FOR MY ANTIQUE BLOG WATCHERS - SEE POSTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS TAXING EDITORIAL
IS THERE ANYONE HAPPY ABOUT PROPERTY TAX HIKES?
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE FUTURE! WHERE WILL WE BE LIVING, AND IN WHAT?
A LOCAL YOCAL'S PERSPECTIVE.
I'M A CHEAPSKATE ACCORDING TO MY WIFE AND MY FORMER GOLF BUDDIES. I WILL ENJOY A ROUND AT THE CLUBHOUSE, BUT I WON'T BUY ONE. AS FOR TAXES, WHEN I OPEN MY TWICE YEARLY MUNICIPAL BILL, WELL, ON A FEW OCCASIONS, MY NEIGHBORS HAVE LOOKED OUT THEIR DOORS TO SEE WHO RAN OVER THE CAT. SO BELIEVE ME, WHILE I DON'T LIKE BIG TAX INCREASES, AND WASTEFUL SPENDING, I CAN HANDLE THE INCREASES AT PRESENT…..PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE MAYOR, DURING THE LAST BUDGET, WARNED TIGHT-FISTED BUGGERS LIKE ME, THAT THE MUNICIPALITY WAS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH SUBSTANTIAL TAX INCREASES FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. MY CONTENTMENT RESTS WITH THE PRESENT REALITY, MOST RECREATION CENTRE USERS, ARE MORE THAN SATISFIED WE HAVE MADE A GOOD INVESTMENT. IT'S WHAT WE NEEDED IN THIS COMMUNITY. IT WAS TIME TO BUILD A POOL. I DON'T LIKE EXPENSE ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, BUT EVERYTHING WORKS ON THIS CASH-FOR-STUFF BASIS. IF I HEARD A HUGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND NEGATIVITY GENERALLY, ABOUT THE REVAMPED CENTRE, I MIGHT WANT A REFUND. ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE MAYOR OF THIS TOWN DID NOT LIE TO ME, ABOUT THE PAIN AND SUFFERING TO BE EXPECTED. SO ANYTHING UNDER A TEN PERCENT HIKE IS LIKE NNIRVANA…..GETTING THE CAKE AND EATING IT TOO.
THERE ARE READERS OF THIS BLOG, FROM ALL OVER THE CONTINENT, WHO HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL TAXES, AND THE YEARLY ESCALATIONS WE'RE FORCED TO "DEAL WITH"! IN MY HOME TOWN AND HOME REGION, GRAVENHURST, IN THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA, HERE IN THE ONTARIO HINTERLAND, WE ARE FACING A HEFTY TAX INCREASE THIS YEAR…..TO COVER A RISING DEBT-LOAD, AND INTEREST, PLUS THE RE-PAYMENT OF MONEY SPENT ON A NEWLY REDEVELOPED RECREATION CENTRE.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT SO MUCH WITH THE DECISIONS OF THE PRESENT GRAVENHURST COUNCIL, BUT THE FACT IT TOOK THEM SO LONG TO BLAME PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS FOR CRAPPY INVESTMENT PROWESS. A PREVIOUS COUNCIL PURCHASED A NEW TOWN HALL LOCATION, AND LITERALLY GAVE THE OLD ONE AWAY. WHETHER IT WENT TO THE THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT OR NOT, THE BOTTOM LINE IS WHAT THAT LOSS OF REVENUE MEANS TO THE EXPENSE OF THE NEW TOWN CENTRE, WHICH JUST RECENTLY REQUIRED A NEW AND EXPENSIVE ROOF. ADD ON THE COST OF THE NEW "ATTACHED" MEDICAL CENTRE, AND AN OPERA HOUSE THAT HAS FEWER AND FEWER REASONS EVERY YEAR TO BE OPEN, AND IT'S EASY TO APPRECIATE WHY SOME TAXPAYERS HAVE ANGER ISSUES WITH LOCAL COUNCILLORS. MUCH OF IT HOWEVER, IS CARRY-OVER FROM A PREVIOUS COUNCIL.
FOR POLITICAL REASONS, WE MIGHT SUPPOSE, COUNCILLORS HAVE REFRAINED FROM POINTING THE FINGER…..BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO. MOST OF US WHO PAY ATTENTION TO THE COMINGS AND GOINGS IN OUR REGION, KNOW WHERE TO PLACE THE BLAME. IF WE CAN BLAME LOCAL COUNCIL FOR ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, IT'S IN THIS LACK OF OPENNESS, TELLING OUR CITIZENS EXACTLY WHY WE'RE IN THE NOSE-BLEED CATEGORY OF GOVERNMENT TAX INCREASES…….AND WILL BE FOR SOME TIME YET TO COME.
ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE NEW RECREATION CENTRE, AS OF YET, THE WORD ON THE STREET IS THAT WE HAVE A DAMN-FINE FACILITY AND THAT THE YMCA ARE TOP-NOTCH ADMINISTRATORS. THE REVIEWS ARE POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING, AND ONE MIGHT SUGGEST FROM THE EARLY GOING, THAT THE CITIZENRY IS PLEASED WITH THE END RESULT. AS A REFRESHER, IT WAS A YEAR AGO THAT THE PROVERBIAL POOP HIT THE FAN HERE, WITH INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING, BY THE DAILY PRESS, UNCOVERING ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN THE RE-CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. TO SOME WHO WANTED ANSWERS ABOUT OTHER THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW POOL, IT WAS IMMEDIATELY ASSUMED COST OVER-RUNS WERE PART OF A LARGER SCAM. FOR A HALF YEAR, IN THE MIDST OF CONSTRUCTION, CITIZENS WERE EXPECTING MORE AND DIRE HEADLINES, ABOUT THE FORENSIC AUDIT, AND ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE INVESTIGATION, EXAMINING IF THERE WERE GROUNDS FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES TO BE LAID. THEN, SIX MONTHS LATER, CAME NEWS IN THE LOCAL MEDIA, THAT NO CRIMINAL WRONG-DOING WAS FOUND, AND NOTHING WAS SERIOUSLY AMISS, CONTRARY TO THE ORIGINAL ALLEGATIONS. AS WE HEAVED A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF, BECAUSE VERY FEW OF US WANTED TO BELIEVE BAD THINGS COULD HAPPEN TO NICE PEOPLE, WE WERE THEN HIT BY DELAY AFTER DELAY AFTER DELAY, IN POOL COMPLETION, LEADING SOME TO OFFER-UP THE OPINION ONCE AGAIN, "GRAVENHURST IS CURSED."
TO HEAR THESE RAVE REVIEWS NOW IS A WONDERFUL RESPITE FROM THE CONTROVERSY. I'M STILL A LITTLE PENSIVE, AS A FORMER NEWSPAPER MAN, THAT WE HAVEN'T READ THE LAST OF THE DAILY NEWS STORIES, ON OUR CENTRE; TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HASN'T BEEN A FOLLOW-UP, OR RE-VISITATION OF THE MATTER SINCE LAST SPRING. I HAVE A SUSPICION THERE IS MORE TO COME, BECAUSE WITHOUT CRIMINAL CHARGES HAVING BEEN LAID, OR FORENSIC ANOMALIES FLAGGED, THE CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN SHOULD, AT THE VERY LEAST, HAVE BEEN AFFORDED AN EXPLANATION FROM THE NEWSPAPER, WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT……AND HOW WHAT BEGAN AS A HEART-STOPPING FRONT-PAGER, (FOR US AT LEAST), HAS BEEN SHELVED. I THINK WHAT THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR AGREE WARRANTS FRONT PAGE INK, OVER A NUMBER OF DAYS, CERTAINLY DESERVES ADDITIONAL COVERAGE, TO CLARIFY THE SITUATION, SO WE CAN HAVE OUR OWN CLOSURE……BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL QUITE A NUMBER OF CITIZENS HERE WHO REMEMBER THE ALLEGATIONS ON THE FRONT PAGE. AND THE VERY MODEST CLARIFICATIONS THAT WERE THEN PUBLISHED IN THE LOCAL MEDIA, IN THE FALL OF 2011, FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE OPP REPORT, AND FORENSIC AUDIT. BUT IF THERE WAS AN APOLOGY, MOST OF US MISSED THAT HEADLINE.
I THINK THAT THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST SHOULD, ON OUR BEHALF, ASK FOR CLARIFICATION FROM THE PRESS……AND AN EXPLANATION WHETHER THE MATTER IS SETTLED……OR NOT. WE GOT POUNDED AS A COMMUNITY, WHETHER THE MEDIA BELIEVES THIS, OR CARES. OUR MUNICIPALITY HAD TO ENDURE EXPENSE AND DELAYS IN A LOT OF AREAS, DURING THE INVESTIGATION, NOT TO MENTION HAVING THEIR GOVERNMENT FUNDING SUSPENDED. AND I WOULD FEEL SOMEWHAT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH OUR MUNICIPAL LEADERSHIP, IF THIS MATTER WAS PURSUED, FROM THEIR POSITION OF AUTHORITY, SO WE COULD HAVE CLOSURE. WHAT'S THE STATUS? WHY HAS IT TAKEN THIS LONG, NOW COMING UP TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES, TO GET EITHER AN APOLOGY, A RE-TRACTION, HOW ABOUT A SIMPLE EXPLANATION WHERE THE MATTER STANDS. THE LOCAL PRESS? IT SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY BE THEIR CONCERN, BECAUSE THEY CARRIED MUCH OF THE SAME INFORMATION…..THE SAME ALLEGATIONS.
MAYBE IT IS PREMATURE TO SUGGEST EVERYTHING IS FINE AT THE NEWLY REFURBISHED GRAVENHURST RECREATION CENTRE. MAYBE INSIDERS KNOW THERE'S A STORM CLOUD HEADING THIS WAY. POSSIBLY THEY ARE SWORN TO SECRECY. THEY MIGHT THINK WE CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! THIS IS WHERE THEY ARE DEAD WRONG. THERE ARE INQUIRING MINDS HERE IN THE HINTERLAND OF ONTARIO, AND WE'RE NOT SATISFIED AT ALL WITH STATUS QUO ON THIS ONE, AND COUNCIL SHOULD BE KICKING UP A FUSS…….BUT NARY A WHIMPER CAN BE HEARD. OUR COMMUNITY WAS TAGGED WITH THE SAME BRUSH, AND THAT HAPPENS…….BUT SOMEONE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, FOR CLEANING UP THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE WE RECEIVED, BENEATH THOSE HONKING BIG HEADLINES.
AS FOR ONE CRITIC'S SUGGESTION, OF LOCAL COUNCILLORS PATTING THEMSELVES ON THE BACK, AFTER PASSING THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, I DON'T BELIEVE THIS FOR A MOMENT. IF ANYTHING, THEY WERE PREPARING EACH OTHER, FOR THE FRIGHTENING ENTRY INTO THE TWILIGHT'S ZONE OF RATEPAYER DISGUST. POSSIBLY THINKING ABOUT THE THE VERY REAL HORROR, OF HAVING TO SELL THE TAX INCREASE AT COTTAGE ASSOCIATION MEETINGS THIS SUMMER SEASON. AS A FORMER REPORTER, WHO COVERED MANY OF THESE LARGE RATEPAYER, AND COTTAGE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETINGS, HAVING TO FACE THEIR WRATH IS DAUNTING…..BLOOD CURDLING UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF SUCH TAX INCREASES. SEEING AS MOST OF THE COTTAGERS IN THIS REGION WILL NOT BE USING THE RECREATION CENTRE, HAVING TO PAY FOR IT, AND A NEW TOWN HALL ROOF, IS A MATTER OF DELICATE SALESMANSHIP…….AND FOR THE MAYOR, HOPING AGAINST HOPE, A RAIL DOESN'T COME SHOOTING THROUGH THE MEETING ROOM DOORS. I'VE KNOWN A FEW MAYORS IN MY DAY, WHO PRETTY MUCH "RODE THE RAIL," WHEN SEASONAL RESIDENTS DECIDED TO PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLL IN THE VERY NEXT MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. SO TO THINK THAT ANY LOCAL COUNCILLOR IS FEELING GIDDY ABOUT THE PARED DOWN BUDGET, THAT IS STILL WAY ASSESSED BY MOST CRITICS AS BEING TOO HIGH, IS NOTHING SHORT OF ABSURD. HOW MANY COUNCILLORS ARE TAKING ANT-ACIDS LIKE TIC-TACS THESE DAYS? HOW MANY HAVEN'T SPENT QUALITY TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES IN MONTHS? HOW MANY OF THEM CAN'T SHOP IN OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, WITHOUT RUNNING INTO A TAX HATER, WHO TAKES THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHASTISE ONE, FOR THE ALLEGED SINS OF THE MAJORITY.
WHILE A LOT OF FOLKS WILL COMPLAIN WHENEVER THERE IS A BID BY A LOCAL COUNCIL, TO GIVE THEMSELVES A PAY RAISE. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS AS BLUNTLY AS I CAN………FOR WHAT COUNCILLORS ARE EXPECTED TO DO, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY THEY CARRY FOR A HUGE CORPORATION, THEY ARE PAID PEANUTS……AND IF YOU CAN APPRECIATE WHAT THE BEST TALENT IN THEIR DEPARTMENTS ARE PAID, AS COMPARED TO WHAT THEY EARN PER YEAR, EVEN WITH PERKS, THE WHOLE THING IS CONTRADICTORY. YOU WILL NOT ATTRACT THOSE WITH MOST EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF MUNICIPAL BUSINESS, WHEN COUNCIL SALARIES ARE AS MEAGRE AS PRESENT. COUNCILLOR REMUNERATION ISN'T THE BURDEN OF TAX INCREASE, DESPITE WHAT SOME CRITICS MIGHT CLAIM. WHAT THE PALTRY AMOUNT IS, IN FACT, A LITERAL GUARANTEE THAT BETTER QUALIFIED CANDIDATES ARE NEVER GOING TO TAKE ON THE BURDEN OF OFFICE FOR THE PRESENT PAY. SO WHEN THE TALKING HEADS OUT THERE, START QUESTIONING THE LEADERSHIP OF COUNCIL, WELL…….IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE MUCH IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE INCREASING COUNCIL SALARIES IS THE "BULLSEYE"……THE CENTRAL SYMBOL OF TAXPAYER REVOLT. JUST WATCH THE PRESS. EVEN A MERE MENTION, OF A PROPOSED INCREASE, WILL CREATE A FRENZY OF LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, HUGE FISCAL INEFFICIENCIES ARE HAPPENING ALL OVER THE PLACE, GOING RELATIVELY UNNOTICED. I TALKED TO A CORPORATE EXECUTIVE, A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, WHO WAS SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN THE AFFAIRS OF LOCAL COUNCIL. WHETHER HE PLANNED TO RETIRE HERE, AND POSSIBLY RUN FOR COUNCIL, I DON'T KNOW, BUT HE WOULD HAVE MADE A DANDY REPRESENTATIVE. WHEN I GAVE HIM SOME BALLPARK FIGURES ABOUT WHAT MUSKOKA AREA COUNCILLORS RECEIVE AS PAYMENT…..WELL, HE JUST LAUGHED. HIS QUESTION WAS A BASIC ONE. HOW DO YOU GET QUALIFIED PEOPLE FOR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY? WITH NO DISRESPECT TO PRESENT COUNCILLORS, THE MATTER OF QUALIFICATION IS A HUGE ISSUE. WE'VE GOT SOME ACCOMPLISHED AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN, WHO WILL NOT RUN FOR COUNCIL BECAUSE THE MONEY SIMPLY ISN'T WORTH THE ONGOING, FOUR YEAR HASSLE. THE FOUR YEAR TERM HAS ALSO LIMITED PARTICIPATION.
I WON'T BE SUGGESTING ANY "TARRING" OR SUBSEQUENT "FEATHERING" THIS YEAR FOR LOCAL COUNCILLORS, WHO I'VE COME TO RESPECT LATELY, FOR SOME OF THEIR SKILLFUL NAVIGATION THROUGH SHARK INFESTED WATERS. I'M STILL A CRITIC TO THEM, AND IT'S NOT EASY TO FORGIVE AND FORGET, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT THE DECISIONS THEY'VE BEEN FORCED TO MAKE, AND THE ONES YET TO COME, ARE MADE WITH A PERSONAL COST AS WELL. AS MAD AS I CAN GET ABOUT SOME ISSUES, AND PERCEIVED SPENDING EXCESSES, THESE COUNCILLORS ARE OUR CITIZENS TOO, AND THEY'RE TRYING THE BEST THEY CAN, TO CORRECT WHAT A FORMER COUNCIL INFLICTED ON THE PRESENT. NO, NONE OF THE COUNCILLORS FELT THEY WERE CHAMPIONS FOR PARING THE BUDGET DOWN……THEY FELT LIKE CRAP. THERE WAS NO JOY. JUST WORRY ABOUT WHAT IS YET TO COME.
NO THEY DON'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY FOR WHAT THEY ARE EXPECTED TO SHOULDER. WHY DO THEY STAY? IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE MONEY. JUST POSSIBLY, THEY BELIEVE IN FOLLOWING THROUGH ON A COMMITMENT THEY MADE TO US. I WOULDN'T BLAME ANY OF THEM FOR RESIGNING, BUT FRANKLY, I'M GLAD THEY'RE STICKING AROUND, AND WILLING TO WEATHER THE STORM.
LES RUTLEDGE WAS A CHARACTER AND NOT A BAD AUCTIONEER
I was editor of The Herald-Gazette, when I heard the news that my old auction friend, Les Rutledge had passed away. If I'm not mistaken, he had a heart attack while removing snow from his driveway, here in Gravenhurst. For those who knew Les, it can only ever be an understatement, to claim he was a character….of epic proportion. Amongst those folkish characters I knew in my young life to that point, he stood tall in my comprehension of what memorable citizens were all about. When I'd meet the big man, when he'd come into the Dominion Street office, in Bracebridge, to place his auction advertisements, I always took the time to find out what was going on in his world, and he always had questions…..and a few editorial notes for me. I was editor and he was influential…..in his own old-school way. He was a tough guy, and a few of the front-desk clerks were petrified of big Les, because he had a caustic side, but his bark, and stern look on his face, was always more bluster than a marker of how mad or disappointed he was. He didn't like the price of his auction ads, but after debating the issue with staff, which he seemed to enjoy, he'd pay his bill and place the very next notice for the coming issue.
I first got to know Les as one of his auction regulars. After a career on the trains, I believe, Les decided to provide a needed service in our area. By his dress and his cowboy hat, he looked the part of the country auctioneer. He was respected as an accomplished auctioneer, even after only a short time in the profession. I can still see him, as clear as clear, standing so proudly on the little wooden platform he used to cart around. Les Rutledge exuded confidence, and he was incredibly colorful when conducting a sale. First of all, he was a substantial human being. He was almost imposing, when he stood shoulder to shoulder with his bidders, and he seemed even bigger than that, when he came down off the block of wood, to have a face-to-face with a bidder who was pissing-him-off. Let me tell you folks, we all inhaled at the same time, and when Les finally twinkled with a smile that the matter had been resolved, we jointly exhaled. He was a tad impatient. He liked things to go smoothly.
I can remember, when Les would get annoyed by a smart-ass bidder amongst us. It wasn't the case the person would be nasty about the comments, or directing anything personal at the auctioneer. But there would, from time to time, be the kind of "budinski" patron who would correct Les about something, or distract him or the audience with unwelcome advisories. Geez, dollars to donuts, I'd get that loudmouth right beside me. Many times I wanted to say to them, "Please, please don't poke the bear." Suzanne would give me the "don't get involved" look, as she still does in similar circumstances that inspire me to get lippy, and I'd just let the person feel the wrath of the about-to-get-even auctioneer. Les always reminded me of my former band conductor, John Rutherford, back in my high school days, in Bracebridge, who would stop a concert right in the middle, if he thought the audience was being disrespectful to the musicians. I always knew with John, as a baritone player, that when his white conductor's baton snapped in his hands (broken into two small pieces), we should just put our instruments down, and batten down the hatches for the lecture that was on its way. Les was somewhat the same, but his baton was a much larger cane. I never saw him break it……or hit anyone with it, but something told me, I should step back from the person causing the disruption, just in case. He would use it as a pointer, identifying the person causing the problem, and maybe wave it about a bit, but I never heard it swing through the air, or do anything more than tap at the platform, like a rattlesnake preparing to strike. It usually stopped there.
He wore a large Stetson-style hat, which was white if memory serves, and a rope tie, to go with the auctioneer's fashion tradition. He always looked stern through the business part of the sale, but on breaks, he was quite a kidder. The old farts in the crowd thought Les was their John Wayne, because he embodied the attributes of a wise grandfather, a tough parent, a reliable neighbor, and one who could spin yarns that would take your breath away. He wasn't flashy, or trying to be someone other than the former railwayman most knew him as, and respected, while at the same time adjusting to his career as an auctioneer. He didn't really fit the profile of the country auctioneer, such that he would have been its poster boy, but no one was foolish enough to say this to his face.
I had the chance to talk to Wayne Rutledge, who took over from his father's auction legacy, a short while before his own sudden demise. I told him frankly, that his father had helped me progress in the antique profession, and he had also…..contrary to the way he should have operated, gave Suzanne and I, as newlyweds, at his auctions, little breaks here and there……that was his way of keeping us coming back to his sales. Person to person advertising. We didn't have a lot of money to furnish our first apartment together, and when Les would watch us losing bid after bid, because of the escalation of price, he would suddenly, on something else we were interested, stop the bid when he felt it was fair for all parties….except the other bidders also interested in the subject piece. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see your bid," he'd answer, with a wink of the eye to me. I wasn't going to suggest to him, his kindness wasn't appreciated. It may not have been ethical, to the letter of the auctioneer's credo, but by golly, he had a kind streak that went on and on, but few knew it was there. I saw it, felt it, and when I shook his hand…..mine disappearing in his huge mitts, let me tell you it was sincere. And if the man had faults, well, he also had some attributes I truly admired. I never missed his auctions. I never once missed his trips into The Herald-Gazette, where he loved to get the front desk clerks in a panic. It was just fun stuff……he liked the ladies, and he had no intention of ever hurting anyone's feelings with his directness…..except if you happened to annoy him during the auction roll. In that respect, he was like any other auctioneer, trying to get the job done.
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