INTOLERABLE SITUATION

Image you have just been through a municipal election and you can’t get your agenda moved forward due to one particularly difficult elected official. One who seems to be throwing roadblocks up at every turn for no reason other than a power trip and “I know more than you so there” and “I am right and it WILL be done my way” mentality.

Imagine facing four more years of that.

Ah, you thought I was talking about the situation in Dufferin right now where elected officials, are seemingly at odds with one councillor who was duly elected by a majority of voters to serve a four year term.

Well then you would be wrong.

I was talking about the poor beleaguered Melancthon ratepayers during the 2006-2010 term. Those ratepayers who begged, pleaded, cajoled and begged again for Council to position themselves for a battle to come.

You know, by doing things like passing a demolition control bylaw, implementing a new official plan as the old one was thirty years old, by hiring a full time, experienced planner, by instituting fees for filing an aggregate application, by passing a tree cutting bylaw, by completing an OPA for specialty crop or like Caledon did, an OPA to strengthen their aggregate policies, I mean I could go on and on and on.

But nothing happened, Council would NOT budge, NOT listen, NOT engage or listen to the public. It was a legal battle to get them to post agendas publically. So talk about frustrating.

Ratepayers felt as if they were being endangered by that situation and no one was listening and there was absolutely
NO rationale provided by our elected officials.

BUT now, we (all ratepayers, grassroots organizations, anon bloggers) are being urged and assured that it is a new term of Council, we should let bygones be bygones FORGET what happened in the past and all work together to win a difficult battle and don’t publically criticize the elected officials, it would be better for all.

In fact in December 2010 we were advised things were going to be radically different in Melancthon in six months. Well that is one month away and still waiting....waiting....waiting....

Well, all I can say is you lead and we will follow. When the elected officials start letting bygones be bygones over what happened on a previous Council in a previous term, even though the players might be the same for the most part, and start working together toward a common goal, this blogger will be the first to follow their lead.

So instead of spending money and staff time on how to get rid of a duly elected official (which by the way you can’t), instead of litigation try mediation and work out your differences and get ON WITH IT.

Ah, but I can hear the comments now on the blog. This blogger just doesn’t understand how difficult it is to work with this person and this rogue Councillor has no authority to do what they are undertaking.

Well clearly if any Councillor is trying to do the job that staff are hired to do, they are in the wrong. That includes fire inspections, digging graves for a cemetery, cutting grass, researching and writing a bylaw or policy OR writing letters unless they are from a politician to a politician. It is NOT the Mayor or any member of Council’s job to be writing to insurance adjusters, or staff at the Province, etc. etc. Council gives direction and staff implements it.

THE single most important issue EVER, on which the entire County’s future depends, is coming up at the County of Dufferin soon and every single vote counts.

So suck it up and work it out like ratepayers do when they are faced with the same thing. To lose a vote at County over a personality conflict would be inexcusable.

Lead by example and now would be a good time to start.

Please.