NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

CITIZENS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF HOMETOWN VALUES - NOT TOWN COUNCIL - THEY'VE GOT A COUNCIL TERM, WE HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCY

THE CITIZENS OF GRAVENHURST NEED TO TAKE BACK THEIR TOWN. SERIOUSLY! THERE ARE SO MANY TIMES, THESE DAYS, WHETHER IT IS VIA THE MEDIA, TUCKED BENEATH UNASSUMING HEADLINES IN THE LOCAL PRESS, OR JUST IN THE LOOSE SPEECHES GIVEN AROUND TOWN, BY GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES, AND SUNDRY OTHER SPOKESPEOPLE……THAT SEEM TO SAY, BETWEEN THE LINES….."SUCK IT UP, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE, WE'RE IN CHARGE. SMILE AND SHUT UP! OH AND YES, CUT US A TAX CHEQUE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!"

THERE'S THE ASSUMPTION OF POWER OVER THE PEOPLE…..SUCH THAT THE AVERAGE CITIZEN HERE, MIGHT FEEL AS IF THEY'RE ON THE BOTTOM OF A GIANT GROUP-TACKLE, OF THOSE ASPIRING, RATHER DEMANDING, TO REPRESENT US. I'VE USED IT AS AN EXAMPLE BEFORE, BUT I CAN FIND MANY PARALLELS WITH THE OLD MARX BROTHERS' "HAT GAG," TO WHAT I SEE HERE AS THE SCRAMBLE TO OUT-RANK AND OUT-MUSTER ONE ANOTHER. EXCEPT OF COURSE WHEN IT COMES TO REMOVING THE VANDALIZED RED PIANO, PROBABLY STILL ERODING INTO EARTH, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, WHERE IT WAS UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPED THIS PAST FALL. THEN IT'S THE CASE OF THE REVERSING ORDER OF WHO IS IN CHARGE, AND CITIZENS WILL MOST LIKELY BE THE ONES WHO FINALLY GET FED-UP, AND MOVE THE PIANO THEMSELVES. HERE'S THE THING.

GRAVENHURST COUNCIL DOES NOT DEFINE MY RESIDENCY IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY ARE BUT A FOUR YEAR BLIP ON THE RADAR, AND SINCE WE MOVED HERE IN THE LATE 1980'S, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF BLIPS. I THINK THE MEDIA PAYS FAR TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THESE FOLKS, AND I THINK IT DISTRACTS THEM FROM THE BUSINESS THEY WERE ELECTED TO LOOK AFTER. NOT BEING THE PINNACLE DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CITIZEN OF THIS COMMUNITY……AND THAT'S WHERE I SEE A GROWING INTEREST TO MICRO-MANAGE TOO FAR INTO OUR DOMAIN. I WORRY ABOUT THE QUEST FOR POWER, AND THE WAY IN WHICH WE LOOK TOO OFTEN, ON TOWN HALL, FOR DIRECTION ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE MANAGING OURSELVES……AS CITIZENS WHO HAVE MADE THEIR HOME IN THIS TOWN, AND MAY HAVE ROOTS GOING BACK TO THE PIONEER HAMLET. THERE SEEMS TO BE TOO MUCH REVERENCE BEING BESTOWED ON THE POWERS OF TOWN HALL, TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE. DIDN'T WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE "OZ" EXPERIENCE, THAT THERE IS NO WIZARDLY WAY TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS WITHOUT CONSENSUS AND COMPLIANCE AT ALL LEVELS. OTHER THAN THAT, YOU'RE JUST MAKING CHANGES, AND STANDING BACK FOR EITHER THE APPLAUSE OR THE HISSING.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT THE LACK OF ENTERTAINMENT AT THE OPERA HOUSE, SHOULD WE BE LOOKING TO TOWN HALL FOR A SOLUTION? OR SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT OURSELVES, AND ASKING "WHAT'S WRONG WITH US? WHY CAN'T WE MAKE CHANGES TO THE ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM, AS A CITIZENS GROUP?" IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MONTHLY FILM NIGHTS, AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND THE COMMITTEE THAT BROUGHT IT TO FRUITION. A BIG SUCCESS. A LOT OF POTENTIAL. BUT CITIZEN DRIVEN. A GROUP NEEDS TO BE FORMED TO HELP MAKE CHANGES TO THE OPERA HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT PROFILE, AND WE MUST RECOGNIZE SOONER OR LATER, COUNCIL IS NOT THE BEST JUDGE OF WHAT WILL ENTERTAIN US. AS FAR AS INFLUENCING COUNCIL, NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, TO YELL AT COUNCIL, DEMANDING, "GIVE US ENTERTAINMENT OR ELSE!" NOT WHEN WE HAVE THE POWER AS A CITIZENRY, TO ORGANIZE, LEGITIMIZE AS A CULTURAL GROUP, AND LOBBY TOWN TO CONSIDER THE NEW AGENDA.

I HAVE WRITTEN THESE BLOG-ATORIALS OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, WITH AN AIM TO SHOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, TO RE-FURBISH HOMETOWN PRIDE AND VALUES, HISTORY AND CULTURAL LEGACY, THAT WE HAVE EARNED SINCE THE 1860'S. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE NEGATIVITY BOUNCING AROUND OUT THERE HAS BEEN DEMORALIZING TO A LOT OF CITIZENS, WHO ARE PROUD OF THEIR FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO THIS SOUTH MUSKOKA COMMUNITY. THE MAIN STREET BUSINESS COMPLAINING, HAS PUT US ALL IN A VERY POOR LIGHT, ECONOMICALLY, HISTORICALLY AND SOCIALLY…….APPEARING BY SOME ACCOUNTS, TO BE SLIPPING BENEATH THE WATER-LINE, SURELY TO SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REGIONAL ECONOMY. OTHER TOWNS ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE IT BETTER THAN WE DO…..OR IS IT THE CASE, THEY ARE FAR MORE PRO-ACTIVE, AND WILLING TO TURN A STINKER OF A SEASON, INTO THE FERTILIZER FOR THE NEXT. THE CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY HAVE LET OTHERS LEAD THE CHARGE, MAKE THE COMMENTS, AND WRITE THE EDITORIALS (OF WHICH I AM A PART), AND THE RESULT, HAS BEEN A LESSENING OF IDENTITY AND AN APPARENT WATERING DOWN OF COMMUNITY PRIDE.

NOW WHEN I SEE, AND JOIN IN, THE ANNUAL BENEVOLENT WORK FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE, IN OUR TOWN, LET ME TELL YOU…….THERE ISN'T A THING WRONG WITH HOMETOWN PRIDE, CHARITY, NEIGHBORLINESS, AND COMPASSION. IT JUST GETS OVERLOOKED AT TIMES, WHEN FOR EXAMPLE, WE READ ABOUT THE G-8 DEBACLE, THAT PUT US UNFAIRLY IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT…..AS IF THE CITIZENS THEMSELVES WERE RESPONSIBLE ……. OR THE HEADLINES ABOUT KICK-BACKS AT THE NEW RECREATION CENTRE…..THAT WE GOT CLOBBERED WITH, AS RUN OF THE MILL TAXPAYERS. AND WHEN OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, WISH TO DROP ANOTHER BIG WAD OF CASH, (TELLING US NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT NOW……YOU CAN PAY FOR IT LATER) WE LOWER OUR HEADS AS IF TO SAY, "GO AHEAD, TAKE IT ALL." THE RATEPAYER'S GROUP HAS DONE A GOOD JOB, AND I'M GLAD TO HAVE THEM, BUT THEIR MEMBERSHIP IS NOT THE END-ALL, AND IT DOESN'T MAKE THEM OUR OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN. THE CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN, WHETHER INDIVIDUALLY, OR AS A NEW GROUP IN THE FUTURE, MUST MAKE IT CLEAR TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, NOT ALL THEIR PLANS FOR OUR COMMUNITY ARE GOING TO BE UNCHALLENGED, MORALLY AND LEGALLY IF THE NEED REQUIRES. RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE CREATING THE CHECKS AND BALANCES, AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, RATING THEMSELVES ACCORDINGLY. WOULD ANY OF THE COUNCILLORS GIVE THEMSELVES "F'S" FOR THIS YEAR'S PERFORMANCE? YEA, WELL LET'S MOVE ON.

I THINK HOMETOWN VALUES HAVE HAD THE CRAP BEAT OUT OF THEM. AND IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE UNLESS WE BAND TOGETHER, AND INITIATE COUNTER MEASURES, TO PROTECT WHAT WE MUST, IN ORDER TO REGAIN THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL CONTROL , WE ARE STAKE-HOLDERS OF. IT ISN'T THE MANDATE OF OUR ELECTED COUNCIL TO PUT BUMS ON THE OPERA HOUSE SEATS. THAT'S OUR JOB. AND WE CAN DO THAT. DO WE HAVE THE WILL TO TAKE BACK WHAT BELONGS TO US, AND MAKE THE CHANGES THAT SHOW THE NAYSAYERS, AND THOSE WHO CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO'S BOSS OF WHAT FUNCTION, THAT PEOPLE POWER ISN'T JUST A SAYING……BUT A REALITY OF REACTION;…. TO A SERIOUS NEED TO RESTORE PRIDE IN THE TOWN WE HAVE RESIDED, AND WILL RESIDE IN THE FUTURE.

WHO THE HELL AM I? WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE TO SUGGEST THIS REBELLION OF HOMETOWN VALUES? HOW DARE I SUGGEST TAKING BACK WHAT BELONGS TO US, AS CITIZENS? AM I TRYING TO START AN INSURRECTION? ALAS, I DON'T HAVE THIS KIND OF FOLLOWING. BUT A "NEW NORMAL?" I AM PROMOTING THIS RIGHT NOW!

I'M JUST A HOMETOWN-PROUD KIND OF CITIZEN, WHO IS TIRED OF TOWN HALL ACTING AS A DEFINITIVE, OVER-RIDING MODEL, OF WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE…….AND TAKING CREDIT FOR WHAT A LOT OF HARD WORKING CITIZENS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED……OVER DECADES, WHO NEVER HAD ONE POLITICAL INCLINATION…..BUT HAD HOMETOWN VALUES THAT WERE, AND CONTINUE TO BE UNSHAKABLE. THESE ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE LEADING US FROM ADVERSITY, NOT THE REPRESENTATIVE OF TOWN COUNCIL. OUR FUTURE SUCCESSES, DEPEND ON A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TOWN GOVERNANCE, APPRECIATING THAT THEY ARE THE ELECTED STEWARDS OF OUR PROPERTIES, AND OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE DISTRICT AND THE PROVINCE……BUT THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY, NO PRIVILEGE, TO DEFINE US AS HOMETOWNERS. AND THAT DEFINITION ISN'T UP TO THIS BLOGGER. IT IS UP TO THE COLLECTIVE OF CITIZENS, WHO AREN'T WILLING TO SELL-OUT THEIR RIGHT, TO ASSIST THE SHAPING OF THE FUTURE FOR GRAVENHURST.

IT COULD WELL BE THE CASE, THE CITIZENS FIND IT APPROPRIATE, DOWN THE LINE, TO FORM AN ACTION COMMITTEE, TO DEAL WITH TOWN HALL. SUCH A MOVEMENT GROWS FROM DISHARMONY, AND WHEN WE GET NEWS OF THIS YEAR'S TAX INCREASE, POSSIBLY IT WILL HERALD THE CREATION OF SUCH AN INTERVENTION GROUP.

I LIKE THIS TOWN, AS DOES MY FAMILY, AND WHETHER IT IS AS A PERMANENT RESIDENCE, OR A PLACE TO DO BUSINESS, AS WE HAVE THREE IN OUR FAMILY, WE HAVE NO DESIRE TO RE-LOCATE TO ANYWHERE ELSE. BUT WE KNOW THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS IN THIS TOWN, THAT MUST CHANGE IN THE FUTURE, AND WE KNOW THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY, AS CARING CITIZENS, IS TO GET INVOLVED TO FACILITATE AND ENCOURAGE CHANGE WHERE WE CAN. BUT IT WILL TAKE MANY HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS, TO MAKE THIS A NEW YEARS INITIATIVE, FOR THERE TO BE ANY MEANINGFUL SHIFT, FROM THOSE WHO WATCH, AND CRITICIZE, TO THOSE WILLING TO JUMP, WITH ENTHUSIASM, INTO THE CENTRE OF THE RECLAMATION.

I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR. I HAVE GREAT HOPES FOR THIS TOWN GENERALLY. I HAVE UNYIELDING RESPECT, FOR THE HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN RECORDED HERE, AND THE FINE CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN ITS BUILDERS, FROM THEN TO NOW.

HAPPY NEW YEARS.