The Dance of the Seven Veils

ORIGINALLY POSTED Thursday, February 22, 2007

The town has a web site. The link is on this page. Everything about the town's goings on that anyone can think of, is on the web.

In 2006, it was re-designed at a cost of $70,000. The monthly maintenance fee is $5000 and the licensing fee is $8000. Staff time for posting is 14 hours a week at an annual cost of $19000. We have barely discovered the many uses to be made of this exciting new communication tool.

We spend between $48 and $52 thousand dollars a year on the Notice Board which appears in the Era Banner weekly. Our staff do all the layout. So there is an additional man hour factor. The circulation is upwards of 70,000 but not all in our area. So the payback is not all benefit.

We put town documents in the library for public viewing. They are at the desk of the Corporate Services department in the Town Hall for anyone needing access. The benefit there is people can ask for help in interpreting the jargon.

People can buy town documents at a cost of production. Depending on the size, the fee can range from a couple of dollars to three hundred dollars.

A couple of weeks ago, council passed a resolution to allow people to sign out documents free of charge for a period of two weeks.

There was no input from staff about how to implement the new plan. Would the documents be loose leaf ? Would they need to be bound? Would there be a penalty if the documents were not returned? Would the cost of the documents be charged if they were not returned? If not, why not? And how would that be accomplished? Would staff have to go out and track down the documents to recover them?

The resolution was strangely silent in that regard although quite verbose in others. It can be read on the Town's web site, in the minutes.

Part of the resolution, directed staff to provide free copies of budget documents to an individual who regularly attends budget meetings. It had been done informally and unofficially, now it is part of official policy to give preferential treatment to one citizen.

Other than the person referred to above, there is no demand from citizens for free copies of town documents. Most taxpayers probably recognize that everything has a cost. If not paid for with a fee from the person who wants it, it will certainly be paid for by a tax on everyone else.

So, readers can see, all kinds of things are happening in the interest of openness and transparency.

I wrote a letter to the editor last week giving a synopsis of events leading to a closed door discussion on Aurora Cable's intention to erect three small wind turbines for a back-up supply of power. I offered no criticism. I set out the sequence of events and allowed readers to form their own conclusions.

That is apparently not the openness and transparency some council members have in mind for the dissemination of public information.

A Letter to the Editor

ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, February 17, 2007

The last meeting of council prior to an election is a favourite venue for lobbyists to pressure councillors to accede to their demands.

Sadly, their efforts are usually successful.

It was no different last year. Three residents from Ridge Road demanded council enforce conditions of an OMB decision on Aurora Cable.

The trio had objected to the application before a Committee of Adjustment hearing. The application was granted. They filed an Appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. They had legal representation as did Aurora Cable.

The O.M.B. approved the application. Now they were at council to insist conditions be immediately complied. Seven councillors were present. Despite staff advice there were no time limits for conditions to be met, four members directed staff to meet with Aurora Cable and direct them to comply.

The Ridge Road Trio had been to council before with their arguments. They have been several times since, during the new term. They bring sheafs of papers citing federal and provincial laws and regulations. They persist in their dispute with town staff as to definitions of town zoning and the provincial building code. They bring pictures.

Holding the door open for the ongoing onslaught is the support of four councillors and the Mayor. The last motion from Councillor Evelina MacEachern directed staff to submit a written definition of the word "storage".

ACI have sent their envoy to council again and again to outline their intentions and good faith.Their plans are to secure a back-up of energy by the use of three small wind turbines, a conservation measure ...and green technology.

Finally, Jim Irvine, owner of ACI sent a letter outlining a two year history of following advice of Aurora staff at every step of the way in their endeavour.

Still, the Mayor declared to council her willingness to meet with the Ridge Road Trio, town staff and ACI representatives on their property to find a "solution".

Walter Mestrinaro, of the Ridge Road Trio issued a challenge. Let ACI, the residents and the town go to court and seek a decision.

Councillor McEachern declared herself willing.

Subsequently, a letter was received from Mr. Irvine declaring the door is closed to further discussion.

The latest development has seen the issue retreat behind closed doors. Councillor McEachern indicated the object was to determine the town's legal liability should there be a catastrophe on the site.

The town's interest is never harmed by an open discussion of insurance liability in any matter. This was no reason for a secret meeting.

In fact, there is no reason, nor has there been since the OMB decision, for any further discussion.

ACI's experience at the hands of four councillors and the Mayor, is a classic example of why the Ontario Municipal Board was created in the first place. There are matters of citizen's rights, which simply cannot be left to the vagaries of the political arena.

At last week's meeting, Walter Mestrinaro was appointed to the Committee of Adjustment by a vote of the same four councillors and the Mayor.

A Non-Issue

ORIGINALLY POSTED Tuesday, February 13, 2007

I was not asked. I did not say I would. So I didn't.

I have neither responsibility nor authority over the organization, I had none over the one that preceded it and even less now. We do not own Power Stream. We have no authority over Power Stream.

I have no more interest in their capital plan or their 2007 budget than I have over Bell Canada, Enbridge Gas or Aurora Cable.

I am a customer...nothing more .. nothing less. The only thing that concerns me is how much they will be charging in 2007. I don't have control of that either, but I do have an interest.

If I discovered the C.E.O. whoever he/she is has a take-home pay in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, that would annoy me. There is nothing in the bullet presentation to indicate they will touch on that subject, and I do not have a right to ask. There are some things I am better off not knowing.

Tonight is council night. It starts at 7:00 pm. It is supposed to end at 10:30 pm. It frequently goes beyond the hour of adjournment with no particular advantage. If there is going to be bad temper or irritation, it is more likely to happen in the last hour...and that shouldn't surprise anyone.

Councillors have been at work all day. Some of them no doubt commute. Hardly had time to have a meal with the family and then off to the meeting. At ten-thirty, after listening or talking for three and a half hours, the chances of anything sensible happening are considerably reduced.

It was about 10:25 pm when I swatted my old friend and colleague, Ron Wallace with a limp, thin,folded, copy of his own newspaper several years ago. It was a swat heard around the world. It didn't start a third world conflagration but it did earn a Google Alert.

It was mentioned again, at the tribute to Tim Jones. Sometimes, I wonder, if I had not done it, what would people find to laugh about.

But I digress.

I am not going tonight to listen to a powerpoint presentation from Power Stream, the company that services our municipality with power. There is a promise of pizza and pop for those who don't have time to go home for supper. I am not tempted.

Due to rate harmonization, my hydro will cost less this year.

They must be doing something right.

"True Friends Stab You In The Front" - Oscar Wilde

ORIGINALLY POSTED Friday, February 9, 2007

I tend not to waste time analysing the results of an election. What is … is - There is no point to belabour. One is either in or out. Of course, that's my head talking. What I feel in my gut is not so pragmatic.

Last night,Thursday, there was a tribute to former Mayor Tim Jones at DiNardo's Mansion. It was SPECTACULAR! $10,000 was raised for the Cancer Centre at South Lake Health Centre.

The house was sold out. The program was terriific .But I couldn't help wondering with so many enthusiastic friends and supporters how did he lose the election?

Of course everybody knows the campaign was three years long. It started the day of the previous election. The cruellest cut of all came within weeks of November 13th. .. from Dick Illingworth. This is not to say it caused Tim to lose. Dick's chosen candidate did not do well at all.

Richard enjoys tremendous respect in the community. He has been the Mayor. He knows the challenges and he has become the town guru. He wrote a column about the failure of many new small businesses.

When a person opens a business it may be the biggest gamble they will ever undertake. It may be because of a lost job at a time in their lives when it seems they might never find another.

They may be investing a severance package or mortgaging their home. It is about hope and courage and not a little fear. Every resource they have, financial and personal, may be riding on the success of this new venture.

It may just be a dream they've had forever.

Whatever the reason, nothing is more significant than the grand opening.

They look for ways to make it special. They invite everyone, have opening specials, refreshments, favours for children... maybe a hot air balloon ride. Money is spent on advertising and they invite the press. Fun and games are the order of the day.

But the ceremony is provided by the Mayor. When the ribbon is cut or the first shovel of dirt is lifted the die is cast.

It's always easy for yahoos to jeer and sneer. The reality is, people everywhere have an intuitive regard for the person who holds the highest office in the community.

On the other hand, to be the Mayor, is to want to be what people think you are. It is to be everywhere they want you to be. If it means trying to be in two places at the same time, that's what you strive to do.

At a small business opening, it is to send up a little prayer that everything hoped for will be, because the sad fact is 50% of all small businesses fail.

Being Mayor means people take you into their lives. You become part of their hopes and dreams,... their celebrations ... and sometimes their grief.

When they don't want you any more that becomes part of having been the Mayor.

The headline in the Auroran struck hard. I was not the candidate but I felt the blow.

"The Mayor is a Jinx" declared the title of the column by former Mayor Richard Illingworth.

He has reason to know better than that.

An Evening In Wonderland

ORIGINALLY POSTED Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Last night, Tuesday, council went into the back room with a packet of 285 applications from citizens interested in participating on advisory committees. The applications are complete with resumés and or curriculae vitae.

Seven councillors were planning to examine each one and decide who would have most to contribute to the various committees. You have to admire their energy and commitment. They finished near midnight.

I didn't go.

Until now, the selection process has been done by the Director of Corporate Services. He short-listed then council made their decisions.

I don't believe advisory committees do anything that council can't do with less staff ...expense...and paper production. Oh My God - the paper!. I have to dig myself out to get out of the house! Multiply that by a factor of many and imagine the payroll to produce that stuff ...and the machinery …the space ... the paper... and you are paying for all of it.

Think of the paper the power used to manufacture it .. print on it ... distribute it ... and ultimately re-cycle it .If the "reduce re-use and recycle" philosophy can't be applied at city hall, where else can it be expected to occur?

Councillors are paid. It isn’t much, but the job is supposed to be part-time and we do have an administration responsible to manage the corporation.

About now though, the administration must be wondering about their function. Considering the extent of our investment in expertise, that is a disturbing thought.

There were a couple of other dramatic changes last evening:

When 9/11 happened insurance rates in Southern Ontario sky-rocketed. To protect the towns from the impact, a group of municipalities formed a co-op. No profit factor, no reps, no dividends, better coverage, lower premiums.

Last night , we re-invented the wheel and directed staff to go back to the private sector to see if we could do better.

We had a progress report from staff on a gateway sign. The last council approved the design etc. Eighty thousand dollars were ponied up by a developer. They didn't part with it lightly. A consultant was hired. Plans were prepared, applications made and fees paid. Money has been spent, wheels set in motion.

Last night, we undid all that to start from scratch again.

It shouldn't take long to get rid of $80,000 without leaving a trace of it.

That takes exceptional talent.

We had a report that involved storm water management ponds. They catch the pollutants in run off from roads, driveways and roofs and divert them from creeks and waterways and eventually from The Lake. That's 85% of the pollutants that used to go into the streams and waterways and eventually the Lake don't go there any more. The ponds are monitored once a year.That represents phenomenal progress.

The works director was directed to monitor the ponds more than once a year and 85% is not effective enough. He should be striving for 100%.

There's a buffer between wetlands and development and a planting plan for it. The Director of Leisure Service was quizzed whether the plants would be “wind propagated”. Other than bird droppings, I didn't know there was any other kind of propagation. But I don't need to.

All I need to do is make sure the people we hire are experts in their field so that I can depend on them. Aurora has good staff.

All they need is to know there is respect and appreciation for their professional integrity.

If people expect me to be a horticulture expert, a financial analyst, a design consultant, a soccer aficionado and a director of corporate services, with a dozen other areas of expertise , all rolled into one, there will be serious disappointment abroad in the land.

But they are paying me just about right.

Variations on a Theme

ORIGINALLY POSTED Monday, January 29, 2007

If I had jumped up on my desk and mooned the council, that would have been disorderly conduct (and a feat beyond my capability to say nothing of aesthetics
If I had hurled my water jug across the horseshoe at a councillor, that would certainly have been disorderly conduct (I have been tempted).

If I had swooped around the horseshoe like Rambo, whacking willy-nilly with my cane, that would definitely qualify as assault with a weapon and disorderly conduct (some have urged me!).

I never did any of those things. Yet, it is a matter of record that I was ordered from council for disorderly conduct. How could it happen? And how did I earn the distinction of being the only councillor in Aurora's history to suffer the notoriety of being expelled from the chamber?

Prior to the advent of my Blog, I never could have set the record straight. I shall do so forthwith:

Council, fourteen years previously, honoured a sitting Mayor by giving his name to a prominent street. The address of the Town Hall therefore also carried the name.

Several elections went by...the honoured member continued to enjoy the confidence of voters.

Subsequently an individual came to town who ran and lost an election for the office of Mayor. Eventually, he was elected councillor. His first priority was to change the name of the aforementioned street." It was worth a lot of money in advertising for a candidate to have his name on a street", he said.

The move to remove the honour did not succeed.

Fast forward - new council….same effort. It succeeded on a vote of five to four. None of the proponents offered a rationale.

It was the failure to offer any reason that formed my contention the vote was pre-packaged and its supporters were complicit . I have since decided it was also an abuse of process. The Mayor decided my comment should be withdrawn. Instead , I withdrew myself from the council chamber - thereby the illusion was created that I was expelled for cause.

Court precedents have established a municipal council is as much a legislative body as any other level of government. Councillors have the authority and the obligation to put forward their perception of any matter under debate.

The abiding principle of democracy is our right to govern ourselves. and nowhere is it more real than at the muniicipal level of government. We have not always enjoyed that right .

Rules of procedure require that when a councillor is recognized by the chair, thirty-minutes are allowed to present an argument without interruption. The same points cannot be repeated. No personal criticism can be levelled nor can the motives of another councillor be insinuated. Arguments must adhere to the question.

A point of order must be clearly and succinctly stated .

The purpose of the rules is to ensure civility in an atmosphere where strongly held and opposing views may be expressed .

A councillor may be called to order by the chair, or by another councillor when the rules are compromised. The chair must rule.

The rules are clear and unambiguous.

Meetings are frequently long and lugubrious. I often fantasize about how they could be livened up. I picture myself grabbing the microphone, tossing my cane in the air, and breaking into a fantastic song and dance routine. Music exists for every conceivable circumstance.

The right to silently contemplate a preposterous and ridiculous fantasy is undisputed.

The right to shout down another, in the midst of an expression of ideas is not.

In a span of over forty years, I have regularly sought to serve, on my terms . I have been elected. People who vote for me and those who do not, know exactly what to expect.

It is the same thing I expect from a councillor and I'm the only one I know, who does it.

One Lump or Two?

ORIGINALLY POSTED Wednesday, January 24, 2007

It is the morning after and it may not be the time. On the other hand, making a record will undoubtedly help move it along.

Council met in committee last night…..a pattern is beginning to emerge. These are early days in the term, heretofore it has been easy to ignore.

The matter at hand is the repeated energetic efforts of three residents to persuade council that town staff advice is wrong on the matter of Aurora Cable's plans to improve their plant operation on their 11 acre site on Ridge Road.

The residents have been at council several times. Each time they come with new and heavily researched arguments of provincial and federal laws and regulations to prove they are right and everyone else is wrong.

Last night, they indicated they intended to come back again if their views did not prevail.

Council indicated willingness to continue efforts to find a way to resolve the matter.

I made the observation, the residents would clearly never be satisfied unless the town accepts their direction

At that point, the chairperson declared “those comments are not acceptable at this table.”

It is tiresome, not-to-say weird, to have to remind colleagues that I do have the right and the responsibility to offer a perspective.

We hear it and we read it, over and over about the public's right to know, the public's right to have input, the public's right to participate in the decision-making process. All of it valid. None of it new.

Yet this council, last council and it seems several councils before, has lost touch with the fact that they alone can claim authority to represent the public. They alone are accountable for decisions made during their term of office.

In this term, we now have a situation whereby a person speaking to council, on a subject of his own choosing, during an informal public forum, has his comments included in the formal record of proceedings, at his request. Staff are directed to follow-up and comment on the citizen's comments.

A councillor, on the other hand, in order to have an idea considered must file a notice of motion in advance. The motion must be seconded, only then can it become the subject of a debate. And only by a majority vote can staff accept direction to proceed.

No part of the debate appears in the record. Not even the vote becomes a matter of record unless there is a request for it to be recorded.

Much is written of the low public esteem that politicians enjoy. The media bears much of the responsibility but no group is more responsible than those who continually debase their office in the all-or-nothing pursuit of personal popularity versus public responsibility.

The Burning Question

ORIGINALLY POSTED Sunday, January 21, 2007

I had a phone call last week. I've been wondering what to do about it. As usual, my inclination is to talk or write.

It seems the Region may have cast their eye upon town-owned property at Highway 404 as a potential site for an incineration plant for garbage. It appears they were told not to even think about it. I find that credible given the fact we were having an election for the entire year of 2006. Just about everything we did was with a view to the upcoming vote.

But it's over now. Time to get back to the town's and the region's real business of dealing squarely with the problems that confront us.

No-one can deny the disposal of garbage is a pressing problem. The Region is on record as favouring incineration. The community does not favour landfill. Over the years, numerous delegations have made trips to Europe to look at various possibilities.

I didn't go. So I know as much as any citizen reading the newspapers about what was learned. I was asked in the recent election, (it may have been a trick) if I favoured incineration. My response was I would need to know everything about it before I would commit one way or another.

I have however avowed the principle that current practice of shipping waste to another country is not only economically and practically inefficient it is also immoral. Further to that, I believe it is completely and utterly insane.

In all modesty, I think most people share my view.

I believe it is incumbent on every resident in the region who produces garbage, to seriously consider the options available to us.

Incineration is an option. Since it is not likely to happen in outer space, it will undoubtedly have to happen here. The Region has a number of municipalities - It has to be one of us. No-one can afford the luxury of ignorance.

First info suggests the process is clean. There are no emissions. By-product is sufficient generation of heat to warm a significant number of buildings - which in turn would reduce demands on hydro generation which contributes to global warming.

Structures apparently are designed to look like any other architect designed industrial building.

Revenue to the municipality that agrees to host the facility are said to be substantial.

Obviously, these factors need to be verified and other aspects need to be addressed.

What happens to all that heat in the summer?

Truck traffic on the highway?

Would David Miller, Mayor of Toronto be allowed to stay in his pure white ivory tower while his city's garbage gets trucked elsewhere anywhere as long as it's not in Toronto?

Would the province still have the authority to order the facility in York Region to accept the garbage of any other municipality?

Would we operate it ourselves to ensure burning temperatures are never accidentally or deliberately reduced to save on costs?

What energy would be used to burn the garbage?

No doubt, there are questions galore.

All I want is a chance to ask them.

One thing I know; we have a moral and social obligation to ourselves and our children to find the answer to this problem

That we produce too much is a given. That we need to reduce the output - that too is true. That we will stop producing garbage altogether - not in my lifetime.

Our Weird Tree Bylaw

ORIGINALLY POSTED Thursday, January 18, 2007

We have the weirdest by-law on the books. We apparently lifted it from the City of Mississauga.

It is called A By-Law to Authorize the Injury or Destruction of Trees (Tree Permit By-law). One more degree of hyperbole and it could be called “the rape or murder of trees.”

Bear in mind Mississauga stretches from Toronto in the East to Burlington in the West; from Lake Ontario in the south and Milton in the North. Mississauga is huge. Much of it is criss-crossed with major arterial roads. Most of it resembles a vast tract of concrete jungle.

In November, there were corkscrew shaped small trees, dozens of them lining Hurontario Street, completely wrapped and tied in burlap. They must look like that seven months out of the year.

Weird…..

In Aurora, looking down from Newmarket, all you can see are trees. When you turn the corner on many streets, trees are all you can see. There is an obvious need for more money to be spent on the care and nurture of many trees but there is no shortage and every year thousands more are planted.

On my street, fall and spring, the amount of yard waste piled up for collection means new homeowners of the past have planted too many trees. We have created a hospitable habitat for wildlife. I sometimes feel we are at risk of being swallowed by the forest, invaded by muskrats, crowded by raccoons, harried by squirrels and skunked by skunks as a normal course of events.

When people come to council to bewail the loss of wild-life habitat I think ‘You are obviously not living in my neighbourhood.’

In the forty years I have lived in my house, I have created my own perfect little slice of nature without really knowing it. The variety of birds that live in my yard or near it, grows every year. I have to keep digging out trees that have taken root before they get too big to handle.

If they are growing amongst the shrubs they can be six feet tall before I see them.They grow two feet a year. Then all you can do is keep cutting them off at ground level. I'm talkin' maples and beeches, man

Of course the by-law for The Injury and Destruction of Trees is not intended for urban lots. It is aimed at those residents who own acreage with trees. They are the enemy, the potential doers of dastardly deeds who must be guarded against and held in appropriate disdain. But it is clear the intent of the wording is to make anyone who wants or needs to cut down a tree ashamed and embarrassed.

The by-law permits destruction or injury of up to five trees a year.I think that means four. Anymore must be permitted by the town. But it is no ordinary process.

The definition of destruction or injury means; removal, cutting, girding of the tree or roots, interfering with the water supply, application of chemicals, compaction and regrading within the drip line of the tree, or by other means including irreversible injury which may result from neglect, accident or design but does not include pruning.

The fines for so doing are in the thousands of dollars.

Bear in mind, these are privately owned trees on privately owned land. The obvious question that comes to my mind is what kind of a surveillance force would it take to discover any of the above, even if we do have the right or reason to replace an owners judgment with that of a municipality.

But the story does not end here.

In order to obtain a permit, the owner must submit a plan, an arborist's report on the health of the trees. If the tree straddles the property line, permission of the neighbour must be obtained.

Finally fees must be paid. $415.00 and up.

There have been few applications made under this by-law. No complaints on record. But the weirdest thing of all is that an application can be made, all the requirements met and still the permit may not be granted.

For two weeks before the council meeting, the applicant must display on his property a sign telling the world he has made an application to destroy and injure trees.

His neighbours can object.

And council can refuse the application.

For more information on the town's tree program, please click here.

Feedback on the Weird Tree By-law - The process takes 6 weeks. The sign notifying the public of the application to destroy and injure trees has to be posted, even when the trees are dead and hazardous.

Elaborations on a Theme

ORIGINALLY POSTED Sunday, January 14, 2007

I re-read my last two blogs. A couple of things need to be clarified.

1. The Strategic Plan can be read in full on the Town's website.

2. When I wrote about the hydro building issue, I did not make it clear that although we have instruments in place to guide our decisions and staff to advise us – staff tend only to offer advice when asked, except of course, if the law prohibits the contemplated action.

The Economic Development Officer was not asked to comment on the disposition of the Hydro building from his perspective.

The Parks Manager was not asked to comment on the suitability of the building for his purposes. I did ask for a report from the Chief Financial Officer. It was presented after council voted to keep the building for municipal purposes.

The property is architect-designed, in excellent condition and in a preferential showcase location for any business. It is not useful for a Parks Yard which definitely does not require visibility and according to the capital forecast does not require more space for another three years.

No estimates were sought for costs to adapt the building to a totally different function.

Haphazard decisions play havoc with planning forecasts, which is not to say there 's no room to change but it surely ought to be based on logic.

In 2005, when the contract was awarded to build the new recreation centre, council rejected the option of building a gymnasium which would have provided youth facilities at a cost of $1.1 million.

It may be true that most people are not interested in the particulars of a council decision - I wonder though - what staff think.

While a council can be changed on a regular basis, even to a dramatic extent, it's the administration that provides continuity.

We live in a highly competitive market for municipal professionals. When a department head leaves, we lose institutional memory. It is not replaced by hiring another body. Everything can’t be recorded in documents. The department takes months to recover and still, some things may be lost forever.

In the last term, Aurora lost three department heads: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Building Officer... catastrophic for any municipality.

A director has a personal stake in a town department. The team is chosen and trained to accomplish the best outcome. If the best outcome is regularly disallowed...what then? Despite best efforts, a municipality can acquire a toxic reputation.

When Aurora was small, retailers and industries were close. People were in daily contact. The town had a small administration, all local residents. There were no illusions about who was managing day-to-day operations.

Everyone understood council's main function was to provide an overview and represent the community at large. The administration and council were aware that the people were aware who was responsible for what. If somebody screwed up, everybody knew about it.

The Town Office was in the downtown core. The clerk and treasurer were within steps of the sidewalk. People came in to pay taxes. They chatted. They went to the Post Office to stand in line and pick up their mail. They chatted there too.

Stories probably acquired some elaboration as they moved along the pipeline. They had no need of a public forum or the privilege to delegate to inform everyone from the Mayor down and across the street to the newspaper editor. They wrote letters to the editor...some more than others. There was free exchange of information.















I recall occasions, when the Mayor and the Editor, "Bobbie and Dickie", would start a rumour for the express purpose of determining how long it would take to return and what form it would have when it arrived back. It was a harmless exercise in humour that spoke volumes about the community spirit in Aurora.

Seems Like Common Sense, Right?

ORIGINALLY POSTED Friday, January 12, 2007

Already I have received feedback on my blog. A reader has asked for more information on the Strategic Plan. So, here's the skinny...

The Strategic Plan is a statement of goals and objectives so basic you might wonder why they need to be written at all.

For example, we should be doing whatever we can to attract new business. Not only for the revenue but for the jobs. We should be doing what we can to make sure current businesses have everything they need to thrive in Aurora. We should be establishing a reputation as a town that welcomes business .

Seems like common sense, right?

Well, no - hang on a bit - common sense used to be the standard - not any more. There are new kids in town. Different standards.

Aurora Cable has been in business in Aurora forty years. It's a family business, started literally from a one-man operation, now having an annual payroll of $2.5 million. They have grown lockstep with the town. Their contribution to the social fabric of the community is immeasurable. They cover every organization, and every event. They provide financial support to organizations. They have provided generations of young people with the opportunity to gain skills in every aspect of the television business, and go on to have a professional career. Bless their hearts, they even cover our council meetings.

Aurora Cable's plant has always been situated on eleven acres of land at the end of Ridge Road. The property is designated for the function. They need a secure and constant source of energy as brown outs create havoc with the equipment. Some years ago they decided they had to do something to meet their new needs. They researched their options and decided it would be best for their purpose, and the environment, if they used wind turbines. They made plans, came to the town to discover our requirements and took staff advice.

Seems like common sense, right?

The Oak Ridges Moraine Act required they make an application for a variance to the Committee of Adjustment. They did that. The fee was $450. They paid that. There is a wait for a hearing date. They waited. Come the hearing, neighbours objected. The Committee found the proposed use was permissible and set out some conditions.

Neighbours filed an Appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board. Five more months of waiting. Neighbours had legal representation. Aurora Cable had legal representation. The Ontario Municipal Board found the use was permissible (yet again!), and set out some conditions (yet again!).

At the last meeting of the last council, on the eve of the election, neighbours came and read out provincial regulations and stated the town had the responsibility to enforce conditions
immediately.

Seven council members were present. Staff advised the Aurora Cable project is a work in progress. Staff advice was not accepted. Neighbours advice was accepted. Staff were directed by a vote of four to three to enforce the conditions.

Fast forward -- new council -- the neighbours came back to complain that staff failed to follow council's directive. Staff again advised work is underway.

Another vote was cast. This time the results were five to three ... a written report was required from staff...to what end was not immediately apparent.

Almost two years have passed since Aurora Cable first approached the town for direction. They now have all the legal authority needed to proceed with their plans. Council continues to cast doubt.

Where's the sense in that?

So, we publicly endorse fine statements of principle and make a good impression. However, if the will is not there to follow through, the principles are not worth the paper they are printed on, let alone the public funds spent to assemble them. The Hydro Building and Aurora Cable's experience are not isolated incidents. There has been a consistent pattern.

Another statement in the Strategic Plan cites the intention of striving for openness and transparency.

Just think what it could be like if you were really paying attention.

Lights, Music and Sawdust

ORIGINALLY POSTED Wednesday, January 10, 2007

This tale is so long it is almost daunting. But, it needs to be told.

We sold our Hydro company to Powerstream in 2005. They continued to use the building on a year’s lease. In May of 2006, they vacated on a months’ notice.

The rent was $9000 a month and taxes were $5000 (give or take a penny). So, there was an immediate drain on the town’s coffers of $14,000 a month. That is not small change.

It was an election year. Up comes the idea we would keep the building and use it for a youth centre. Immediately, Leisure Services staff were directed to report on alternative uses.

As noted, the building was producing revenue. The assessed value was $2.1 million dollars. Land values have been escalating, so, on the market, it is probably worth $3 million.

Twenty-four Aurora jobs left when Powerstream pulled out of town. That was a blow.

We have an Economic Development Officer on our payroll. His function is to encourage business to locate in our community.

We have a Strategic plan which cost money and man-hours to prepare. It’s main focus is to improve our economy and attract jobs to the community.

We have capital forecasts which indicate when a new or increased space will be needed to fulfill the needs of the community within the next five years.

We have a Chief Financial Officer to advise us on the implications of pursuing a particular course of action.

The Hydro Building has been empty for seven months. It will likely be empty for another five. It represents a loss of almost $200,000 from the town’s forecasted revenue for 2006.

$200,000 is about a percentage point in our tax rate. If our tax rate increases by 7% in 2007, 1% of that was because we left the Hydro Building empty for a year. It could have been leased immediatley.

But it was an election year.

The dominant question from voters at election time is ;”O.K., what are you going to do for me?” Even nine year old children learning about the process have learned to ask that question.

Elections are about “bread and circuses” – high-wire acts of balance on a tight-rope far above the heads of the crowd, incredible feats of derring do....and grand illusions that promise magic.

When the circus moves on and the lights and music are gone, the smells of popcorn and spun sugar dissipate and the excitement is over. All that's left is the sawdust and stark cold reality.

'Tis said “Politics is the art of the possible”. If that is true, the first possibiliity has to be about being elected. Everyone who has a vote, those who cast it - and those who don't, all have a hand in creating possibilities, good, bad and indifferent.

Pillow Talk

ORIGINALLY POSTED Friday, January 5, 2007

Regarding a not nice letter in response to my hockey team analogy.

I have been writing letters to one editor or another in Aurora for more than forty years. I cheerfully admit, I always hope to have readers. Why else would one write?

I would not like my letters to have been considered dull, innocuous or mediocre. I want to believe they may have sparked a little interest in whatever idea was being expressed...maybe even a chuckle, or a tear.

Politicians do not usually express themselves in writing. From a political perspective, it is at best unwise and at worst, definitely risky. Generally speaking, I think risk is the spice of life.

Nevertheless, I have been publicly shat upon once too often. I am no longer sure I can accept abuse without succumbing to the overwhelming temptation to hurl a wheelbarrow load of the stuff right back at whatever clumsy oaf may be wielding the shovel.

But doing that runs against the grain. It represents a terrible waste of time and space, to say nothing of the powerful impact of the malodorous emanation.

I shall heretofore confine my efforts to my blogging boudoir. I realise not everyone is wired but if our editor spots something he thinks might be of interest to Auroran readers, it shall be yours.

Politics 101

ORIGINALLY POSTED Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Around the horseshoe sits the council. To the right of the Mayor sits the Chief Administrative Officer and to the left the Director of Corporate Affairs. The Directors of various town departments sit across the end of the horseshoe along with a corporate secretary.

Minus the council, the value of the top administration has an annual price tag of close to a million dollars. That is the cost of the professional expertise to operate a municipal corporation the size of Aurora.

What you see on Cable TV is not all you get.

In Ontario, municipalities are little more than agencies for the provincial government. A multiplicity of provincial acts and regulations govern just about every step we take. As well as planning and directing the efficient operation of their departments, staff have the responsibility of guiding council through the maze of government rules and regulations. It should not be an onerous task but it often is.

Protocol at a public meeting prohibits staff from speaking unless invited to do so. They cannot answer questions they have not been asked. If a councillor appears to have misunderstood the legal intricacies of a particular matter, the relevant staff person must by a wink and a nod, signal the C.A.O. then the C.A.O. will - figuratively speaking - tug on the chairperson's sleeve, to signify that intervention is required.

This silly, surreptitious pantomime is necessary because staff can never be seen to be entering the debate and influencing policy decisions. It comes about because all of our meetings are public and therefore formal. There are no opportunities for informal dialogue between staff and the elected representatives. Any time they are together, protocol must be observed.

All political parties at the senior levels of government have the opportunity to caucus. Only municipal politicians are considered to be so venal, they cannot be trusted to discuss anything out of sight and hearing of the public. The irony lies in the minimal members of the public who want to overhear every word uttered.

In the last council, it was not unusual for the four headless horsemen, when they had the majority, to decide they need not abide by silly provincial laws or be guided by staff.

During most of my years in public office, successive councils have recognized the abiding principle - the law is the law - ignore it at your peril.

It's a horse’s ass that thinks he is above the law, election notwithstanding.

Smells Like Team Spirit

ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, December 9, 2006

It seems like a good time to talk about concepts we heard repeated during the election. They are fresh in our minds and there never was enough time in any of the venues to debate ideas. Even the mayoralty candidates, who had more time than all others put together, didn't deal much with ideas. Tim Jones did but he had no takers.

The value of team spirit and co-operation was floated as a virtuous aspiration. I don't buy that.

Well, think about it.

Consider the structure of an NHL team: captain, coach, players, owners, game officials and fans. The goal--pardon the pun, is to win and create wealth for everyone connected with the team. One cannot live in Canada without having an awareness for what it takes to win in hockey.

Discipline is huge. Every player knowing and doing what he does best. Knowing what his opposite number does best. Doing his best to foil the other fellow's best. Everyone doing their best to get the puck into the other team's net pow pow pow! The optimum best in this context does not equate with nice, polite, kind, fair or scrupulous adherence to the rules.

What? Are you kidding me?

Every player knows he is only as good as his last game. Any time fan/coach/owner satisfaction falls, there is the chance of a trade....and off he flies into netherland.

Now we have established similarities between a blood sport and politics. It is clear they have little to do with any concept of virtue as espoused by candidates touting the value of "team spirit" without having a full understanding of how it plays in the political arena.

Unlike hockey, politics is a game without any written rules.

There are no manuals for newly elected councillors. Skill is acquired through practice on the ice. Principles are not necessarily shared. Even procedural rules are not always observed. When the campaign ends, the work of council is supposed to begin. It doesn't always. Sometimes the campaign never ends and the town's business is completely subjugated .

The common principle the community is entitled to expect is that every member intends to do what each believes to be in the community's best interest. That does not imply a shared vision .

Therein lies the kernel of democracy. The point of an election. The difference between a team and a council.

When every councillor's views have been expressed and hopefully heard respectfully when each debate ends when the vote is taken, the only remaining criteria is that the majority rules.

There is no team, no captain, no coach, no owners, no referees, no penalties, no game forfeits.

There are no winners when the game is played in bad faith.

Politics are frequently cloaked in layers of unctuous righteousness. But "All the perfumes of Arabia" are not enough to make it smell like team spirit.

Highest and Best Use of A Councillor's Time

ORIGINALLY POSTED Friday, December 8, 2006

The inaugural is over. We have taken our Oath of Office. We are now entitled to take our seats at the council table. Months of campaigning, years in some cases, have taken place. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent getting the messages out. Several questionable questionnaires were circulated. Four all-candidate events brought out huge numbers of voters to hear and see candidates perform under pressure.

The Town expects the election to cost $140 thousand dollars of public funds. Twenty-three candidates vied for nine seats. I was not out there wearing out shoes and knocking my knuckles to the bone on thousands of doors but when people say they did that - I believe them. It is a heroic effort and everyone who participated deserves the appreciation of the entire community. Sticking your head up above the crowd and inviting people to take shots takes no small amount of courage.

When the chosen nine take their seats at the council table, I think that’s a big deal. I think it’s a serious responsibility to be making decisions for the entire community. I think accountability for votes cast during a term of office is a big deal. What other measure, in a civilized and intelligent society, should a voter have to determine where to place a vote in a future election?

That is why I do not believe the decision-making process should be spread out to include a hundred other citizens who will serve on advisory committees. They have not faced the voters. They have not spent personal resources, physical and financial. They have not spent months of their lives putting ideas forward and risking rejection in a very public arena. They will not be held accountable for the votes they cast in committee.

The most important function of a member of a councillor is to provide oversight to the Town’s administration. Councillors need the opportunity to gain an understanding of how a town department functions and the various principles underlying advice to Council.

The only way to get that level of competence is through the work of a standing committee. That’s where time can be spent between a department head and the elected representative, asking and answering every question that comes to mind. The job is part-time. If the taxpayers’ interest is going to be properly served, the highest and best use should be made of council’s time.

Sitting around a table with twice as many non-elected citizens with twice as many votes who are looking at only one aspect of town service is not my idea of the highest and best use of a councillor‘s time. It is undoubtedly a virtuous concept. It is not my idea of good management practice.

The Value of Offsite Council Meetings

ORIGINALLY POSTED: Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Weekends are precious to most families. Staying in a hotel and sleeping in a bed that is not my own; spending time from eight in the morning until ten at night talking shop; with breaks only for meals, this is not my idea of a fun weekend, even if the Town is paying for it.

I liked it even less when John West had us driving north to a frozen wilderness to get the cheapest rate possible. I swore I would never do that again.

At the beginning of the last term, the new council went to the Nottawasaga Inn. It was a reasonable drive. Staff had negotiated a package for meals and accommodation. Speakers had been engaged. A considerable amount of work had already been done. All that remained was for council members to take advantage of the opportunity. Three did not.

We had two presentations from outside experts: one on the law focused on legal pitfalls for municipal councillors and how to steer clear of them. The second presentation was on shifts in population, both world-wide and domestically, changes in provincial planning policies and how they impacted on our own development. The rest of the program consisted of reports on the current status and background of Town projects that were underway at the time.

It was a weighty program and the people who attended were wiser for it. It is a useful and normal practice to do an offsite orientation. Well worth the investment. Whether we do it again this term remains to be seen.

Just Testing

This is just a test.