OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). The following letter is in response to a story published June 28, titled 'Fallis seeking $7,500 in judicial review; city demands $30,000' about judicial review requested by Orillia Coun. Jay Fallis, who breached the code of conduct by sharing confidential information about a waterfront development project with legal counsel.
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I couldn't help but side with Mr. Fallis, considering that this councillor had the guts to go out of the box to make a better decision.
Too much hide and seek or smoke and mirrors.
As many of us in all parts of Ontario and probably across Canada listen in or read about their county or municipal ongoing political wranglings, it seems turmoil abounds in politics, and you can't make everyone a happy camper.
Some of us campers even applaud their council's achievements at times, with a few or more disagreeing with some decisions made by council representatives that are considered questionable.
I'm sure there are councillors out there who thought some issues they dealt with as a step in the right direction. I always ask, "In who's direction or best interest?"
These so-called elected representatives should do what they were elected or appointed to do, representing the people who put their trust in them to do what is right and keep the personal agendas or attacks against fellow councillors’ decisions out of it.
The reason for seeking more advice from lawyers was to make a sound, informative judgment that is sometimes lacking in some councils. Fallis decided to look out of the box by asking for legal advice to make a better decision based on some other concerning facts, while the other sheep (councillors) just fell into line, crying foul.
Hopefully, this squabble is thrown out, and the costs passed on to the councillors' pockets and not added to the sometimes bottomless resident tax pot where residents pay for dysfunctional administrations and some councillors' indiscriminate, lousy judgment.
Passing the buck to the taxpayer is easier to do than having administrations or councillors pay for their shortcoming, bungling fiascos. There's a time and place for taxpayers to pick up costs. This isn't one of them.
There's another election on the horizon coming to our municipalities, and hopefully, many of these dysfunctional politicians — some in it for themselves, it seems — are replaced everywhere.
Ray Kopylciw
Brechin
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