Councillor Gaertner Enlists Lawyer to Quiet Critics
Posted by auroracitizen on December 20, 2010
A few days ago, someone whispered in our email inbox that another Aurora politician — Councillor Gaertner — had engaged legal counsel in her desire to quiet critics. We were told that registered letters had been sent to Aurora residents regarding letters published in The Auroran. However, without corroborating information, we did not publish this information.
However, The Auroran confirms that Ron Wallace was on the receiving end of one of these letters as was the original letter writer S Smallwood. He refers to it in his column on page 4.
It would seem that Councillor Gaertner has chosen not to learn from the experience of her mentor Phyllis Morris and has instead chosen to try a silence those who don’t agree with her through legal action.
At least she has decided to undertake this step without asking the taxpayers of Aurora to fund this battle — but given the current climate of residents towards the last lawsuit, if nothing else, this action seems to be ill-advised and lacks any long term thought.
Aurora Citizen 
Winter's comin' said
… and the bottom line here, any time of the day, ON THE BEAN appears to be “the place” to visit in Aurora. If you haven’t been there, you have missed out. Coffee is getting better, price is right, food is always fresh. Take the time to sit by the new fireplace with other Town Folk. Check your “secrets” at the door and take a break. Frank, the owner, welcomes each and everyone personally AND UNCONDITIONALLY (with a broad smile)!! See you there. … wc
JOHN H SARGENT said
OOPS not sure if i have been responding to ANONYMOUS or ANONYMOOSE on this blog, hmmmmm oh well one and the same..not worth the effort…my responses to you was not to be a game of who we can make believe, but a effort at dignity,integrity and truth,which appears to be of no interest to you , not a accusation but a apparent observation … Brain Duff said it the best…….WOW……..and then done with lt
JOHN H SARGENT said
TO ANONYMOUS The plotting and planing part were your words and others sir.. I only responded to your comments.. Yet for the life of me i not know what this all about ..Is it better to make accusations Anonymously.. I printed a letter in response to letters calling me a lair, yes why did it become a issue, I dropped out of coffee thing and apologized if indeed not true as having coffee was not a issue, the Special meeting for recount was and for all public to see and hear ..You are the one name calling, making accusations, and feeding the fire at this point..Thank-you for the idea..you will be ignored at least by me hence forth as you flip from one view to another, no pun intentioned..Since i not know, who you are ,you just may be a OK soul…You may keep the fire burning but will have to find your own fuel..Happy holidays
JOHN H SARGENT said
Forgot something **Anonymous** I just may be related to Julian Assange as my family from Sydney Aussie land TAKE_CARE
Another Anonymous said
To quote Brian Duff “Wow”! It hasn’t even been a month and we’re already mired in controversy and heresay! It seems to me that C. Gaertner didn’t get the message loud & clear that the people of Aurora are tired of these stupid antics. We voted for change during the election and change is what we want!! C. Gallo and C. Buck got the message, but apparently C. Gaertner is still stuck in the muck of what constituted last terms Council! Please Wendy, please stop it! Grow up and get on with working as a team for the good of Aurora!! Think & speak for yourself and not on behalf of some bitter losers. Stop picking apart everything Mayor Dawe does and says. Believe me, Phyllis Morris was not perfect when she took over the Mayor’s seat from Tim Jones. There were many fluff ups made on her part and yet no one corrected her or criticized her for them. Throw aside your continued alliegance to Team MorMac and start behaving like a team player for Team Dawe and chances are you won’t have to resort to spending your councillors salary on lawyers fees.
Kron Prinz Ferdinand said
I think councillor Gaertner should resign if she can’t take public criticism while performing public work.
Robert the Bruce said
It did not take long for the honeymoon to come to a crashing halt. We need more than an Aura in Aurora.
Fuimus
Anonymous said
I realize that all of the tin-foil hat wearing people on this blog think it is a big deal, but who really cares who had coffee where and who they were talking to?
A couple of councils ago I saw Kean and another councillor in Harvey’s with their wives. Maybe they talked about Town business or how to vote but who cares.
Luckywife said
I’m with you. I don’t give a damn who has coffee with whom. As far as I know, coffee is still a legal substance and this is still Canada, so we can all feel free to go ahead and drink up with anyone we want. I’m still scratching my head as to why both Gallo and Gaertner felt it was nescessary to refute it or even answer to it all. There is no need or requirement for any councilor to account for how they spend their time outside the council chamber and their duties. Cllr. Gaertner taking it up a notch to this level, engaging a lawyer to threaten citizens and Ron Wallace’s newspaper is beyond the ridiculous. I don’t know how you can say with a straight face that we, the people on this blog, are the ones wearing tin-foil hats!
Regards,
Luckywife
Winter's comin' said
Dear WG, please say that this broadcast isn’t true – that if I happen to disagree with you
I’m in line for legal muzzling? I believe the Charter conveys basic freedom of thought and speech. Perhaps it’s time to pursue a replacement for your council seat?? WG, I am extremely disappointed in your behaviour. … wc.
walt said
I’m pretty sure you could have taken out the words “long term” from the last sentence of the post.
A thoughtless and silly move, and it’s only effect will be to further embolden her critics.
Matt Maddocks said
It gets weirder; according to the story in The Auroran on page 3, cont on page 13, Cllr Gaertner says she didn’t write the notes that were handed to Brock Wier after her tirade at council last week. She says she handed him a marked-up copy of the bylaw, the one she claims council contravened. However, there were additional pages included that had all kinds of notes about “Dawe this”, and “Dawe that”, already pre-prepared and written out in advance of any of the debate. When confronted, Cllr Gaertner claims she didn’t know who wrote them, and no idea whose comments they are.
I think Cllr Geartner just may have opened up a big can of you-know what here…
JOHN H SARGENT said
YA did not know who S Smallwood was but a relative of theirs came in to were i was volunteering on Sat 18 DEC to see if i had received one..No i did not ,but got to read contents of C W Geartner lawyers letter to above mentioned ((muscle flexing or should i say attempting to put muzzle on her critics and others who dare write letter to editor
Anonymous said
John H,
Why would Smallwood’s relatives ask if you received a letter from Gaertner’s lawywer?
Let me get this straight, one of Smallwood’s relatives sought you out (because you don’t know Smallwood) and brought a letter from Gaertner’s lawyer, that was sent to Smallwood, so you could read it.
Why are you so special?
BTW, anything you wrote in the paper is true, right? So no worries then.
Delusional's daughter said
To Anonymous,
I’m the relative who happens to know John – My mother is S Smallwood and she wrote a letter to the editor that verified something John had said previously in a letter he wrote. It was only this weekend that I realized I knew who John was. The reason I asked John if he had received a letter was because he has since written a letter in which he says he can not confirm they were there, even though his source stands by their story. I wanted to see if his letter was based on bullying by Ms Gaertner’s lawyer, to which he confirmed it was not.
My mother saw Gaertner at On the Bean and she stands by that. She has been asked by the legal council of Gaertner to print a retraction and she will do no such thing. Since when is it illegal to tell the truth?
Luckywife said
This really is too much, it’s sad and desperately pathetic. I’m trying not to laugh but this has to be one for Ripley’s, only in Aurora could people be threatened with legal action over a coffee sighting!!!!!!!
Anonymous said
To Delusional’s Daughter,
Don’t confuse me with 8:02 PM.
Your handle isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of your mother’s eyewitness account. You should consider something different.
Your comments of John H, “he says he can not confirm they were there” confirm that he didn’t see the councilors at On the Bean. Your further comment, “even though his source stands by their story” is to a degree confusing. Is it John H who claims his source continues to stick to their story or is that you?
If it’s John H, he should name his source or stop the rumor mill. If it’s you, how do you know who his source is and if they continue to stand by their story? Is your mother his source? If she is, that’s still just one person who saw the councilors and no one else backing up the story.
It’s a he said – she said scenario, and your mother says she saw them and they (the 2 councilors) say they weren’t there. Without the source being independent and verifiable, your mother’s position isn’t enviable.
Just my thoughts.
JOHN H SARGENT said
To Anonymous.Your 100% right except on special issue.Can you think straight for a min..If you read letters to editor why even ask ,except to cloud issue.If this person got a legal letter over what she wrote to editor, would she not try and find out if J.S did as she wrote in response to letters wrote to me.from person responsible for her legal letter.. I even thought it was a man ,not so.. Like hera,I put my name up front,that just makes us easier to track down than you..Why you anonymous ,are you special ,Her relative just happens to be a person i volunteer with now and again( not know that till SAT)..and we wear fist names on tags. Ya she put a face to my name..But as You, Sher and PHYLIS would say that makes you special… I not think that way.Happy Holidays to you and yours..
Anonymous said
Luckywife,
I agree, but it’s equally disturbing that someone can’t have a coffee without it being alleged that you’re plotting and planning… In the paper(if we can the Auroran a paper)no less.
Sad times in Aurora.
JOHN H SARGENT said
To LUCKY WIFE..I agree with you…The real sad part is that this coffee issue has swallowed the ORCHESTRATED SPECIAL MEETING ISSUE which i assume would have to of been some what illegal or unethical at the least..This could be the reason it has been brought to the fore front..(cover up). OUR Town of Auroras own (Watergate)???
Winter's comin' said
LHW … I agree with you. To be who’s who seen in where’s where in some towns is status. In Aurora, is it a game of “Find Waldo”? OR WG, JG, CB, is this just a simple game of “Tag you’re it” OR Liar Liar, pants on fire!!??” CB, please do us a favour, whatever the game, let us know the rules. Hmmm, hope this is going to be fun!!! …. wc
Anonymoose said
Sargent, I think Gaertner has totally over reacted and would have been far better off to simply ignore your first letter to the paper and simply demonstrate its lack of truth by being the best councillor she could be. She may actually be lucky and, with almost a full 4 years left on her mandate, she might be able to turn it around, (lawsuit and mystery notes not withstanding) if she learns to ignore the critics and focus on her work.
At the same time I found your letter and Smallwood’s letter to be nothing but provocative. Orchestrations? plotting? Watergate? Come on. Who are you any way? Julian Assange? Show me the cables!
If she does proceed with a lawsuit against you and/or Smallwood, I think you will get what is coming to you, even if she loses. You have to be very careful about the public accusations you make against people, and you certainly were not. You too should have simply ignored her. By making public accusations you are implying that you are ready to defend them in court, and you may well get that chance. Good luck to you.
Delusional's daughter said
To Anonymous at 11:15
The handle was meant to be a joke – in case you didn’t get it, ha ha – it identifies who I am (in a way), so I thought it was at least better than ‘anonymous’.
Anyway, as I said before, my mother knows what she saw and she knows there are others who saw the same thing. They were in a public place and my mom was not the only person in there. Enough said.
Brian Duff said
Wow…
JOHN H SARGENT said
To Anonymous….Dear sir…Show me any where were i accused any one of planning or plotting in a coffee shop,yes in a local Aurora news paper The AURORA N.. The planing and plotting was attempted within Aurora town hall at special meeting for a recount vote in front of public(you might of been there for all i know)..you not comment on that issue (why)-(unsuccessful i might add)..Do you find it hard to believe a citizen would stand up for another with out knowing person if they two had knowledge.. Just my thought..if On THE BEAN had a surveillance video,i get the feeling you would wonder if it was altered ..Who ever you are, my so called source and S Smallwood are two independent parties and not need one to substantiate the other as they are unknown to each other..nice try thou.. Like you said it is now a he said, she said issue,but would have died long ago with out a agenda period–what is it,i would like to know ,,Sadder times in Aurora