By Pepper Parr
August 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We published two articles on people who have and are having problems communicating with City Hall and members of Council.
Ann Marsden and Tom Muir have been cut off; their email is diverted to the off of the City Clerk where decisions are made on what is “actionable”.
Who cares?
The software we have that allows us to see which stories are being read – the story with the highest readership is at the top of the list. As we work our way through a day we can see what is being read.
Ann Marsden delegating at City Hall
Tom Muir
On both of the days that the Muir and Marsden stories were published each was at the top of the list from about 10:00 am and remained there through to the end of the day.
Their story was being read – what we were not seeing was very much in the way of comment from readers.
There was all kinds of comment on the “garden” story.
The data tells us that people are aware of what has been done to Muir and Marsden but the readers have chosen not to comment
As one reader put it: “We have heard nothing from no-one!!!!”
That is very telling.
Some might see Muir and Marsden as a couple of noisy cranks who have nothing better to do with their time. If the City administration can get away with doing this to them – they will in time get away with doing the same thing to you. And the people you elected are not going to stand up for you.
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What is even worse is that until I read the Marsden story I had no idea that they were doing this to her, and possibly to me. Or even that the City would stoop so low as to do this.
If true in my case, the only mail I have sent to City in a long time is concerning issues arising out of the Integrity Commissioner complaint; the investigation; the Advice Memorandum report; procedural rules issues, and evidence of Council members interference in that investigation, that I submitted to the Integrity Commissioner, Council, and other Senior staff and the Clerk
The submission of this evidence of interference to IC and Council was followed 15 hours later, the very next day, by the release of the Integrity Commission Disposition Report with which they stood down and closed their file. With this, as it turned out, they didn’t even have to read it.
Following this Disposition report, I submitted several other analyses of this Report, which were not even acknowledged. With the Report the IC closed it’s file and with that all of it’s responsibility, answer-ability, transparency, and accountability for any and all errors and omissions, and other issues in their report.
At the time, I knew nothing of these consequences of this IC action, but they are real.
Keep in mind that the IC purpose is to Conduct inquiries, upon complaint for Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and Code of Conduct matters. This is supposed to be serious matters.
It’s supposed to be about Integrity.
Where is Integrity, not to mention credibility, found in any of the issues raised here and now I find out that my email to City Hall might be diverted to who knows where, by the Clerk, or under the orders of someone at City hall, to determine it’s”actionability”.
And even worse in my case, if this is done, nobody told me.
I have a difficult time with this after all my years of trusting the process, and this is what I get? This is not over unless the whole system is rotten.
The only reason we suspected thisTom is because they did it when Meed Wzrd was our councillor and with a different Clerk. I got it confirmed when I got a friend to forward our delegation request and we were registered. This was then followed by a bogus harassment investigation and two year trespass notice at a time when Anne’s health rapidly deteriorated and we just had to let it play out or not be here for the right timing for Enraged Citizens to come together. The orly reason Arjoon
Confirmed this was because he got caught with our July 11 delegation request and it was in Council and the request was put in Debbie’s hands and she had to bring to Stolte’s attention. How many more have no clue that thisi is going on. One thing for sure though with the publication of our Stolte registered letter and no confirmation that she forwarded to Commisso and Hurley the issues are going to have to be addressed if not by Commisso and Hurley then by the City Ombudsman . This is authoritarian city administration at its worst. The Post by the way were always aware of the issues and totally ignored them, likely because they did not want to tick off a huge source of revenue.
Not sure if this is helpful, “as a couple of noisy cranks who have nothing better to do with their time”.