Variations On A Theme

If I had jumped up on my desk and mooned the council, that would have been disorderly conduct (and a feat beyond my capability to say nothing of aesthetics
If I had hurled my water jug across the horseshoe at a councillor, that would certainly have been disorderly conduct (I have been tempted).

If I had swooped around the horseshoe like Rambo, whacking willy-nilly with my cane, that would definitely qualify as assault with a weapon and disorderly conduct (some have urged me!).

I never did any of those things. Yet, it is a matter of record that I was ordered from council for disorderly conduct. How could it happen? And how did I earn the distinction of being the only councillor in Aurora's history to suffer the notoriety of being expelled from the chamber?

Prior to the advent of my Blog, I never could have set the record straight. I shall do so forthwith:

Council, fourteen years previously, honoured a sitting Mayor by giving his name to a prominent street. The address of the Town Hall therefore also carried the name.

Several elections went by...the honoured member continued to enjoy the confidence of voters.

Subsequently an individual came to town who ran and lost an election for the office of Mayor. Eventually, he was elected councillor. His first priority was to change the name of the aforementioned street." It was worth a lot of money in advertising for a candidate to have his name on a street", he said.

The move to remove the honour did not succeed.

Fast forward - new council….same effort. It succeeded on a vote of five to four. None of the proponents offered a rationale.

It was the failure to offer any reason that formed my contention the vote was pre-packaged and its supporters were complicit . I have since decided it was also an abuse of process. The Mayor decided my comment should be withdrawn. Instead , I withdrew myself from the council chamber - thereby the illusion was created that I was expelled for cause.

Court precedents have established a municipal council is as much a legislative body as any other level of government. Councillors have the authority and the obligation to put forward their perception of any matter under debate.

The abiding principle of democracy is our right to govern ourselves. and nowhere is it more real than at the muniicipal level of government. We have not always enjoyed that right .

Rules of procedure require that when a councillor is recognized by the chair, thirty-minutes are allowed to present an argument without interruption. The same points cannot be repeated. No personal criticism can be levelled nor can the motives of another councillor be insinuated. Arguments must adhere to the question.

A point of order must be clearly and succinctly stated .

The purpose of the rules is to ensure civility in an atmosphere where strongly held and opposing views may be expressed .

A councillor may be called to order by the chair, or by another councillor when the rules are compromised. The chair must rule.

The rules are clear and unambiguous.

Meetings are frequently long and lugubrious. I often fantasize about how they could be livened up. I picture myself grabbing the microphone, tossing my cane in the air, and breaking into a fantastic song and dance routine. Music exists for every conceivable circumstance.

The right to silently contemplate a preposterous and ridiculous fantasy is undisputed.

The right to shout down another, in the midst of an expression of ideas is not.

In a span of over forty years, I have regularly sought to serve, on my terms . I have been elected. People who vote for me and those who do not, know exactly what to expect.

It is the same thing I expect from a councillor and I'm the only one I know, who does it.