Not so...Not so

"...lost any authority to direct his Council..." You know what, the Mayor's job has no authority to direct council. The Mayor is one person in the total council.

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

According to the Municipal Act, the Mayor's job  is "to provide leadership and guidance to Council."

This Mayor came handicapped .  "Leadership and guidance"  bespeaks experience.

He had no experience of  town  affairs.. He had no experience of being a Councillor.We all knew that. It now seems, he doesn't think he needed either.

He needs them  more than he realises.

Assuming re-election, the previous Mayor made a comfy nest for herself.. Prior to the election the  group  of six authorised transfer of authority from Council to  administration.

Staff recommended. It was stated the items were strictly administrative.

Which begged the question of why authority had always rested with Council.

The incoming Mayor, knowing no better, has apparently found the nest quite to his liking. He and the CAO have taken upon themselves to deal with town business without knowledge of or direction from council.

It has had the effect of separating the Mayor from Council.

Providing leadership and guidance to a group of politicians may not be as simple as first appears.

It requires the Mayor to be one of us.

There must be an element of trust and confidence. It doesn't happen naturally.

Politics is a competitive business.If it's a game, it's not an easy game.

Divine Providence plays no role.

I have a blanket philosophy guided to some extent by laziness. I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to. Then  quite simply, I withhold trust.

Among politicians trust is not a commodity. There is a particular intricacy.

The right and obligation to make independent judgment and vote accordingly cannot and should not be set aside, bought, sold or transferred for favours granted. 

First lesson is why, to prevent misunderstanding and feelings of betrayal,it is absolutely necessary to state one's position clearly and succinctly. Let no-one be caught off-guard.

There is no room in the fish bowl for jiggery-pokery. Water is clear.There is no place to hide.

This Council will continue to work together. Other issues will  demand and displace attention.

In the next election, some will judge on overall performance.

Others will remember the point at which confidence was lost.

New candidates will be on hand to jog people's memories.

There is no question the Mayor has suffered a set-back. He has time to recover. Everything now depends on whether anything has been learned. People will watch for signs.

Denying it happened won't make it go away.

In politics, nothing ever goes away.

Right now,only three Councillors are smiling; Gaertner, Gallo and Ballard.