 but there is one equation not spoken of.

The old boys club(see Mayors buddies)
Have a ring leader(see man behind the curtain).

He is running the show and digging for every last dollar.

Only the elite members will benefit.

Anonymous said...

None of the new- when they were new and the current new ones- have attended that course held weekends for new councillors. as far as I know. It involves some travel to whatever town is holding the classes and some time from other activities. But it does teach the basics. Even the mayor was going around with little booklet on how to be a mayor
Now if someone could just help get this heat wave to move on ?

Anonymous said...

Very well said Ev - I don't always agree with you, but you have been on target these past few weeks!

Anonymous said...

More on Mr Watts Blog

Anonymous said...

The Auroran is coming up

Anonymous said...

7:10- Ahh.. the old boys club. It's a pretty tight group. It extends beyond this Town borders. Many forget...but we are part of a Region.

Anonymous said...

I am confused.
The Mayor states that he believes that the radio station should not cost the town any money.
But - somehow it is receiving a rent-free room in the Leisure Centre for a year or so and $10,000 to start the furnishing.
Does he think that does not entail value ? A lot of businesses would take that with a huge thank-you.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:10
May I disagree about a moving hand. There are simply too many goofs, for lack of a better word that Evelyn might have to cut.

Anonymous said...



I am getting a headache because there are certain words/phrases in apparent common usage that are meaningless to me.

HELP

Millennial Generation Y Hashtag

Anonymous said...

Well, someone directed staff to prepare that report. They do not go out and spend time and money of their own initiative.
Clearly the mayor doesn't think it was himself. Maybe it was the pixies.