WHEN BUSINESS CALLS - EVEN WHEN THE THOREAUESQUE BECKONS....
I must offer an apology for my lethargy as of late. It has been very much the case that business has come before pleasure. And while it is true that I garner great joy working in the antique profession, nothing can trump my forays in writing at Birch Hollow. But as the accountant in this household is currently of the opinion we should balance the books, it was necessary for awhile to put other, more enjoyable pursuits aside.
We have had the privilege of selling off a considerable quantity of interesting Canadiana, antiquarian books, old paper and some wonderful advertising nostalgia. Now we are close to completion and we can honestly say that the past six weeks have been exciting and well worth experiencing. There just hasn’t been much time for anything else, and seeing as I have for long and long subscribed to the philosophy of dear old Mr. Fezziwig’s (Dickens, A Christmas Carol) belief, that "money isn’t everything," I do intend to happily return to my cherished blog sites, of which there are numerous, and pen copiously once again. As a poor writer I shall continue following this life-long path.
Today the forest canopy is filling in, and the lilac buds are growing ever more significant, ready soon to burst into bloom. The ferns are poking their heads up through the soil and our patch of trilliums has almost doubled from years past. There are a few blackflies but not so bad.
Once again, my apologies for this rather unanticipated but profitable hiatus.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
A REFRAIN HEARD FAR AND WIDE - CITIZENRY BEING IGNORED BY TOWN HALL
I have read the statement many times, and on each occasion it has been a retort that seems relevant on the surface but does not hold a molecule of fact, in a more serious investigation.
When there’s a public meeting about development of a planning document, for example, it is often noted by one or more councillors that the poor turn-out of ratepayers, to participate in the governance of their community, is proof that it’s easier to complain by phone, email and letter to the editor, than to attend meetings in person. It’s not an accurate response whatsoever, to believe we, who may choose not to attend a public meeting, don’t care about the state of our community.
It’s simply faulty logic to believe that a huge majority of citizens, in this community, only demonstrate they care about policies and controversial decisions, via newspaper print or calls to town hall; or that they are, as only an annoyance, very opinionated and watchful over their hometown for selfish "in-my-backyard reasons," and whether they are front and center at a town hall meeting, or special get-together, shouldn’t suggest to any municipal official that these folks are thusly unworthy of serious consideration. A lot of people in this country are fed-up with the whole government debacle, of exercising democratic right to.....as some say, elect a dictator!
Over the decades many Canadians have become so disillusioned about governance and the mistruths, flip-flops, backward-forward logic, and deceit at the highest level, that it has admittedly and wrongly become a complacent danger to believe "they’re going to do what they do, no matter what we say....so why bother?" I think any elected official, looking out over a sparsely attended public meeting, should be saddened by the fact confidence in their ability to govern is so low........belief that democracy won’t work despite their best effort and counterpoint to prevailing policy. Many have given up trying to change what doesn’t want to change. It’s not until a more significant ground swell of concern, raises in our respective communities, which will affect us all adversely, that the number of motivated citizens increases, such as occurred when Gravenhurst citizens came out to fight the proposed closure of the High School. The citizens made it clear that council’s "fence sitting" was not an option, and a resolved commitment to fight such a proposal was necessary, for the welfare of a town they refer to as progressive......especially when trying to attract new business development. This was their chance to show all of us just how committed they were to being progressive, and disallowing the Board of Education to manipulate our respective futures, on what turned out to be a sliver of what they thought was a good idea.
The miscalculation and general misunderstanding that low attendance, at certain meetings, means apathy and a deepening malaise, in our home region, is wrong and a dangerous assumption to carry-on with, particularly during an election year. With a huge debt in Muskoka generally, and an unwieldy one in Gravenhurst, and the reality we’re not as rich as they think we are, there is going to be a long over-due correction at town hall, and organized ratepayers are already penetrating the inner sanctum of local decision making, demanding answers and insisting on transparency. This is good for all citizens of Gravenhurst, and it’s important to pay attention to their fact finding, leading up to this year’s municipal election.
Due to a number of personal conflicts, as a result of a family member’s employment with the town, I will not belong to this organization as an active member, although it is without reservation that I support their efforts to make local governance more accountable to the citizens they represent. They have done a good job on your behalf, and they do deserve your support.
Any councillor, or mayor hopeful, wishing to pursue election this year, would be well advised to appreciate more fully, why ratepayers have organized, and are likely to become more expressive about their concerns as we approach the November vote. I don’t suggest that you adopt their policies because they’re a force to be reckoned with.....and you want their support, but rather you appreciate fully the amount of work they’ve gone to, in order to achieve transparency for all of us on the sidelines.......scared to death to get the tax bill for 2011. I don’t see them as a lobby group but a body of concerned citizens, attempting to secure a commitment of accountability from elected officials......which means that citizens are willingly brought into governance by the elected officials because it makes sense to a truly progressive community. Instead of fear and loathing about intrusive citizens, may come an enlightened attitude that reflects a new sensibility, and era of talent-sharing. In my opinion the dedicated people on the ratepayer’s association have shown a huge willingness to work with council to find solutions.....not simply to trip up good ideas or confound the mechanism of local government, but to make this a better hometown based on co-operation for the good of us all. If we can’t agree on the merits and cost of a brand new town hall, as a community at large, it shouldn’t have been pursued. It could have easily been placed as a question to citizens during the upcoming election. Seeing as we are the ones to be saddled with the expense, for many years, we deserved to vote on our ability to pay for such a luxury. It wouldn’t have been the first time a town hall re-location plan was rejected in this community.
Those councillors who have agreed to enter into this costly venture, and plan to run in the upcoming election, should be prepared to explain, on the mainstage at all candidates meetings, why a community down on its luck, and already burdened by debt, undertook such a costly adventure against sage advice. A few of these folks may even take a crack at mayor so I trust this issue will be placed front and center for insightful explanations, about the failure to give a dam, about responsible ratepayer concern for over-spending.
I recognize the huge burden of responsibility carried by our elected officials. But surely they understood, before joining the merry band of vote seekers four years ago, that it wasn’t going to be an easy go, satisfying an unhappy bunch of citizens who have long felt disassociated with local government. They had lots of opportunity to jump ship. While they are brave to have stayed on, particularly with the onslaught of counterpoint being fired at them weekly, it should be clear that informed ratepayers are not going to be bypassed or over-ruled by absolute power, and that many challenges are on the way......making it uncomfortable, for any elected official, who mistakenly believes their position entitles them to bulldoze the very democracy that gave them the opportunity to represent us. It would be a huge error in judgement to assume that this election will be the same as all the others......or that local government will rule, with that sense of misguided divine privilege, I have always found so delusional....... and not quite practical to the legal options possessed by the commoners to investigate public officials so deserving.
While some elected officials will argue they will not be pushed around by special interest groups, they will indeed succumb over the long haul of another term, to the logic of sensible, responsible argument, based on accounting, based on popular sentiment, based on democratic privilege to challenge what is perceived to be misguided, irresponsible, and undemocratic.
This is not to suggest that the past council term has been in this fashion of irresponsibility because I don’t believe this to be the case. I think however, the reluctance to yield, such as the case of the town hall re-location, confirms that, for all our household budgets, we have no choice but to rear-up and demand a new accountability.......based on the general capability of affording to live in Gravenhurst in the future.
I have read the statement many times, and on each occasion it has been a retort that seems relevant on the surface but does not hold a molecule of fact, in a more serious investigation.
When there’s a public meeting about development of a planning document, for example, it is often noted by one or more councillors that the poor turn-out of ratepayers, to participate in the governance of their community, is proof that it’s easier to complain by phone, email and letter to the editor, than to attend meetings in person. It’s not an accurate response whatsoever, to believe we, who may choose not to attend a public meeting, don’t care about the state of our community.
It’s simply faulty logic to believe that a huge majority of citizens, in this community, only demonstrate they care about policies and controversial decisions, via newspaper print or calls to town hall; or that they are, as only an annoyance, very opinionated and watchful over their hometown for selfish "in-my-backyard reasons," and whether they are front and center at a town hall meeting, or special get-together, shouldn’t suggest to any municipal official that these folks are thusly unworthy of serious consideration. A lot of people in this country are fed-up with the whole government debacle, of exercising democratic right to.....as some say, elect a dictator!
Over the decades many Canadians have become so disillusioned about governance and the mistruths, flip-flops, backward-forward logic, and deceit at the highest level, that it has admittedly and wrongly become a complacent danger to believe "they’re going to do what they do, no matter what we say....so why bother?" I think any elected official, looking out over a sparsely attended public meeting, should be saddened by the fact confidence in their ability to govern is so low........belief that democracy won’t work despite their best effort and counterpoint to prevailing policy. Many have given up trying to change what doesn’t want to change. It’s not until a more significant ground swell of concern, raises in our respective communities, which will affect us all adversely, that the number of motivated citizens increases, such as occurred when Gravenhurst citizens came out to fight the proposed closure of the High School. The citizens made it clear that council’s "fence sitting" was not an option, and a resolved commitment to fight such a proposal was necessary, for the welfare of a town they refer to as progressive......especially when trying to attract new business development. This was their chance to show all of us just how committed they were to being progressive, and disallowing the Board of Education to manipulate our respective futures, on what turned out to be a sliver of what they thought was a good idea.
The miscalculation and general misunderstanding that low attendance, at certain meetings, means apathy and a deepening malaise, in our home region, is wrong and a dangerous assumption to carry-on with, particularly during an election year. With a huge debt in Muskoka generally, and an unwieldy one in Gravenhurst, and the reality we’re not as rich as they think we are, there is going to be a long over-due correction at town hall, and organized ratepayers are already penetrating the inner sanctum of local decision making, demanding answers and insisting on transparency. This is good for all citizens of Gravenhurst, and it’s important to pay attention to their fact finding, leading up to this year’s municipal election.
Due to a number of personal conflicts, as a result of a family member’s employment with the town, I will not belong to this organization as an active member, although it is without reservation that I support their efforts to make local governance more accountable to the citizens they represent. They have done a good job on your behalf, and they do deserve your support.
Any councillor, or mayor hopeful, wishing to pursue election this year, would be well advised to appreciate more fully, why ratepayers have organized, and are likely to become more expressive about their concerns as we approach the November vote. I don’t suggest that you adopt their policies because they’re a force to be reckoned with.....and you want their support, but rather you appreciate fully the amount of work they’ve gone to, in order to achieve transparency for all of us on the sidelines.......scared to death to get the tax bill for 2011. I don’t see them as a lobby group but a body of concerned citizens, attempting to secure a commitment of accountability from elected officials......which means that citizens are willingly brought into governance by the elected officials because it makes sense to a truly progressive community. Instead of fear and loathing about intrusive citizens, may come an enlightened attitude that reflects a new sensibility, and era of talent-sharing. In my opinion the dedicated people on the ratepayer’s association have shown a huge willingness to work with council to find solutions.....not simply to trip up good ideas or confound the mechanism of local government, but to make this a better hometown based on co-operation for the good of us all. If we can’t agree on the merits and cost of a brand new town hall, as a community at large, it shouldn’t have been pursued. It could have easily been placed as a question to citizens during the upcoming election. Seeing as we are the ones to be saddled with the expense, for many years, we deserved to vote on our ability to pay for such a luxury. It wouldn’t have been the first time a town hall re-location plan was rejected in this community.
Those councillors who have agreed to enter into this costly venture, and plan to run in the upcoming election, should be prepared to explain, on the mainstage at all candidates meetings, why a community down on its luck, and already burdened by debt, undertook such a costly adventure against sage advice. A few of these folks may even take a crack at mayor so I trust this issue will be placed front and center for insightful explanations, about the failure to give a dam, about responsible ratepayer concern for over-spending.
I recognize the huge burden of responsibility carried by our elected officials. But surely they understood, before joining the merry band of vote seekers four years ago, that it wasn’t going to be an easy go, satisfying an unhappy bunch of citizens who have long felt disassociated with local government. They had lots of opportunity to jump ship. While they are brave to have stayed on, particularly with the onslaught of counterpoint being fired at them weekly, it should be clear that informed ratepayers are not going to be bypassed or over-ruled by absolute power, and that many challenges are on the way......making it uncomfortable, for any elected official, who mistakenly believes their position entitles them to bulldoze the very democracy that gave them the opportunity to represent us. It would be a huge error in judgement to assume that this election will be the same as all the others......or that local government will rule, with that sense of misguided divine privilege, I have always found so delusional....... and not quite practical to the legal options possessed by the commoners to investigate public officials so deserving.
While some elected officials will argue they will not be pushed around by special interest groups, they will indeed succumb over the long haul of another term, to the logic of sensible, responsible argument, based on accounting, based on popular sentiment, based on democratic privilege to challenge what is perceived to be misguided, irresponsible, and undemocratic.
This is not to suggest that the past council term has been in this fashion of irresponsibility because I don’t believe this to be the case. I think however, the reluctance to yield, such as the case of the town hall re-location, confirms that, for all our household budgets, we have no choice but to rear-up and demand a new accountability.......based on the general capability of affording to live in Gravenhurst in the future.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
LOOKING FOR A MAYOR
Those seeking to fill the mayor’s chair, in the Town of Gravenhurst, this coming November, must be capable of binding together diverse interests and competing economics. It will necessitate a business moxy accentuated by a keen willingness to bring back a community identity that has been crushed by years of indifference. Infighting has taken a huge toll for the past twenty years or more, and this has come about, in many ways, due to a number of serious, large scale losses, such as the closing of the Muskoka Centre. Losses of business and provincial operations that were longstanding to this South Muskoka Community. No one has thought it of great value to tend the wounds that have never fully healed, and have been aggravated by the new commercial divisions foisted upon us, in a still-struggling economy.
As an historian, it bothers me profoundly that we are more concerned about the buildings of historic merit than the problems of general malaise about town identity. My concern is that the historic identity of a tough, cohesive, resilient town has been neglected and minimized for so long, that it will take years to recover. Before the town can rebuild its esteem, the residents need to be heard. They need to be taken seriously, and not fobbed-off on matters of old-town concern. One example is the shift of the Town Hall to a new, out of the way location, from its position in the mainstreet neighborhood. While some things have to change, and a new town hall is undoubtedly needed, changes to the way this town has operated since the 1860's, needs a little more compassion and appreciation......not all change is desired and positive.
A new mayor and council would be well advised to look at the history of Gravenhurst, and take the time to learn more about the folks who built this community, and continue to live here generation after generation. Their life-long investment here is worth greater consideration by those who impose change at their expense.....and then the "political will" in office, speaks only half-heartedly, of bringing the community together. There are a lot of hurt feelings in our community because the folks at town hall decided that force-feeding was infinitely better in the name of progress, than taking the time and effort to recognize Gravenhurst was a thriving, ambitious and successful town long before they were born. History can be a great ally. A huge source of enlightenment for those willing to ask questions of our senior residents, about what’s missing in our modern neighborhood.
It’s time for local politicians to appreciate that they represent us at council, and at District, but they don’t own the community. This is the way they have acted.
Those seeking to fill the mayor’s chair, in the Town of Gravenhurst, this coming November, must be capable of binding together diverse interests and competing economics. It will necessitate a business moxy accentuated by a keen willingness to bring back a community identity that has been crushed by years of indifference. Infighting has taken a huge toll for the past twenty years or more, and this has come about, in many ways, due to a number of serious, large scale losses, such as the closing of the Muskoka Centre. Losses of business and provincial operations that were longstanding to this South Muskoka Community. No one has thought it of great value to tend the wounds that have never fully healed, and have been aggravated by the new commercial divisions foisted upon us, in a still-struggling economy.
As an historian, it bothers me profoundly that we are more concerned about the buildings of historic merit than the problems of general malaise about town identity. My concern is that the historic identity of a tough, cohesive, resilient town has been neglected and minimized for so long, that it will take years to recover. Before the town can rebuild its esteem, the residents need to be heard. They need to be taken seriously, and not fobbed-off on matters of old-town concern. One example is the shift of the Town Hall to a new, out of the way location, from its position in the mainstreet neighborhood. While some things have to change, and a new town hall is undoubtedly needed, changes to the way this town has operated since the 1860's, needs a little more compassion and appreciation......not all change is desired and positive.
A new mayor and council would be well advised to look at the history of Gravenhurst, and take the time to learn more about the folks who built this community, and continue to live here generation after generation. Their life-long investment here is worth greater consideration by those who impose change at their expense.....and then the "political will" in office, speaks only half-heartedly, of bringing the community together. There are a lot of hurt feelings in our community because the folks at town hall decided that force-feeding was infinitely better in the name of progress, than taking the time and effort to recognize Gravenhurst was a thriving, ambitious and successful town long before they were born. History can be a great ally. A huge source of enlightenment for those willing to ask questions of our senior residents, about what’s missing in our modern neighborhood.
It’s time for local politicians to appreciate that they represent us at council, and at District, but they don’t own the community. This is the way they have acted.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A WEE NOTE OF SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COUNCILLORS IN GRAVENHURST
I ran for Bracebridge Council twice and got clobbered. Two reasons why? Even as a writer with a pretty fair readership, the voters didn’t want an editor and columnist representing their interests. Stands to reason that if they didn’t like my widely published opinions, which were pretty hard on developers, then they wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of awarding me a vote. Secondly, as it relates to the first, I have been against urban sprawl for decades and in Bracebridge, and the voters felt that jobs and economic prosperity were infinitely more desirable than pastureland....in the case of Ball’s Flats where the plaza development now dominates the landscape. If I was clearly mistaken about anything it was the misguided belief that readers could be votes "for."
Both times I felt my campaign was balanced and of sensible proportion and both times, I found out that opinion is just that......and not one vote more than the one I checked for myself. I vowed after two defeats that there would never be a third strike taken. Really. Instead of vowing to win the very next municipal election, I decided to quit trying....hence there never was a third strike to make. Cowardice. More like resignation that as an "ideas" man, who has always worn his opinions like brightly colored ribbons on a compromised lapel, I was never going to be able to advocate the kind of urban activity, the majority of voters demanded. So rather than be in an ongoing battle with everyone it seemed, my life as a politician was left at the dream stage. Here’s why that’s a good thing!
As a reporter / editor and longstanding historian, I have worked closely with municipal councils, and been a keen follower of government activities in our region, both as a profession, reporting for the local press, and as an associate of local government, representing several groups, including the Bracebridge Historical Society and the Crozier Foundation, that both needed ongoing council / councillor co-operation. Working in conjunction with the town gave me the insight into business operations I hadn’t witnessed as a reporter.....and that had been a critical failing of perspective. My years as a reporter, covering hundreds of council meetings, and writing weekly articles about political issues, gave me a tremendous insight into local governance, the good, bad and the ugly. A lot of what went on I couldn’t write about and there was much more that demanded months of investigative reporting to be responsible with story-line. None of us had the time and money to invest in this, and it was hard enough to report day to day, with the obstacles thrown in front of a skeleton crew of writers.
I never once believed that the councils, I was covering, were in any way corrupt or dishonest in their governance, just that they didn’t wish us to know certain things.....that were within their rights to withhold......but our "public’s right to know" mantra pounding in our minds. We always seemed to be battling on that front, and it set us at odds many times, with councillors who always had the town’s best interest at heart. We knew that. We just didn’t appreciate what we thought at the time, were cover-ups and mis-leading information from the truth at hand. Upon years of reflection, I realize we were a merciless crew, and it undoubtedly built up opposition, based solely on the near-confrontational way we asked questions and pursued hearsay. We all usually agreed to disagree with each other, shook hands, and wrote our stories....and they yelled at us....or ignored us when the stories ran above the fold.....which may have shown them in a poor light you might say. It wasn’t our mission to do this but the tug-a-war between our disciplines caused many gaps in understanding that were indeed failures to communicate.
After my failed election campaigns, I cowered from ever trying political office again. I even wrote about it once in a column for Muskoka Today......that nothing could ever influence me to take up that horrible task of being a councillor. Pretty profound for a guy who seems to take pot shots at council a lot? It must be a lot easier being a critic than a player? Well it is easier writing from here than sitting in a council meeting, being yelled at by some unrepentant, unhappy property owner....that goes without saying. I don’t make hasty comments that I can’t defend but I still appreciate it as being easier to pen thoughts from a safe house than calm angry citizens in person. I’m not in the habit of criticizing council pay increases.
While it might not seem like it via blog editorials, the truth is, I know full well how impossible it can be to assume responsibility, for the responsible operation of local government. It is without question a thankless job. It is a task that requires not only thick skin but the personal character to withstand abuse, weather every storm, put out fires, appreciate contrary opinion, be a diplomat, a negotiator, a restorer of faith, and a missionary all at once. And be particularly good at problem resolution, and have a conscience that is loaded with integrity and sensibility because you will be tested, and frequently.
As for Gravenhurst councillors, they do take a lot of heat, and leading up to this fall’s municipal election, present representatives will face a grilling and criticism, over and above what they’ve received any time in the past. Taxes are hurting us big time, along with other increases to hydro, water and sewer. Taxpayers see debt-load as a huge factor in our ability to function with any kind of true financial prosperity in the next ten years, and they see a new town hall as an extravagance we can’t afford. In this respect, I do support the local ratepayers group that is currently making this a main focus for the upcoming election. They have my support. But I also feel sorry for the councillors who believe whole heartedly, that their ambitions for a new town hall, are aimed at making a positive investment in their home town. Having worked on similar projects which didn’t exactly make taxpayer’s pleased, it is a gut-wrenching decision to support what the public appears to resent. Those who have voted and support this project obviously have their reasons, and have done their homework regarding costs over-runs and the burden of debt they are bestowing upon us.....the taxpayers. Still, I have to admire their courage and conviction that they are doing the right thing.....and when you learn about the growing opposition to the plan, and to stay the course regardless, is a show of faith that is either misguided, or abundantly responsible and sincere. The fall-out of a bad decision will be huge. They seem willing to face the consequences, and I am somewhat comforted by the fact they are willing to stand up to their opponents, for what they believe is the right call for everyone. On the other hand, democracy is known for handing out meaty discipline to those who deserve it.
This does read with some flavor of hypocrisy because making a bad decision, whether as a group or singularly, can’t be diminished or neutralized by bravery alone. There have been many brave decisions that went horribly wrong with many consequences. Having worked with dozens of government officials, and councillors over the years, I recognize one reality as the great equalizer......and that is the will of the majority of voters. If they believe councillors made correct moves and responsible decisions, they will be afforded the consideration they warrant. If they, in the minds of the electorate, screwed up, then their term of office will be cut to a several line entry in local history.
While I’m sure there are many who would be shocked to read this, I do have respect for a number of our elected officials.......when one might assume, by my past forays with the same group, that nary a one has any redeeming quality. Those seeking re-election will have to address some of the shortfalls that have irritated many of us in the past four years......but I’m willing to hear their side. I’m pretty sure they all know that an eight percent tax increase, with no apology, won’t get them re-elected. So I will entertain any new information that comes along, so that I can truly judge their courage and experience dealing with the critical operation of local government, .......or whether they are of the minority who feel the taxpayer is simply an annoyance to be tolerated and nothing more. This year will be different, and I dare say, the annoyance factor will translate into votes against arrogance.
Upon many years of reflection, "no" I would not want to be an elected official. I have a thin skin, I like to throw stones and not be hit by them, and I’m prone to fisticuffs against my adversaries.....I’m Irish you know. But beyond the bluster that is me, I love this home town, and I would do anything to help it secure a better and more prosperous future. And I’m reasonably sure that all our council members have a pretty fair allegiance to the town as well.....so I don’t doubt that they truly desire a better Gravenhurst for their families....... and are genuinely trying to achieve this. It comes down to a battle of whether we can afford the lengths gambled, in order to secure perceived prosperity. In other words, is the mission to achieve "prosperity within progress," balanced on a precarious, existing and growing financial risk to the prosperity we already enjoy. Ask these questions of all council hopefuls. Spare them the scorn. If you were to walk in their shoes but a short distance, well, you’d soon appreciate their job isn’t all that enviable.
And you might say "they knew what they were getting into before they ran for election!"
If only that was true! Even for experienced council members, each term is unrelenting in its challenges, daunting in difficulties.
I ran for Bracebridge Council twice and got clobbered. Two reasons why? Even as a writer with a pretty fair readership, the voters didn’t want an editor and columnist representing their interests. Stands to reason that if they didn’t like my widely published opinions, which were pretty hard on developers, then they wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of awarding me a vote. Secondly, as it relates to the first, I have been against urban sprawl for decades and in Bracebridge, and the voters felt that jobs and economic prosperity were infinitely more desirable than pastureland....in the case of Ball’s Flats where the plaza development now dominates the landscape. If I was clearly mistaken about anything it was the misguided belief that readers could be votes "for."
Both times I felt my campaign was balanced and of sensible proportion and both times, I found out that opinion is just that......and not one vote more than the one I checked for myself. I vowed after two defeats that there would never be a third strike taken. Really. Instead of vowing to win the very next municipal election, I decided to quit trying....hence there never was a third strike to make. Cowardice. More like resignation that as an "ideas" man, who has always worn his opinions like brightly colored ribbons on a compromised lapel, I was never going to be able to advocate the kind of urban activity, the majority of voters demanded. So rather than be in an ongoing battle with everyone it seemed, my life as a politician was left at the dream stage. Here’s why that’s a good thing!
As a reporter / editor and longstanding historian, I have worked closely with municipal councils, and been a keen follower of government activities in our region, both as a profession, reporting for the local press, and as an associate of local government, representing several groups, including the Bracebridge Historical Society and the Crozier Foundation, that both needed ongoing council / councillor co-operation. Working in conjunction with the town gave me the insight into business operations I hadn’t witnessed as a reporter.....and that had been a critical failing of perspective. My years as a reporter, covering hundreds of council meetings, and writing weekly articles about political issues, gave me a tremendous insight into local governance, the good, bad and the ugly. A lot of what went on I couldn’t write about and there was much more that demanded months of investigative reporting to be responsible with story-line. None of us had the time and money to invest in this, and it was hard enough to report day to day, with the obstacles thrown in front of a skeleton crew of writers.
I never once believed that the councils, I was covering, were in any way corrupt or dishonest in their governance, just that they didn’t wish us to know certain things.....that were within their rights to withhold......but our "public’s right to know" mantra pounding in our minds. We always seemed to be battling on that front, and it set us at odds many times, with councillors who always had the town’s best interest at heart. We knew that. We just didn’t appreciate what we thought at the time, were cover-ups and mis-leading information from the truth at hand. Upon years of reflection, I realize we were a merciless crew, and it undoubtedly built up opposition, based solely on the near-confrontational way we asked questions and pursued hearsay. We all usually agreed to disagree with each other, shook hands, and wrote our stories....and they yelled at us....or ignored us when the stories ran above the fold.....which may have shown them in a poor light you might say. It wasn’t our mission to do this but the tug-a-war between our disciplines caused many gaps in understanding that were indeed failures to communicate.
After my failed election campaigns, I cowered from ever trying political office again. I even wrote about it once in a column for Muskoka Today......that nothing could ever influence me to take up that horrible task of being a councillor. Pretty profound for a guy who seems to take pot shots at council a lot? It must be a lot easier being a critic than a player? Well it is easier writing from here than sitting in a council meeting, being yelled at by some unrepentant, unhappy property owner....that goes without saying. I don’t make hasty comments that I can’t defend but I still appreciate it as being easier to pen thoughts from a safe house than calm angry citizens in person. I’m not in the habit of criticizing council pay increases.
While it might not seem like it via blog editorials, the truth is, I know full well how impossible it can be to assume responsibility, for the responsible operation of local government. It is without question a thankless job. It is a task that requires not only thick skin but the personal character to withstand abuse, weather every storm, put out fires, appreciate contrary opinion, be a diplomat, a negotiator, a restorer of faith, and a missionary all at once. And be particularly good at problem resolution, and have a conscience that is loaded with integrity and sensibility because you will be tested, and frequently.
As for Gravenhurst councillors, they do take a lot of heat, and leading up to this fall’s municipal election, present representatives will face a grilling and criticism, over and above what they’ve received any time in the past. Taxes are hurting us big time, along with other increases to hydro, water and sewer. Taxpayers see debt-load as a huge factor in our ability to function with any kind of true financial prosperity in the next ten years, and they see a new town hall as an extravagance we can’t afford. In this respect, I do support the local ratepayers group that is currently making this a main focus for the upcoming election. They have my support. But I also feel sorry for the councillors who believe whole heartedly, that their ambitions for a new town hall, are aimed at making a positive investment in their home town. Having worked on similar projects which didn’t exactly make taxpayer’s pleased, it is a gut-wrenching decision to support what the public appears to resent. Those who have voted and support this project obviously have their reasons, and have done their homework regarding costs over-runs and the burden of debt they are bestowing upon us.....the taxpayers. Still, I have to admire their courage and conviction that they are doing the right thing.....and when you learn about the growing opposition to the plan, and to stay the course regardless, is a show of faith that is either misguided, or abundantly responsible and sincere. The fall-out of a bad decision will be huge. They seem willing to face the consequences, and I am somewhat comforted by the fact they are willing to stand up to their opponents, for what they believe is the right call for everyone. On the other hand, democracy is known for handing out meaty discipline to those who deserve it.
This does read with some flavor of hypocrisy because making a bad decision, whether as a group or singularly, can’t be diminished or neutralized by bravery alone. There have been many brave decisions that went horribly wrong with many consequences. Having worked with dozens of government officials, and councillors over the years, I recognize one reality as the great equalizer......and that is the will of the majority of voters. If they believe councillors made correct moves and responsible decisions, they will be afforded the consideration they warrant. If they, in the minds of the electorate, screwed up, then their term of office will be cut to a several line entry in local history.
While I’m sure there are many who would be shocked to read this, I do have respect for a number of our elected officials.......when one might assume, by my past forays with the same group, that nary a one has any redeeming quality. Those seeking re-election will have to address some of the shortfalls that have irritated many of us in the past four years......but I’m willing to hear their side. I’m pretty sure they all know that an eight percent tax increase, with no apology, won’t get them re-elected. So I will entertain any new information that comes along, so that I can truly judge their courage and experience dealing with the critical operation of local government, .......or whether they are of the minority who feel the taxpayer is simply an annoyance to be tolerated and nothing more. This year will be different, and I dare say, the annoyance factor will translate into votes against arrogance.
Upon many years of reflection, "no" I would not want to be an elected official. I have a thin skin, I like to throw stones and not be hit by them, and I’m prone to fisticuffs against my adversaries.....I’m Irish you know. But beyond the bluster that is me, I love this home town, and I would do anything to help it secure a better and more prosperous future. And I’m reasonably sure that all our council members have a pretty fair allegiance to the town as well.....so I don’t doubt that they truly desire a better Gravenhurst for their families....... and are genuinely trying to achieve this. It comes down to a battle of whether we can afford the lengths gambled, in order to secure perceived prosperity. In other words, is the mission to achieve "prosperity within progress," balanced on a precarious, existing and growing financial risk to the prosperity we already enjoy. Ask these questions of all council hopefuls. Spare them the scorn. If you were to walk in their shoes but a short distance, well, you’d soon appreciate their job isn’t all that enviable.
And you might say "they knew what they were getting into before they ran for election!"
If only that was true! Even for experienced council members, each term is unrelenting in its challenges, daunting in difficulties.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Citizens need to get off the fence - and demand accountability of councillors
I’ve just now finished reading the weekly news and have been clenching my jaw for the past half hour. The elected officials representing our home town interests, have made it clear they’ve cut individual department budgets responsibly, and that a proposed eight percent increase is the result of fiscal responsibility. No it’s not! If they were responsible the new town hall project would be scrapped, plain and simple. It’s what most of us have had to do throughout our lives. We’ve had to deny luxuries, even staples, in order to survive financially in all other areas of life and times.
The problem with our elected officials is really quite simple. They believe, when they are elected, the votes "for" are clear evidence of popularity and support for their management prowess. Elected councillors have a false sense of security, and may be quite delusional in fact, about the range of authority they’re entitled. Almost sensing a divine right to possess the seat at the council table, they almost immediately develop the "do you know who I am" self-righteousness that has doomed many, many high fliers in the past. From the pre-election begging for votes, to the post election arrogance, is a really short but profound adventure in character. From being sincere that they do give a crap about your concerns, to not recognizing your right to question them within weeks of the turn-around, it’s an all too familiar failure in democracy. While elections do not provide us with conduits to everything we, the constituents desire, we do assume that councillors will remain humble and insightful enough, to recognize that democracy does have inherent checks and balances. As they have their rights and privileges to govern and make responsible decisions, they shouldn’t be aghast when constituents challenge actions and policies that appear to be irresponsible.
An eight percent tax increase is staggering to this ratepayer, and if it happened in the City of Toronto, not just heads would roll. And although councillors can claim they’ve been as fiscally responsible as they can be, without cutting services further than they already are, the very reality of a new town hall is sickening. The new pool is far more important than town hall, and even though I probably won’t use the facility myself, its longterm benefit to the community is undeniable. If there was a separate demand for fundraising, a one time extra hundred dollars or so, to offset that cost, it would be infinitely more acceptable than providing frills at town hall, regardless of the feeling of entitlement,...... a few councillors view as "making all the difference" to a happy town administration. Councillors are not living within their means as most of us have to contend.
There is a serious disconnect blooming hardily in our town.....an unacceptable indifference to the personal hardships and disadvantages that weigh us down. Do councillors appreciate the fact that we need the Salvation Army to operate the Food Bank? Has any town councillor given five minutes thought to the potential that the group may not be able to operate the facility forever.....and is there a plan "B". When one councillor recently was quoted as saying the downtown is such a vibrant place, it was clearly a case of delusion because it’s not the case. Maybe councillors need to actually walk up and down the mainstreet, that will soon be ripped up for re-construction, and count the vacancies in this vibrant zone. I apparently don’t understand what "vibrant" means, because in the case of some business folks downtown, it means having one foot on a banana skin. I can not tolerate elected officials being unaware of the intricacies of their own town. Do we have a poverty issue? How big is it? How many people are going through the food bank each week? Are you aware of the difficulty the Food Bank is having presently, to meet demand? If you are a councillor who knows that the answers to these questions are "large," "expanding," and "precarious," then for God’s sake drop the facade and the word "vibrant," and pull some of the other naysaying, or nothing-saying councillors onboard, for a truly revealing tour of stuff they should know inside and out.....and be bloody concerned that the illusion of progress is just that.......an illusion.
Gravenhurst citizens have few choices left. Either get involved in this year’s municipal election or live with many, many more tax increases in the near future. When you are afforded an opportunity this year to discuss issues with council hopefuls, don’t hold back asking questions about competence and leadership capabilities. Ask about what democracy means to them......and if they subscribe to the dynamic of democracy that allows us access to the government process. If they sputter and fart about, and don’t know what you’re getting at, don’t waste a vote on these folks. When you have a chance to address one of these "I’m going to save democracy" grip and grinners out on the election hustings, ask of them for a wee meeting of the minds..... to make a few inquiries about reasons they wish to be councillors / mayor; for civic good or "I just want to prove that I can be a winner!"
The wake up call in Gravenhurst is clear. There are many folks today in organized groups well aware of the shortfalls in responsible governance, of the past seven years...... which has been a highly controversial period in local history......and I am afterall an historian with no reason to lie about such a thing. Councillors have drawn a huge amount of attention to their decisions to allocate funds and borrow more. They have made claims about being fiscally responsible yet feel it is almost an invasion of privacy to be hounded by those who pay the taxes. My honest advice for any one interested in a council position for the coming four year term, post November, is to think about your own commitment to democracy. Think before you put your name on that ballot, about the balancing act you must perform to work responsibly for a more prosperous community.....and how to separate your personality and opinions, from the job you have been elected to perform.....which is to be open to constant education, committed to reason and debate, crowned by insightfulness and open-mindedness. Sometimes staunch opinions should be left home when the elected official goes to the council chambers.....unless it is one that unquestionably brings the right ingredient to the improvement of municipal governance. Far too much untutored, unhelpful, non-requested personal opinion enters the forum where it clearly doesn’t belong......good business and good management do belong.
I have found, in large part, many elected officials believe they are smart and accomplished enough, and that’s why they were elected. With the miserable turn-out of voters, they should be well advised that even as a popularity contest, well, it’s not much of an endorsement. Years of being abused and ignored by local government hasn’t done much to inspire the electorate to surge in enthusiasm. They truly believe the new crop will be the same as the old no matter what! It’s the trend all over in a population that feels democracy is the act of electing a dictator. Yet every now and again there is a rearing of civil disobedience that makes being an elected official quite precarious. Objectors do get involved and they do make demands. With an eight percent tax increase this year, in Gravenhurst, it’s reasonable to assume the old crew is on the way out. I can’t imagine lakeshore property owners relaxing on this issue, and I happened to be a reporter in the early 1980's, when several cottager associations, in our region, ran a slate of candidates for municipal elections...... to insist on representation for their concerns. I think it will be an issue again. And rightly so. There are many inequalities out there that will soon have to be addressed as taxes and property assessments continue to climb.
It’s not easy to be an elected official.....admittedly, you’ve got to be somewhat popular and convincing to get the votes. I don’t underestimate the stress that is placed on councillors, and the huge responsibility they face running the community infrastructure, budgeting and servicing us all. At the same time it is exactly what they signed up for......and while they might complain about the burdens they are expected to carry.......we offer not a single apology. Don’t run if you have a fragile constitution, or you feel above criticism. If on the other hand, you are the candidate who carries on with the same enthusiasm as demonstrated before the election, into your term, then you will appreciate that meeting adversaries and inviting counter-point, is the very reason hot water is applied to ice at the arena to make a good, fast drying surface. Being prepared for contrary opinion is just an aspect of enlightenment. Most adversaries of town council maintain their grudge because of longstanding indifference. Yet it might surprise councillors to know that adversaries can also be good friends of government, as hot water to ice, when approached as equals, not as pursuers and shit disturbers for the sake of argument.
I like this town. I don’t like the politics. I don’t like the indifference shown by some councillors to counter-point, just because it doesn’t mesh with their own mission statement or game plan. We need councillors who represent all of us at once, and respect that it is our home town as much as theirs, and we have every right to defend its prosperity and welfare regardless .......whether we are elected officials or just plain old folk who have a little common sense to reflect upon.
No councillor should feel too comfortable, too complacent about their role in democracy, if they believe constituents only have a say once every four years. It’s the first misconception of many that need to be stripped away in this new reality of fiscal reconsideration.
As for the new council term, the number one issue is the status of South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, and its reduction of services. As our councils in Gravenhurst, and Bracebridge, have been encouraging and facilitating retirement communities to expand residences, how irresponsible to be so quiet when cutbacks are being imposed.......to the very health care provision that inspired those senior resident developments in the first place. This is a clear example of stupidity at a zenith, and will necessitate ongoing municipal protest and action against the province.
I’ve just now finished reading the weekly news and have been clenching my jaw for the past half hour. The elected officials representing our home town interests, have made it clear they’ve cut individual department budgets responsibly, and that a proposed eight percent increase is the result of fiscal responsibility. No it’s not! If they were responsible the new town hall project would be scrapped, plain and simple. It’s what most of us have had to do throughout our lives. We’ve had to deny luxuries, even staples, in order to survive financially in all other areas of life and times.
The problem with our elected officials is really quite simple. They believe, when they are elected, the votes "for" are clear evidence of popularity and support for their management prowess. Elected councillors have a false sense of security, and may be quite delusional in fact, about the range of authority they’re entitled. Almost sensing a divine right to possess the seat at the council table, they almost immediately develop the "do you know who I am" self-righteousness that has doomed many, many high fliers in the past. From the pre-election begging for votes, to the post election arrogance, is a really short but profound adventure in character. From being sincere that they do give a crap about your concerns, to not recognizing your right to question them within weeks of the turn-around, it’s an all too familiar failure in democracy. While elections do not provide us with conduits to everything we, the constituents desire, we do assume that councillors will remain humble and insightful enough, to recognize that democracy does have inherent checks and balances. As they have their rights and privileges to govern and make responsible decisions, they shouldn’t be aghast when constituents challenge actions and policies that appear to be irresponsible.
An eight percent tax increase is staggering to this ratepayer, and if it happened in the City of Toronto, not just heads would roll. And although councillors can claim they’ve been as fiscally responsible as they can be, without cutting services further than they already are, the very reality of a new town hall is sickening. The new pool is far more important than town hall, and even though I probably won’t use the facility myself, its longterm benefit to the community is undeniable. If there was a separate demand for fundraising, a one time extra hundred dollars or so, to offset that cost, it would be infinitely more acceptable than providing frills at town hall, regardless of the feeling of entitlement,...... a few councillors view as "making all the difference" to a happy town administration. Councillors are not living within their means as most of us have to contend.
There is a serious disconnect blooming hardily in our town.....an unacceptable indifference to the personal hardships and disadvantages that weigh us down. Do councillors appreciate the fact that we need the Salvation Army to operate the Food Bank? Has any town councillor given five minutes thought to the potential that the group may not be able to operate the facility forever.....and is there a plan "B". When one councillor recently was quoted as saying the downtown is such a vibrant place, it was clearly a case of delusion because it’s not the case. Maybe councillors need to actually walk up and down the mainstreet, that will soon be ripped up for re-construction, and count the vacancies in this vibrant zone. I apparently don’t understand what "vibrant" means, because in the case of some business folks downtown, it means having one foot on a banana skin. I can not tolerate elected officials being unaware of the intricacies of their own town. Do we have a poverty issue? How big is it? How many people are going through the food bank each week? Are you aware of the difficulty the Food Bank is having presently, to meet demand? If you are a councillor who knows that the answers to these questions are "large," "expanding," and "precarious," then for God’s sake drop the facade and the word "vibrant," and pull some of the other naysaying, or nothing-saying councillors onboard, for a truly revealing tour of stuff they should know inside and out.....and be bloody concerned that the illusion of progress is just that.......an illusion.
Gravenhurst citizens have few choices left. Either get involved in this year’s municipal election or live with many, many more tax increases in the near future. When you are afforded an opportunity this year to discuss issues with council hopefuls, don’t hold back asking questions about competence and leadership capabilities. Ask about what democracy means to them......and if they subscribe to the dynamic of democracy that allows us access to the government process. If they sputter and fart about, and don’t know what you’re getting at, don’t waste a vote on these folks. When you have a chance to address one of these "I’m going to save democracy" grip and grinners out on the election hustings, ask of them for a wee meeting of the minds..... to make a few inquiries about reasons they wish to be councillors / mayor; for civic good or "I just want to prove that I can be a winner!"
The wake up call in Gravenhurst is clear. There are many folks today in organized groups well aware of the shortfalls in responsible governance, of the past seven years...... which has been a highly controversial period in local history......and I am afterall an historian with no reason to lie about such a thing. Councillors have drawn a huge amount of attention to their decisions to allocate funds and borrow more. They have made claims about being fiscally responsible yet feel it is almost an invasion of privacy to be hounded by those who pay the taxes. My honest advice for any one interested in a council position for the coming four year term, post November, is to think about your own commitment to democracy. Think before you put your name on that ballot, about the balancing act you must perform to work responsibly for a more prosperous community.....and how to separate your personality and opinions, from the job you have been elected to perform.....which is to be open to constant education, committed to reason and debate, crowned by insightfulness and open-mindedness. Sometimes staunch opinions should be left home when the elected official goes to the council chambers.....unless it is one that unquestionably brings the right ingredient to the improvement of municipal governance. Far too much untutored, unhelpful, non-requested personal opinion enters the forum where it clearly doesn’t belong......good business and good management do belong.
I have found, in large part, many elected officials believe they are smart and accomplished enough, and that’s why they were elected. With the miserable turn-out of voters, they should be well advised that even as a popularity contest, well, it’s not much of an endorsement. Years of being abused and ignored by local government hasn’t done much to inspire the electorate to surge in enthusiasm. They truly believe the new crop will be the same as the old no matter what! It’s the trend all over in a population that feels democracy is the act of electing a dictator. Yet every now and again there is a rearing of civil disobedience that makes being an elected official quite precarious. Objectors do get involved and they do make demands. With an eight percent tax increase this year, in Gravenhurst, it’s reasonable to assume the old crew is on the way out. I can’t imagine lakeshore property owners relaxing on this issue, and I happened to be a reporter in the early 1980's, when several cottager associations, in our region, ran a slate of candidates for municipal elections...... to insist on representation for their concerns. I think it will be an issue again. And rightly so. There are many inequalities out there that will soon have to be addressed as taxes and property assessments continue to climb.
It’s not easy to be an elected official.....admittedly, you’ve got to be somewhat popular and convincing to get the votes. I don’t underestimate the stress that is placed on councillors, and the huge responsibility they face running the community infrastructure, budgeting and servicing us all. At the same time it is exactly what they signed up for......and while they might complain about the burdens they are expected to carry.......we offer not a single apology. Don’t run if you have a fragile constitution, or you feel above criticism. If on the other hand, you are the candidate who carries on with the same enthusiasm as demonstrated before the election, into your term, then you will appreciate that meeting adversaries and inviting counter-point, is the very reason hot water is applied to ice at the arena to make a good, fast drying surface. Being prepared for contrary opinion is just an aspect of enlightenment. Most adversaries of town council maintain their grudge because of longstanding indifference. Yet it might surprise councillors to know that adversaries can also be good friends of government, as hot water to ice, when approached as equals, not as pursuers and shit disturbers for the sake of argument.
I like this town. I don’t like the politics. I don’t like the indifference shown by some councillors to counter-point, just because it doesn’t mesh with their own mission statement or game plan. We need councillors who represent all of us at once, and respect that it is our home town as much as theirs, and we have every right to defend its prosperity and welfare regardless .......whether we are elected officials or just plain old folk who have a little common sense to reflect upon.
No councillor should feel too comfortable, too complacent about their role in democracy, if they believe constituents only have a say once every four years. It’s the first misconception of many that need to be stripped away in this new reality of fiscal reconsideration.
As for the new council term, the number one issue is the status of South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, and its reduction of services. As our councils in Gravenhurst, and Bracebridge, have been encouraging and facilitating retirement communities to expand residences, how irresponsible to be so quiet when cutbacks are being imposed.......to the very health care provision that inspired those senior resident developments in the first place. This is a clear example of stupidity at a zenith, and will necessitate ongoing municipal protest and action against the province.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
My Father Took a Chance on Muskoka
It was the winter of 1966. Our snug little family of three was on the move from Burlington, Ontario, to the 45th parallel of latitude. On our merry way to the small town known as the summer home of Santa Claus, at the internationally famous Santa's Village, on the Muskoka River; situated in a pinery just beyond the urban boundary of Bracebridge, in the beautiful district of Muskoka. My father, Ted Currie Sr. had secured a job with the historic Shier's Lumber Company, in Bracebridge, and it was a good enough opportunity to warrant leaving the city and its opportunities behind. What an amazing adventure.
The summer before,our family had stayed at the company owner's small cottage property, on Bruce Lake and we all admittedly were smitten with the lakeland. I was eleven years old at the time and the thought of swimming in a lake and running through the forest, seemed far more attractive than my present life, pounding the tarmac of the urban jungle and swimming at a public pool. I was ready to go with the flow, you might say. The rest is family history.
When my father and mother Merle arrived in Bracebridge, our first neighborhood was up on Toronto Street, in one of the new spec. houses built by Shier's Lumber, and its proprietor at the time, Bob Jones, who had known my dad for decades in the Southern Ontario lumber trade. It was to become a tumultuous relationship, with many resignations, and in those first ten years my dad held down a number of jobs in and outside the lumber industry to keep us in Muskoka. He knew it was the best place to raise a kid and it was......just as it was a great place for both Merle and Ed who made many friends in their apartment situation up on Alice Street, which was properly known as the Weber Apartments, a sort of 1960's commune of really nice folk who enjoyed each other's company....and games of cribbage and euchre long into the winter nights. The longer we stayed in Muskoka, the harder it was to leave.....not because of circumstances but because we all really enjoyed living in a country town with the privilege of being called a "local." Mind you, that took more than a few years but was worth the wait. It's not to suggest small town living was easy because with opportunities being less, particularly in the case of employment, one had to hunker down sometimes in adverse conditions, at a task not fully enjoyed. I personally held many jobs I didn't like in Muskoka, just to be able to afford my ongoing stay in the region.
My mother died in May of 2007. On the 15th of December 2009 my father had a small stroke at his apartment in Bracebridge, and has been in hospital ever since, with a number of serious medical issues that will most certainly adversely affect his quality of life in the future. We have spent many hours with Ed in the hospital, talking about fond memories and our happy days in Muskoka. I'm not sure if he believes my bestowed gratitude for his determination to make our Muskoka experiment work. I've spent more than 30 years writing in and about Muskoka for the local and provincial press, and I've never been without a source of inspiration. Today I'm writing from a book cluttered office in a modest homestead we call Birch Hollow, surrounded by snow-laden evergreens and leaning old birches, across from a wonderful little wetland we call The Bog. I can look out this small window and find inspiration each season of the year, whether it’s from the shadowy, silver appearance of iced-over rasperry canes in the front garden, or the beautiful sprays of lilac blooms that push toward the sky in late May. In the autumn evenings, the moonlit forest might appear as Thoreau saw his Walden Pond on star-filled nights, and as I drive along the Muskoka River, on a visit to Bracebridge, I can imagine it as author Washington Irving interpreted the historic Hudson River, passing in deep, misty silence past the village of his own Sleepy Hollow. Irving did have a hand in the naming of Bracebridge proper, as it was borrowed by a postal authority, in 1864, from the title of a famous book of sketches, known as "Bracebridge Hall." Long before I researched this, and subsequently wrote a book about the relationship with Irving, my mother had always referred to her new home in the hinterland as "Sleepy Hollow."
No, I could not possibly be without sources of inspiration here in the beautiful lakeland, and I have my father to thank for enduring many hardships to keep our family in paradise.
We are still on that prescipice of the unknown with my father, a worthy adversary of life challenges.......admittedly he is aware of the serious nature of this latest illness but never letting it get in the way of present determination to see his grandsons or hear news about his many friends and former co-workers.
My dad and I were born argumentative and there was enough Irish in him to frequently and with near-glee, initiate a no-holds barred debate.....and enough English stubborness in his son, to always make the log-jams interesting whether about hockey or politics, current events or future predictions. As he never walked away from a fight in his life, I refused to let him plant the last word, and if we had recorded these little spats for posterity, they'd show a father and son who loved a good scrap more as practice-rounds than for settling anything specific. Merle used to say "You two are crazy!"
He was the sailor-dad who didn't run to the school every time his son came home with a black-eye or bloodied nose. "Soldier on, son," he'd say. "Put up your dukes and defend yourself." Good advice in his day and with his demeanor but the more I tried to defend myself, the harder and longer the beating got. But I knew where he was coming from.....this afterall was a guy who grew up in Toronto's legendary Cabbagetown, was abandoned by his Irish father with his three brothers at a young age, joined the Navy under-age, and manned an anti-aircraft gun on his ship, a River Class frigate, the Coaticook. A kid with a big gun trying to down German aircraft. He wasn't raised to be tough but to survive he had no choice but to be tough.
What I didn't know until recently, was that my father had taken a lot of flack about his son the writer, reporter, editor, historian that I didn't know about. When I began writing for the local press, back in the late 1970's, his desire to have three generations of "Edward Curries" kind of backfired. As his father had been named, "Edward," and he was granted the name as well, he saw little disadvantage naming me Edward as a kind of a family hat-trick. I began my writing career as a poet/bard and that caused him chagrin, when his lumber customers began teasing him about moonlighting as a country philosopher. "That's my son....certainly not me!" When I became a reporter for the local press he got many more adverse comments, particularly if I had been working on a crime story that issue, that involved friends, neighbors and kin of his customers. While they knew it wasn't Ted Sr. writing the news copy, they couldn't resist unloading on him about his stupid kid who had tarnished their good family name. He internalized a lot of it of course. I knew it bothered him generally but we really never talked about it. We both needed to make a buck and afterall it was his choice to name me Edward........both of us being called "Ted". To ease his suffering in silence, I changed my byline to Edward Currie from "Ted" for several years but it didn't really work. On the other hand, I had hundreds of phone calls home asking questions about lumber and accessories.......the callers believing I was their main man at Building Trades Centre, where he became the eventual manager in the 1990's.
Since my mother Merle passed away, Ted Sr. has been pretty lonely. He and Merle used to take scenic drives every day, winding up having coffee at a variety of local restaurants, where they celebrated the good qualities of rural, small town life and times. When I think back to the many times, since 1966 that we faced the question of whether to stay or go, leaving Muskoka for job opportunities in Southern Ontario, we always managed to find a way to bridge the problem, and preserve our adored way of life.
When Merle and Ted Currie decided to move to Bracebridge back in '66, they were in fact extending me a creative future beyond their wildest expectation. Because of their belief, living rurally was better for raising a family, my own parallel future in Muskoka led me to marry a local girl, Suzanne Stripp, of Windermere, and raise our own family, Robert and Andrew, now businessmen in the Town of Gravenhurst, in South Muskoka. And when I try to express this to my father now, his eyes still have that old sparkle......meaning to me, at least, he's contented with his choices in life; some that didn't work as planned, others that worked magnificently well. When I think back to the books I've written, sitting at this same desk, with this same wonderful view, and recall all the late night vigils I've happily occupied this office to pen feature stories and columns for so many publications, the feeling is unmistakable contentment, on my part, that I did "soldier on," and fight all adversity that might have forced me to move away.
This morning is calm and slightly overcast. The intense wind of the past few days has ceased and the snowflurries have finally stopped. I think the sun might soon break through the cloud cover, and dazzle down on this snowy mantle across Birch Hollow. I will always think about my dad's own passion for the countryside I watch over now.....and wonder how a Cabbagetown boy got so interested in the hinterland......but I will always acknowledge that it was Ted Sr., who forced this place on an eleven year old child. How thankful I am that he was a visionary but one who never ever, not once, wrote a poem. He did however, on more than one occasion, sing his Navy song about the legend of "The North Atlantic Squadron." I only remember several of the verses but the melody will be hummed forever.
It was the winter of 1966. Our snug little family of three was on the move from Burlington, Ontario, to the 45th parallel of latitude. On our merry way to the small town known as the summer home of Santa Claus, at the internationally famous Santa's Village, on the Muskoka River; situated in a pinery just beyond the urban boundary of Bracebridge, in the beautiful district of Muskoka. My father, Ted Currie Sr. had secured a job with the historic Shier's Lumber Company, in Bracebridge, and it was a good enough opportunity to warrant leaving the city and its opportunities behind. What an amazing adventure.
The summer before,our family had stayed at the company owner's small cottage property, on Bruce Lake and we all admittedly were smitten with the lakeland. I was eleven years old at the time and the thought of swimming in a lake and running through the forest, seemed far more attractive than my present life, pounding the tarmac of the urban jungle and swimming at a public pool. I was ready to go with the flow, you might say. The rest is family history.
When my father and mother Merle arrived in Bracebridge, our first neighborhood was up on Toronto Street, in one of the new spec. houses built by Shier's Lumber, and its proprietor at the time, Bob Jones, who had known my dad for decades in the Southern Ontario lumber trade. It was to become a tumultuous relationship, with many resignations, and in those first ten years my dad held down a number of jobs in and outside the lumber industry to keep us in Muskoka. He knew it was the best place to raise a kid and it was......just as it was a great place for both Merle and Ed who made many friends in their apartment situation up on Alice Street, which was properly known as the Weber Apartments, a sort of 1960's commune of really nice folk who enjoyed each other's company....and games of cribbage and euchre long into the winter nights. The longer we stayed in Muskoka, the harder it was to leave.....not because of circumstances but because we all really enjoyed living in a country town with the privilege of being called a "local." Mind you, that took more than a few years but was worth the wait. It's not to suggest small town living was easy because with opportunities being less, particularly in the case of employment, one had to hunker down sometimes in adverse conditions, at a task not fully enjoyed. I personally held many jobs I didn't like in Muskoka, just to be able to afford my ongoing stay in the region.
My mother died in May of 2007. On the 15th of December 2009 my father had a small stroke at his apartment in Bracebridge, and has been in hospital ever since, with a number of serious medical issues that will most certainly adversely affect his quality of life in the future. We have spent many hours with Ed in the hospital, talking about fond memories and our happy days in Muskoka. I'm not sure if he believes my bestowed gratitude for his determination to make our Muskoka experiment work. I've spent more than 30 years writing in and about Muskoka for the local and provincial press, and I've never been without a source of inspiration. Today I'm writing from a book cluttered office in a modest homestead we call Birch Hollow, surrounded by snow-laden evergreens and leaning old birches, across from a wonderful little wetland we call The Bog. I can look out this small window and find inspiration each season of the year, whether it’s from the shadowy, silver appearance of iced-over rasperry canes in the front garden, or the beautiful sprays of lilac blooms that push toward the sky in late May. In the autumn evenings, the moonlit forest might appear as Thoreau saw his Walden Pond on star-filled nights, and as I drive along the Muskoka River, on a visit to Bracebridge, I can imagine it as author Washington Irving interpreted the historic Hudson River, passing in deep, misty silence past the village of his own Sleepy Hollow. Irving did have a hand in the naming of Bracebridge proper, as it was borrowed by a postal authority, in 1864, from the title of a famous book of sketches, known as "Bracebridge Hall." Long before I researched this, and subsequently wrote a book about the relationship with Irving, my mother had always referred to her new home in the hinterland as "Sleepy Hollow."
No, I could not possibly be without sources of inspiration here in the beautiful lakeland, and I have my father to thank for enduring many hardships to keep our family in paradise.
We are still on that prescipice of the unknown with my father, a worthy adversary of life challenges.......admittedly he is aware of the serious nature of this latest illness but never letting it get in the way of present determination to see his grandsons or hear news about his many friends and former co-workers.
My dad and I were born argumentative and there was enough Irish in him to frequently and with near-glee, initiate a no-holds barred debate.....and enough English stubborness in his son, to always make the log-jams interesting whether about hockey or politics, current events or future predictions. As he never walked away from a fight in his life, I refused to let him plant the last word, and if we had recorded these little spats for posterity, they'd show a father and son who loved a good scrap more as practice-rounds than for settling anything specific. Merle used to say "You two are crazy!"
He was the sailor-dad who didn't run to the school every time his son came home with a black-eye or bloodied nose. "Soldier on, son," he'd say. "Put up your dukes and defend yourself." Good advice in his day and with his demeanor but the more I tried to defend myself, the harder and longer the beating got. But I knew where he was coming from.....this afterall was a guy who grew up in Toronto's legendary Cabbagetown, was abandoned by his Irish father with his three brothers at a young age, joined the Navy under-age, and manned an anti-aircraft gun on his ship, a River Class frigate, the Coaticook. A kid with a big gun trying to down German aircraft. He wasn't raised to be tough but to survive he had no choice but to be tough.
What I didn't know until recently, was that my father had taken a lot of flack about his son the writer, reporter, editor, historian that I didn't know about. When I began writing for the local press, back in the late 1970's, his desire to have three generations of "Edward Curries" kind of backfired. As his father had been named, "Edward," and he was granted the name as well, he saw little disadvantage naming me Edward as a kind of a family hat-trick. I began my writing career as a poet/bard and that caused him chagrin, when his lumber customers began teasing him about moonlighting as a country philosopher. "That's my son....certainly not me!" When I became a reporter for the local press he got many more adverse comments, particularly if I had been working on a crime story that issue, that involved friends, neighbors and kin of his customers. While they knew it wasn't Ted Sr. writing the news copy, they couldn't resist unloading on him about his stupid kid who had tarnished their good family name. He internalized a lot of it of course. I knew it bothered him generally but we really never talked about it. We both needed to make a buck and afterall it was his choice to name me Edward........both of us being called "Ted". To ease his suffering in silence, I changed my byline to Edward Currie from "Ted" for several years but it didn't really work. On the other hand, I had hundreds of phone calls home asking questions about lumber and accessories.......the callers believing I was their main man at Building Trades Centre, where he became the eventual manager in the 1990's.
Since my mother Merle passed away, Ted Sr. has been pretty lonely. He and Merle used to take scenic drives every day, winding up having coffee at a variety of local restaurants, where they celebrated the good qualities of rural, small town life and times. When I think back to the many times, since 1966 that we faced the question of whether to stay or go, leaving Muskoka for job opportunities in Southern Ontario, we always managed to find a way to bridge the problem, and preserve our adored way of life.
When Merle and Ted Currie decided to move to Bracebridge back in '66, they were in fact extending me a creative future beyond their wildest expectation. Because of their belief, living rurally was better for raising a family, my own parallel future in Muskoka led me to marry a local girl, Suzanne Stripp, of Windermere, and raise our own family, Robert and Andrew, now businessmen in the Town of Gravenhurst, in South Muskoka. And when I try to express this to my father now, his eyes still have that old sparkle......meaning to me, at least, he's contented with his choices in life; some that didn't work as planned, others that worked magnificently well. When I think back to the books I've written, sitting at this same desk, with this same wonderful view, and recall all the late night vigils I've happily occupied this office to pen feature stories and columns for so many publications, the feeling is unmistakable contentment, on my part, that I did "soldier on," and fight all adversity that might have forced me to move away.
This morning is calm and slightly overcast. The intense wind of the past few days has ceased and the snowflurries have finally stopped. I think the sun might soon break through the cloud cover, and dazzle down on this snowy mantle across Birch Hollow. I will always think about my dad's own passion for the countryside I watch over now.....and wonder how a Cabbagetown boy got so interested in the hinterland......but I will always acknowledge that it was Ted Sr., who forced this place on an eleven year old child. How thankful I am that he was a visionary but one who never ever, not once, wrote a poem. He did however, on more than one occasion, sing his Navy song about the legend of "The North Atlantic Squadron." I only remember several of the verses but the melody will be hummed forever.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
GRAVENHURST AND ELECTION YEAR
Judged with other municipalities in North America, well, Gravenhurst’s governance is adequate in my opinion, and not one molecule beyond. What makes them "just adequate," is the disconnect they show as a group to the real community that they are supposed to represent. What they see and interpret of their home region welfare, isn’t an accurate assessment. Askew by the fact they sit in the golden imagination of self imposed pomposity, on stacked ceiling-high bylaws as if their collective throne, and rely on what is written far more than what is actual, and occurring every day just beyond their short sightedness. The fact many in our community must make use of the Salvation Army Food Bank to survive is, to me, one of the most obvious trigger points for reaction from the municipal leadership. If councillors were really on the ball, they’d be pouncing on this increasing need for assistance, to create a new and enlightened focus on the truthful conditions in our town.....not the convenient truths they like to knit about them for comfort. As they use the word "progress" like it means "for one and all," they see economic development as the holy grail. The more development means prosperity all round. Alas, they delude themselves by choice, and mutual admiration from the rest of their ilk.
With this election year for municipalities, in Ontario, we will once again see, hear and read some pretty impressive projections for our community, and grandiose promises to secure votes from a fed-up electorate.......a majority of citizenry who believe it doesn’t matter anyway because they all act the same once in office. They’re not wrong to think this, and if you measure our own town council with the most recent liberties being taken by the provincial and federal governments, bending the rules to accommodate their agendas, what on earth would make us then believe a newly elected municipal council is going to worry about protocol and fairness.....and govern as they themselves would like to be governed responsibly. Once sworn in, the distance increases and the pomposity of elected office swells to fill every open space in the town hall.
This doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to challenge their authority and I certainly plan to watch carefully as new candidates begin the dream-building exercise, of trying to convince us that they’re more deserving of our vote. There are more than a few present councillors I would not like to see re-elected or achieve mayoral status. While the present council might believe they have done a superior job running this municipality over the past three years, they have at best participated in the process......but I don’t see a better or more progressive town. It will take more than a new town hall and new strip mall developments to impress this civic watcher. My idea of prosperity is to no longer need a food bank. My idea of a worthy member of council, is an elected member who openly and actively speaks out in support of helping the less fortunate in our community, and assisting those tireless groups of volunteers who work non-stop to fundraise in order to help all those in need. It’s one thing to show up to all-candidate meetings with the usual tomes about how you’ve helped the community in the past,...... and how well you handled yourself as an elected official this term...... but quite another to recognize that polished sentences and vein-bulging hubris won’t provide the groceries to the food bank, or hot meals to those who can’t adequately provide for themselves. So what candidates see as an opportunity to win a popularity contest, shortchanges us all.....because this is not what we need. There are a million glad-handers out there smiling for the camera but no so many bringing groceries into the food bank.
There are people I know who will be running for local council, who possess good intention to represent their constituents. And even those who try hard can fail because their initiatives are voted down by the majority. Yet my criticism is this. As I have never once spared a criticism or an ovation when earned, throughout my lengthy writing career, the most unholy of situations I can find myself, is being afraid of speaking or writing my opinion because of anticipated fall-out. I’ve long been the bane of publishers because of my insatiable appetite for muck-raking. Instead of capitulating because they threaten my job, I take the time to sell them on the virtues of honesty despite the cost. For my outspoken assaults, it’s true I’ve been blacklisted about a thousand times....to the point where I’ve come to expect being shunned as a matter of daily functioning. It’s hard to find a publication willing to ruffle feathers especially if they belong to advertisers. I don’t go to bed at night however, feeling bad about this consequence of honesty but I surely wouldn’t sleep a wink if I bottled up my opposition. Thus, if I was elected a councillor, I’d surely be as forthright and unwilling to be muzzled. And seeing as I’m not running for council, I would love to find a council hopeful who shares the same disdain for "going with the flow," and who would far sooner leave work a little bloodied from the full rounds of an electric democracy, than retire frustrated and unresolved. Call me if you can handle blunt truth and want a better future in Gravenhurst.
My advice to constituents leading up to this November’s election, is to truly investigate the shortcomings of the present council, and what you wish could be corrected by a new council. Stay the course and attend all-candidates meetings. Not to kick ass.....well maybe just a bit....but rather to point out that the prosperity of a town isn’t always about money, expansive developments on every square inch of earth, or a show-piece town hall....... but rather on the show of good-will throughout. The kindness of a home town. The coming-together of citizens to help one another in feast or famine, natural disaster or catastrophe of fire. A town councillor must be a citizen first, and appreciate fully what ground zero feels like. Give me an enlightened elected official......even one, who senses and appreciates what the majority of us do everyday of our lives in order to survive........and I’ll show you potential and genuine progress. What a thrill it would be to find someone interested in elected office who shares the opinion that there is indeed a precarious balance between a hometown and just "a place to live and work." A balance that needs to be nurtured and maintained. The self-supporting diatribes of councillors, to reflect on themselves as caring and involved in their community, doesn’t hold up to a general audience that knows all about avoidance and the art of deferring responsibility by council.....because they’ve been paying attention to four years of hide and seek.
Take it from an historian. This is a critical election to the future well-being of your home region. Don’t sit on the sidelines because you believe your comments and your vote won’t count. Another four years of weak leadership will ruin the hometown we have come to know and love.
My idea of a perfect council representative is one who speaks up for the less fortunate, and one who doesn’t hide behind "council’s wishes," as reason to fob-off about "democracy has spoken." That’s an okay headline as long as the secondary heading reads, "Councillor vehemently argues for constituent rights."
I’ve been a news hound in Muskoka, as well as an active historian since the late 1970's. I read every council story and as a former long-serving editor, who prided himself on exposing under-handedness within the municipalities of our district, I can tell you honestly this is not the time to get involved in local politics as a hobby. Coming next year is one of the toughest council terms in modern history because of excesses of the past. So many pressing issues that should have been addressed, have been side-stepped by council, preferring instead to concentrate on their misguided concept of what true progress and a good and prosperous hometown is all about. It is exactly why our downtown in Gravenhurst straddles the precarious canyon between success and failure, as a direct result of urban sprawl, at a time when councillors are preoccupied with anything and everything else.
I would love the opportunity to sit down with council hopefuls and help them find their way to the truly important issues of hometown life and times, so that this blindness to reality might be reduced. You’ve got my email. Love to hear from you.
Judged with other municipalities in North America, well, Gravenhurst’s governance is adequate in my opinion, and not one molecule beyond. What makes them "just adequate," is the disconnect they show as a group to the real community that they are supposed to represent. What they see and interpret of their home region welfare, isn’t an accurate assessment. Askew by the fact they sit in the golden imagination of self imposed pomposity, on stacked ceiling-high bylaws as if their collective throne, and rely on what is written far more than what is actual, and occurring every day just beyond their short sightedness. The fact many in our community must make use of the Salvation Army Food Bank to survive is, to me, one of the most obvious trigger points for reaction from the municipal leadership. If councillors were really on the ball, they’d be pouncing on this increasing need for assistance, to create a new and enlightened focus on the truthful conditions in our town.....not the convenient truths they like to knit about them for comfort. As they use the word "progress" like it means "for one and all," they see economic development as the holy grail. The more development means prosperity all round. Alas, they delude themselves by choice, and mutual admiration from the rest of their ilk.
With this election year for municipalities, in Ontario, we will once again see, hear and read some pretty impressive projections for our community, and grandiose promises to secure votes from a fed-up electorate.......a majority of citizenry who believe it doesn’t matter anyway because they all act the same once in office. They’re not wrong to think this, and if you measure our own town council with the most recent liberties being taken by the provincial and federal governments, bending the rules to accommodate their agendas, what on earth would make us then believe a newly elected municipal council is going to worry about protocol and fairness.....and govern as they themselves would like to be governed responsibly. Once sworn in, the distance increases and the pomposity of elected office swells to fill every open space in the town hall.
This doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to challenge their authority and I certainly plan to watch carefully as new candidates begin the dream-building exercise, of trying to convince us that they’re more deserving of our vote. There are more than a few present councillors I would not like to see re-elected or achieve mayoral status. While the present council might believe they have done a superior job running this municipality over the past three years, they have at best participated in the process......but I don’t see a better or more progressive town. It will take more than a new town hall and new strip mall developments to impress this civic watcher. My idea of prosperity is to no longer need a food bank. My idea of a worthy member of council, is an elected member who openly and actively speaks out in support of helping the less fortunate in our community, and assisting those tireless groups of volunteers who work non-stop to fundraise in order to help all those in need. It’s one thing to show up to all-candidate meetings with the usual tomes about how you’ve helped the community in the past,...... and how well you handled yourself as an elected official this term...... but quite another to recognize that polished sentences and vein-bulging hubris won’t provide the groceries to the food bank, or hot meals to those who can’t adequately provide for themselves. So what candidates see as an opportunity to win a popularity contest, shortchanges us all.....because this is not what we need. There are a million glad-handers out there smiling for the camera but no so many bringing groceries into the food bank.
There are people I know who will be running for local council, who possess good intention to represent their constituents. And even those who try hard can fail because their initiatives are voted down by the majority. Yet my criticism is this. As I have never once spared a criticism or an ovation when earned, throughout my lengthy writing career, the most unholy of situations I can find myself, is being afraid of speaking or writing my opinion because of anticipated fall-out. I’ve long been the bane of publishers because of my insatiable appetite for muck-raking. Instead of capitulating because they threaten my job, I take the time to sell them on the virtues of honesty despite the cost. For my outspoken assaults, it’s true I’ve been blacklisted about a thousand times....to the point where I’ve come to expect being shunned as a matter of daily functioning. It’s hard to find a publication willing to ruffle feathers especially if they belong to advertisers. I don’t go to bed at night however, feeling bad about this consequence of honesty but I surely wouldn’t sleep a wink if I bottled up my opposition. Thus, if I was elected a councillor, I’d surely be as forthright and unwilling to be muzzled. And seeing as I’m not running for council, I would love to find a council hopeful who shares the same disdain for "going with the flow," and who would far sooner leave work a little bloodied from the full rounds of an electric democracy, than retire frustrated and unresolved. Call me if you can handle blunt truth and want a better future in Gravenhurst.
My advice to constituents leading up to this November’s election, is to truly investigate the shortcomings of the present council, and what you wish could be corrected by a new council. Stay the course and attend all-candidates meetings. Not to kick ass.....well maybe just a bit....but rather to point out that the prosperity of a town isn’t always about money, expansive developments on every square inch of earth, or a show-piece town hall....... but rather on the show of good-will throughout. The kindness of a home town. The coming-together of citizens to help one another in feast or famine, natural disaster or catastrophe of fire. A town councillor must be a citizen first, and appreciate fully what ground zero feels like. Give me an enlightened elected official......even one, who senses and appreciates what the majority of us do everyday of our lives in order to survive........and I’ll show you potential and genuine progress. What a thrill it would be to find someone interested in elected office who shares the opinion that there is indeed a precarious balance between a hometown and just "a place to live and work." A balance that needs to be nurtured and maintained. The self-supporting diatribes of councillors, to reflect on themselves as caring and involved in their community, doesn’t hold up to a general audience that knows all about avoidance and the art of deferring responsibility by council.....because they’ve been paying attention to four years of hide and seek.
Take it from an historian. This is a critical election to the future well-being of your home region. Don’t sit on the sidelines because you believe your comments and your vote won’t count. Another four years of weak leadership will ruin the hometown we have come to know and love.
My idea of a perfect council representative is one who speaks up for the less fortunate, and one who doesn’t hide behind "council’s wishes," as reason to fob-off about "democracy has spoken." That’s an okay headline as long as the secondary heading reads, "Councillor vehemently argues for constituent rights."
I’ve been a news hound in Muskoka, as well as an active historian since the late 1970's. I read every council story and as a former long-serving editor, who prided himself on exposing under-handedness within the municipalities of our district, I can tell you honestly this is not the time to get involved in local politics as a hobby. Coming next year is one of the toughest council terms in modern history because of excesses of the past. So many pressing issues that should have been addressed, have been side-stepped by council, preferring instead to concentrate on their misguided concept of what true progress and a good and prosperous hometown is all about. It is exactly why our downtown in Gravenhurst straddles the precarious canyon between success and failure, as a direct result of urban sprawl, at a time when councillors are preoccupied with anything and everything else.
I would love the opportunity to sit down with council hopefuls and help them find their way to the truly important issues of hometown life and times, so that this blindness to reality might be reduced. You’ve got my email. Love to hear from you.
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