Why is Aurora Council Wasting Our Money on Experts & Consultants?
Posted by auroracitizen on February 28, 2010
Question: When is a Recreation Plan Not a Recreation Plan? Answer: When Councillor MacEachern says so.
Question: When is an expert on Integrity not an expert? Answer: When Phyllis Morris and Eveline MacEachern say so.
It seems we have again wasted over 50,000 taxpayers dollars to hire experts, only to have Morris and MacEachern and the “faithful four” dismiss their findings. At least Monteith Brown Planning Consultants (the consulting firm for the Recreation Plan) didn’t get publically fired. They just had their plan ignored and re-written to suit.
Aurora Council already ignores the advice of staff who don’t parrot the party line, bit if Council isn’t going to accept the advice of consultants –why do they bother wasting our money under the pretense of seeking expert advice. Why not just “woman-up” and be honest and just do what they want. They end up doing it anyway.
After 3 years of discussion and “consultation” a new plan was written by Councillor MacEachern and her hand-picked committee that ignores recommendations made by the experts. Then they have the audacity to require another $100,000 for 2 more studies. Why bother? They do as they please anyway.
What expertise has Councillor MacEachern got in this area. Possibly she earned her planning accreditation at the same institute that Mayor Phyllis Morris earned her HR accreditation.
Oh wait. Phyllis doesn’t have any accreditation either. Just implied expertise based on exaggerated experience working for her husband.
And what’s the point of recommending a new youth centre and multi-use gymnasium when you have no land set aside and no timelines. That, Councillor MacEachern says, is “an old way of thinking”.
Instead, they put aside more money to pay for the escalating land cost while discussing selling the land purchased years ago by the 404 .
It’s time that this Council started to listen to people other than their friends and behaved in the best interest off the community as a whole. Community input was solicited and received. And then ignored in favour of Councillor MacEachern and her personal agenda.
Aurora Citizen 
Richard Johnson said
This is just one case.
I’m told that fighting the golf course and losing five times in a row has cost over $220,000 and the town may want to take another stab at it. Just wait and see; this will end up costing $300,000 plus and the town will lose. A recent news story in the Banner seems to suggest that the Mayor does not even have her facts straight, which comes as no surprise to me given her handling of the power supply issue and the resulting mess that she has left in her wake.
Council spent $50,000 on a recreation plan that was largely cast aside becasue Ken Whitehurst and Evelina MacEachern had their own report. Council also blew tens of thousands on the Petch House study, and then they give Sher St Kitts money to hire an assistant for the Canada Day Parade.
Want another example of our council at work ? Council budgeted up to $60,000 annually, plus legal costs, for an Integrity Commissioner to whose job it is to police their own behaviour while at the same time the Mayor turns a blind eye to Evelina’s e-mails (copied to all-council) and other blatant examples of offensive behaviour. Clearly you can’t legislate common sense.
On top of all that, sitting like a cherry atop of a fruit cake, is Granger who is the subject of any number of laughable quotes and examples of unprofessional behaviour while he calls himself a great leader despite screaming at a sixteen year old girl selling ice cream at the park when it turns out she had a permit to just that.
No one wants to hear it, but these stories are not over just yet and the gang of six is going to try and sell the town on the fact that things have never been better (which may well be true if you’re a lawyer or one of the chosen).
Broderick Epps said
When you consider the last term of council, Evilina has (in her mind) portrayed herself as:
1) An Engineering expert based on the water shortage issues of the past.
2) A Planning expert based on the current Master Recreation Plan
3) A Contracts expert based on the Integrity Commish fiasco.
4) A Council Procedure expert based on the numerous times she has taken to task for forgeting (?)protocol on questions that can be asked.
5) A protector of staff …. now thats a joke.
6) The Deputy Mayor…despite the voters determining Bob McRoberts as the rightful DM.
I guess with up against the mental lightweights Granger/Gaertner/Wilson she has to fill these roles.
Knowledgeable in Aurora said
And don’t forget:
1. A power supply expert (the peaker plant).
2. A Chief Building Official (the wind turbine/storage issue).
3. A Real Estate expert (the 404 land sale issue)
4. A Legal expert (on many occasions)
Bet others could add to this list!
White Knight said
You mean a sociopath, Fed Up? I would probably agree with you there. So now we have one borderline personality disorder and one sociopath… God help this little town!
fed up said
MacEachern is the one to fear. This woman has no scuples and no remorse for her actions. She is only out for her own gain and not for the betterment of the town. Trouble is, she is not stupid, like others on council and that is the reason that she is to be feared. Best we not re-elect this one either.
Anonymous said
Evalina may not be “stupid” but she ain’t bright either
frankly, being the sharpest tool in that drawer ain’t anything to brag about