LIVING WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION

I have read, just recently, several comments in the print media, that suggest to me there are a few candidates interested in the eventual dispersal of some, as of yet, unspecified Town assets. And if elected would seek this method as a sort of fundraiser. Well, for me, that’s the initial rumbling of a quality of life situation we folks in the Calydor Subdivision have had to deal with before, when it seemed like a good idea to flog The Bog, our neighborhood wetland. In order to offset the costs of the new Town Hall etc., and the other municipal money-drains around the community, why not flog some surplus property. The Bog was very nearly on that chopping block, and we’re all very much aware of the potential it could come back for council consideration once more. And I know the response from several wieners of the former council, if re-elected, would sound something like, “Shit happens! Get over it!”

Due to spending beyond our ability to pay, like most Canadians these days, it seems so natural to start tearing away what we do own.....sort of like going to the pawn shop to get a few bucks to hold it together until payday. As soon as a council-hopefuls start money-raising by selling off what we own, as a municipality, I have big worries, and not just about The Bog. They know “shock and awe” part two, is ready to mobilize if necessary. And it can be deployed to protect other areas being indiscriminately sold off, to fund something we should not have afforded during this recessionary period. Taking the Town Hall away from the downtown was wrong, just as it was in Bracebridge.

One way to have bolstered our historic downtown, would have been to acquire the necessary land, over time, years, on the former town hall block, and build a new facility suited absolutely to government needs. The fire department would have gained space in the process. The Health Unit building could have been converted to the medical clinic. To think we couldn’t have spent a few more years in the old building, is absolute nonsense......and it’s an extension of this protocol of nonsense to then sell off assets because we over spent on something we didn’t need.

There is a “backwards - forwards” attitude of local governance, and I don’t like the idea of patching the “swiss cheese” budget because of excesses we didn’t ask for. While moving Town Hall from the downtown, to the other side of the community, seemed like a good idea to the majority, including to some of the glad-handers and sign-wavers now seeking re-election, it was a kick in the groin none the less, and at a time when the BIA could ill afford another set-back. And when they suggested, as much, in protest, they were effectively blown off as complainers, whiners and nostaligics, wishing to hold onto the past when the future holds so much potential. So why then should we, the supporters of home town values, folks who rather like our downtown as part of our future, side with any elected official who feels the best way out of the financial crunch, is to unload what we don’t need. Keep in mind, The Bog was on the list of what the municipality didn’t need once before....and look at how that ended.

While I sort of promised to knock off the pre-election jams a couple of blogs ago, reading the local press this week elevated my community activism. While it may just be talk, and it might refer to parcels of land that are of no serious environmental consequence, there is concern none the less, that in order to save their own arses, in the eyes of the taxpayers, they’ll make compromises today at tomorrow’s expense. Of course we need to be more mindful of our spending, especially when we’re not earning much from our prime assets at present. But in the first year, the new council needs to hunker down with the basics of restoring some town values, and responsible budgeting, and taking some advice from the very people who elected them.

Gravenhurst is at a crossroads. Many aspects of community traditions and values, dating back to the 1860's, have been altered and or watered-down out of disrespect, for what has always worked to keep this town progressive in its own way. While council may look at the downtown core, and the BIA as free enterprise only, it is still the heart of the community and its weakness is a mirror of the Town’s own shortfalls over the past twenty years. Every business area goes through changes and this is required to maintain any sort of business dynamic. But the neglect that has been shown by Council has demonstrated a clear lack of insight.......about how those who visit us annually interpret our well being, by the way we maintain our main business corridor. Moving the Town Hall was another whack from the proverbial wrecking ball that is transforming our community into strange, unrelated commercial pods instead.

Vote wisely.