Tyler Barker has left a new comment on your post "As I Was Walking Down The Street":
I don't always agree with you but shouldn't Council be on equal footing with staff at the very least, why isn't the mayor inviting everyone isn't he the head of the town, so to speak
Posted by Tyler Barker to Our Town and Its Business at 16 August 2014 11:2
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Tyler, before I answer yours, I have a query for you to answer. It is a long outstanding puzzlement.
Why are you compelled to qualify your agreement with a point I make.
I do not require agreement. I simply state my position. But the compulsion to state non-agreement concurrently with agreement has me non-plus.
Qualification denigrates agreement. It is grudgingly extended. Shame or embarrassment is implied. Or fear of being judged by association. I experience it regularly and I would like to understand .You might be the one to think about it and provide an honest answer.
You are partly correct in your reference. Elections are the process whereby we govern ourselves.
We , being the community, elect a Council to represent us in our authority.
We are the stakeholders... the shareholders....we have invested our resources...we make our homes here and raise our families in this place
We are in charge. We are the collective who own this place.
Staff are accountable to us through Council. They are our employees.
The principle has been frustrated during this term. The Mayor perceives accountability from staff as "micro-managing"
He does not permit the exercise of authority. Beingmore comfortable following than giving direction.
Like the last lot, with a Council group content to follow like sheep though he has but one vote like the rest of us.
The invitation from the CAO and Director for a photo on a vacant site with a contractor, and an
architect is , in my opinion, to create the illusion the project is fully endorsed by Council.If everyone attends ,all smiles, a photo tells a thousand words.
Councillors in opposition are disrespected by staff.
I believe the initiative is political and staged for the benefit of the supporters.
No doubt the Mayor will wear the town's Regalia, the Chain of Office to provide meaning to the occasion which it does not otherwise have.
Your instincts are partially right Tyler. Staff are not equal to Council in authority. They are accountable to Council.
It would be logical to conclude staff were directed to create the diversion.
In the circumstance, it would be difficult to discern staff accountability as opposed to Council authority.
Saturday 16 August 2014
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22 comments:
It has always been my understanding that the Mayor of a municipality is the Chief Executive Officer, and leads the body, the Council, that makes decisions, creates By-Laws and matters of policy and major expenditure, generally together with the civil servants of the municipality, the Administration.
The Mayor and the members of Council are elected and are responsible to the residents of the municipality. The elected are accountable to the electors for conducting themselves in a transparent fashion.
The Administration is headed by a Chief Administrative Officer. It is his primary responsibility to attend to the smooth operation of the town's staff and in this he has a good deal of leeway. But he is always compelled to follow decisions made by the Council.
There are two sorts of decisions at play here: executive ones and administrative ones. They should not become confused, although at times one must wonder.
The CAO is always responsible to the CEO, never the other way around, although on occasion one may well ask - Say What? or WTF?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In whose eye is decision making?
The last time I saw a photo with all the councillors smiling as if they were proud of their evening's work was taken following a presentation by that man who wanted to bring his group Lucid to perform in Aurora.
Today's Globe and Mail has a major story on Brampton's Mayor and members of Council, of which there are eleven.
Under the heading POLITICS. the story is presented as "238 YEARS OF SERVICE, ONE MAJOR SPENDING SCANDAL'
Members of Council have served an average of 22 years while the population of Brampton has grown from 260,000 to nearly 600,000 in that same period.
Wonder what Brampton councillors get paid annually? The mayor was at one time the highest paid in the country, some $230,000.
Sounds like the voters are going to try and throw out all incumbents.
Today's Globe and Mail has a major story on Brampton's Mayor and members of Council, of which there are eleven.
Under the heading POLITICS. the story is presented as "238 YEARS OF SERVICE, ONE MAJOR SPENDING SCANDAL'
Members of Council have served an average of 22 years while the population of Brampton has grown from 260,000 to nearly 600,000 in that same period.
Wonder what Brampton councillors get paid annually? The mayor was at one time the highest paid in the country, some $230,000.
Sounds like the voters are going to try and throw out all incumbents.
"Or fear of being judged by association."
Got it in one! Who would want to be thought of as one of your followers?! I rarely agree with you, but will give a qualified acknowledgement on those occasions when I do.
16:16
As far as I know Tyler hangs out with all sorts of people - I doubt if he is worried, as you seem to be, about a taint of association.
"worried...about a taint of association."
Cllr Buck certainly does. Her radar was always on to detect anyone in Morris' orbit.
@16:16
How very condescending of YOU
This business about the mayor's perception of accountability from staff as micro-managing is so much thistle dung.
Staff were all hired. Not a single one was elected. And the man at the top of staff was hired by Council, as were possibly other senior members.
Micro-managing is for midget minds.
You know, I am starting to get confused over who is leading and who is following.
Condescending,18:28? No. Insulting? Yeah, probably. Just think of it as the "frankness" that Cllr Buck appreciates.
Cut it- out all of you. Our hostess has been tolerant of All the remarks. Sort it out on your own places if you have them.
I tend to get a little wordy due to speech recognition software that I use to communicate independently instead of typing on a keyboard. My rationale for my statement to agree or disagree is based on one can agree or disagree civilly issue by issue, not following ones ideology completely. Yes, I do get along with the former mayor, as well as many others in this town. I will always be willing to listen to different ideas and if I run for Council. I will not be a block voter. Thank you
@12:48
You have a deal, Tyler. I disagreed with you on occasion on the Citizen & might again here. As you will have noted, we are not one-trick ponies.
This blog needs more diversity of opinion. Often, it is merely an echo chamber.
20:31
The Blog has only a single moderator - it is not a group effort but the creation of one councillor. If you require more opportunity to express your opinions, have at it , and develop a site or your own.
@08:34
This blog invites comment and seeks feedback (often only to a point, though). A monologue (like Mr Watts' blog) isn't of much use, and one point of view followed by only comments in total agreement is boring and doesn't foster dialogue. You need opposing viewpoints for a lively discussion.
@11:54
Surely that is not Evelyn's job ? Why should she provide you with a soap box ?
12:56, if Cllr Buck so chooses, she can address the merits of diverse opinions versus monologues (complete with cheerleaders). I know I'd rather hear from the organ grinder, and not the monkey.
16:55- Evelyn is actually too generous with some of the comments she posts. She addresses too many trolls as well. In fact how she keeps up this Blog with all that she does is unbelievable. Love this Blog and yes…I’m a huge supporter of Councillor Buck.
It hadn't gone unnoticed, 21:26.
Good old political feel good photo op…where’s the developer or politician holding up a baby in the picture? Maybe next week.
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