Wednesday, June 10, 2015

I GUESS IT'S TIME TO START A NEW THREAD

The events at the June 8 Council in Committee Meeting have drawn a number of comments to this blog. I have highlighted some them in this new thread.

All this comes as no surprise to me. This is the continuation of the plan made shortly after the 2010 election that was code named: 4-2-0. The goal was the elimination of the four councillors elected that year who were going to try to work for the people instead of the usual "Good Ole Boys" mentality that has ruled Fort Erie for decades. They succeeded as best they could amid slanderous posters and fliers (thanks, Kim Zanko and friends;) biased press; and finally expensive lawsuits.

BTW, the hearing date for the Conflict of Interest lawsuit is now scheduled for June 18 and 19. Three years after the day the lawsuit was filed by former, badly beaten in the Ward 4 election, Tim Whitfield, at the behest, as he stated in his testimony, of the people who wanted the four councillors gone. (Now there is one helluva run on sentence.)

So, have at it. And welcome back to 2002 when the whole Bay Beach Properties Nightmare began. 

FE Farce: Tonights Council meeting was not about Bay Beach, but about power and control. Why bother to go to the expense of an ad for applications from residents and then ignore them? Why hire a consultants and ignore their recommendations? No doubt a coup has taken place. The jokers are running the show.

Mr. McDermott on the focus group and his "fresh eyes" is a joke. Maybe we should resurrect some of his comments about eating toad legs, or perhaps some of his comments about Donnie. Yes, he is so impartial and unbiased and meets the requirements of "fresh eyes". We are watching you George with "fresh eyes"! Perhaps those comments should be posted so the true George McDermott could be revealed.

Corruption Fighter: Georgy is a liar. 

He was adamant during the last election, when challenged, that he had no connections whatsoever to the Ol Boys Club. His actions again and again clearly state otherwise. 

I have another suggestion for you Georgy........stay the hell out of Crystal Beach. It's a long way from the east end and even further with it's completely different attitude. Part of the problem here is simple jealousy as the east end slides further and further into decay and CB pulls itself out of the disaster of the closing of the park and then selling out to a developer for a now walled community and limited access to the beach. Real forward thinking there by the so called leaders of that day.

Worry about your own ward Georgy as there are more than enough issues there to keep you busy and let CB continue it's recovery. So it begs the question, Georgy.......what do you get by giving away the last and best beach in the area?? or should I ask how much???

John AM: Applications for input from residents? The present council needs to create the "effect of listening" to residents concerns, and they are, sort of, but when it comes to acting on any of those concerns, not so much. Listening then ignoring what is said. Lots of nodding, even some note taking, this is an old trick used time after time. Weve seen it before, we will see it again. The only people that receive anything from these "ads" are the people that run and profit from the business of putting out a newspaper. Ads for input?? Like the expencive consultants didnt suggest that bit of nonsense. So, lets go for it. If its input they want, its input they will get, in spades.

FE Farce: Let's not forget the dark side of Ms. Zanko. Wasn't she the spokesperson for Citizens of Greater Fort Erie for development or some bizarre, pro-business, all business group that put up that bulletin board that called the 4 councillors liars and other derogatory names? Such good representation! Such a class act!

Meg: Does Ms. Zanko have "fresh eyes" for the Focus Group when that hateful group she represented were in such strong support for a huge condo on our PUBLIC BEACHFRONT?

38 comments:

  1. It seems JT of the FELRC has thrown out a shoulder muscle giving himself such a hard pat on the back in regards to "opening day" (evening) at the horse track. Be pleased to remember if some local business receives about $6.5 million dollars of our tax money from the province, (not to mention, a half million "gift" for pay back from the local town council) they too would have a pretty good "opening day" too. Lets try it and see. Get the Provincial government to give even $6 million to some other mismanaged local business and see how that works out. Did anyone else notice the smell of "laundry" being done around the off track betting places? With the new landlords from across the river involved with the operation of the track we can expect a lot of the "record amounts" of off track betting money to come out squeekey clean with the help of the (now) track lackeys. Whats that smell? Its horse sweat mixed with the scent of freshly cleaned cash. Sweet!!

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    1. Disclaimer: No one is actually accusing anyone of anything, especially the elimination of dirt from currency. We can only hope that the race track would be run with the efficiency of a mob enterprise. I love the smell of fresh laundry in the morning.

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  2. "Fresh Eyes", right. Those applicants who were rejected by the five Councillors were citizens who care deeply about the welfare of our tiny strip of public waterfront property.
    Were the public listened to when mayor martin and martha lockwood had the power to put a 12 storey condo on that property and render the rest of that property "off limits" to the public? NO!

    It's been about 14 YEARS since the battle to keep that land for the public now, and for future generations began.

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  3. Does anyone know how much of that money "made" at the track stayed in Fort Erie?
    Wages were made by part time low salary staff, that's good.
    How about the wagers?
    Did local horse owners do well?

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  4. Dirty Dirty Backroom Politics. Three very wrongs plotted and planned led by Georgie . Don't listen to the Mayors motion to defer and include BB in an overall waterfront review. Don't heed the advice of well paid consultants. Don't place the knowledgeable Ward Councillor Lubberts on the Focus Group. You must have very restless nights Georgie ,,,,its called a conscience. Do the right thing and step aside, mind your own wards business and let Don take his rightful place. Just remember George....what goes around comes around and for this you will end up politically paying.

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  5. Let's end this continuing waste of time and endless tax monies as certain insiders try yet again to benefit $$$$$$$$ by giving away what is every local's right here. Access to a free public beach.

    We are surrounded by water but have little public access to it.

    Have a binding plebiscite for CB residents ONLY and then stick to it. We all know how that will go as the problem isn't with those who live the closest to it or who will have to live with the fallout from 12 stories towering over them on their beach.

    I can hear the howls of derision all the way from the east end now and the loudest will be those in on the dirty little back room deal.

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    1. The Ole Boys were taken by surprise in 2010. They vowed to never let it happen again and have got all their little ducks in a row now. We came "this close" to getting our town back but the previous council made one fatal mistake: they failed to eliminate Jim Thibert from his job at the EDTC. Now he has the town in his grasp and will never let it go. We will have to Charleton Heston him to get it back.

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  6. When the Fort Erie horse track can stand on its own without handouts to make it a "success" then we should expect a fine report on the "opening day",and how with new ideas, a broad agenda of attractions, and a long range plan we can all look with appreciation on the management and its skill in making this "business" a success. Untill then, if JT is going to depend on charity to pretend what a great job he's doing he can join the ranks of other tax sucking parasites. When the free dough dries up so does he. And those stupid sunglasses. Theres been enough damage done. Dont pretend that junk is any protection from the sun. Go back to ball caps for bald guys, besides, do they really need another fool handing out chinese plastic sunglasses around here?? Sheesh! Lets hope none of the half million giveaway went to some factory in Tiawan.

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  7. Now that the much talked about motor speedway has sunk into the water, without so much as a bubble, (as millions of dollars "asked" for just dont seem to be coming from the Provincial government, or any other source), attention turns, some would say in frustration, to the long coveted piece of lakefront in the Crystal Beach village. What a game. Make it a park, enjoy the view and the warm water and ask for a few dollars to get in and relax from the people that go there. Is that too simple?

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    1. Your Correct B Mark, and it isn't to simple, The problem is though it's money talking! They disguise it by saying that the town will make money but in reality it's those that are pushing this so hard are hoping to make LOTS of money. In one way or another they all have a self-serving Monetary Vested interest.

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  8. CB has been able to move foreward in the 21'st without big box stores, a strip mall approach to development along a busy highway, and a slower pace of life than the "uptown"types that seem to be running the council these days. That must really piss them off and they want to ruin it. Lets Work Together to show these types the CB waterfront isnt for sale or giveaway. OK, its damaged from past mistakes, but as it is said its only fools that dont learn from their past. We need a viable waterfront park and soon. Not a paved flattened dust patch surrounded by chain link fencing. Thats just shamefull.

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  9. further to my last post............let EVERYONE who has ever visited the beach vote on it's future...........

    1)condo
    or
    2)leave it to hell alone for everyone to enjoy.

    Again we all know how that will play out ............the only pro condo voters will be a few money grubbing, greedy, sell out the town types and a smattering of east end I hate CB votes.

    You still have not answered the question Georgy...................how much $$$$$$ are you getting??? let's tell this to the kids whose beach you want to destroy and see how they'll deal with your greed and over stuffed ego. Karma can be a bitch.

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  10. I think it is time a plebiscite was done to ask the residents of CB if they want to
    separate from FE & join with Port Colborne who appreciates the waterfront. That would end all this bickering & political BS from the east part of Town who only want to continue to stir the pot & create a split of taxpayers. IF CB is such a drag on the Town then hey let it go. Stop the rhetoric,

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    1. We have to keep the waterfront for the people of CB. Petitions were signed asking for the town to buy the old park and turn it into a waterfront park for everyone to enjoy. You can see that it fell on deaf ears with the town of Fort Erie. We are getting so tired of being treated as second class citizens form the rest of the town and isn't it funny that people from the Toronto area that are moving into C.B. look at it as a gold mine. C.B. is a hidden gem and we need to keep our waterfront for generations to come. Thousands of people come to our beach-can you say that for the rest of Fort Erie. We would love to break away from Fort Erie and join Port Colborne. We are all so sick of this BS.

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  11. Good idea from curious, the taxes would be lower too. They know how to put in a decent marina too, not just a parkinglot/boatlaunch exposed to storms at all times with no breakwater.

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  12. I am for a plebiscite as Black Creek was part of Willoughby Township and cut in half and handed over to Fort Erie , and has had no input into Fort Erie proper,, never got one thin dime towards our Community Centre, still has very low water pressure, nobody who applies for status on boards or Town agencies gets appointed.to their various boards, basically frozen out. we should be able to rejoin our compatriots in Niagara Falls, or better yet dissolve, this abortion of a Town Council and join the whole Town with Niagara Falls. This Council couldn't run a lollypop stand.!!!

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  13. This council is a freakin joke! They complained about the previous council and the 4 - 3 votes and now they are the 5 -2 vote council. The fact that they excluded the ward councillor from being on the focus group for the Bay Beach master plan is outrageous and they should be ashamed of themselves. Somebody should alert the integrity commissioner that these lunatics are holding private meetings and deciding council business in private. Monday nights farce was obviously planned ahead of time. Why isn't the bully blog screaming bloody murder over this incompetent bunch of a$#holes?

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    1. As a group, the CoC chatting about the upcoming meeting and how to make it go as smoothly as possible is nothing new. Its been said before a few times other than a cheap night out in a warm (some say too warm a room), attending (that is being an amused onlooker) at a council meeting to see what is" going on", is an exercise in futility, at best. It probly was that way (more honest and open) at least to some extent, some years ago. Secret meetings without the publics right to full disclosure? Its a pretty dull show, but people keep showing up. Just dont expect any real insight into whats really "going on". For many its the closest they will ever get to real government. Like cattle at a salt lick they just keep coming back for another little taste. But for whats really going on? Good luck with that. And we are not even into the second year of what will be at least 4 years of this brand of dishonesty.

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  14. Because they are part of the Bully Blog. Same players & Marina, George & Kim were all part of the group. They aren't there for positive changes their whole focus is to slam CB. Revenge is what they want, Why, who knows they have this agenda'
    but they play with the same deck as Thibert so that should explain it. Can't wait for the June court date to come out in favour of the 4 & slam the jerks who started this stupid lawsuit.

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    1. The problem is that, even if The Four win the lawsuit, the damage is done. The town will be on the hook for millions and then there is the Molinaro lawsuit that has not been heard of since it was dropped just before the election last year.

      We are witness to the destruction of the people's will in Fort Erie. In 2010, the people voted for changes on council and the incumbent mayor, Martin, won by five votes only. It was clear that the voters wanted change. Then the assault started on The Four. We should all remember the billboard, the expensive flier, the lawsuits, the biased press, the disrespect show at council meetings, the childish games and all the other plots to run The Four out of office. Democracy was forgotten amidst an expensive smear campaign against four decent men who were duly elected.

      The Town of Fort Erie is like a Third World country, run by a power-mad dictator and his minions. If we start to see JT in military gear, we will know that the coup is complete.

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  15. Why did The Times not even mention the fireworks at Monday's Council Meeting? Sarah Fergussion only wrote about the no funding of a fireworks display that Pessaro brought up, did he want his picture in front of it too?

    What kind of reporting is that? Bay Beach is very important to many of us.

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    1. Passero has the local media on Speed Dial. He would attend the opening of an envelope; he scours the internet and hangs around town hall looking for something to use in his never-ending quest to be mayor.

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    2. Please help us! Passero is as his name suggests, is an ass. He must have taken Dale Carnegie courses. He can speak, but there is no substance. Everything about him is hollow. Look at his picture. Can't you see him with horns?

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    3. FE Farce, I see him with a split tongue like that of a snake.

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    4. See that picture of Piss pushing that hot dog down his pie hole in last weeks newspaper? Well, considering the caliber of the reporting in that weekly bird cage liner, we guess that they must have felt that it was a "man bites dog" story and worthy of print.

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  16. Who could blame that little pale faced junk food dealer. $60,000 a year, plus, inside tips on how to bet and when on those skinny nags they run at the tax supported horse track? Does it get any better? Maybe shave his head to fit in with his new boss? Not yet. He will do it if thats what it takes. Maybe he could try producing something of real value? Besides sugary junk food? Probly not. Real skills? Welder, mechanic, engineering ? Some say cream rises to the top. Others say $hit floats, you decide. This clown as a mayor?

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  17. NOW McDermott is spewing that there will not be a condo suggested for the south side of the Bay Beach waterfront. He "says" he wants amenities to attract tourists to help local businesses.

    THEN why did McDermott exclude all of those 19 applicants to be on the focus group who want the same thing?

    Is he lying or confused, I wonder?

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    1. Personally, I feel that McDermott is way out of his depth as a councillor. He always looks like he is not aware of what's going on. Perhaps, this is the meme he has adopted for the day; it is always subject to change as his handlers tell him how to think.

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  18. Maybe George has come to his senses or he is playing a game now that he is on the focus group. Trying to look neutral, playing possum? To be honest 29 people in a focus group is cumbersome, reducing to 10 residents is more manageable BUT why not 3 councillors, why did they have to cut it to 2. Very stupid as I can't see the 2 having the time or the inclination to put a full effort into it. It was just a political BS move to show who is in charge of council.

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  19. This current Town Council, that say's they will review Bay Beach with fresh eyes , are possibly going to get two black eyes, as the people are becoming aware that all is not right at Town Hall, when you exclude the Councillor from Crystal beach from the discussion,(Donnie Lubbert's) from the committee you are showing your true bias without any input , the natives will be on the war path very soon, the realisation that this present council takes it's order's from the real Mayor of Fort Erie ( J T) the man who rules from his throne located at the Racetrack. Who has never been audited ever, in all of the years as head of the EDTC , who stonewalled previous councils until Andre Marin, said by the" Municipal Act" as a Town funded agency he has to disclose what he does with our funding, having surrounded himself with a phalanx of Chamber of Commerce soldiers, still has not come clean. it is high time for the Minister of Finance to investigate this man for misuse of public funding.

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  20. What McD "wants" amounts to squat, except hes probly opened up his "fresh eyes" and finally seen the blowback hes going to have to deal with if he continues to carry on as he was. Another puppet is told what to say to try to cool things down a little. Now if he would just wake up and see the waterfront for what it is, maybe he could support the idea of a waterfront park, like so many would like to see. Fresh eyes, fresh ideas, tell George it isnt too late to get on board.

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  21. Are you kidding? McDermott was making jokes about eating Fowler's toads years ago. He was a buddy of Russ Wilson's on the Gaming Board who went after Friends of Crystal Beach for distributing Keep Bay Beach Lands Public signs.

    Ever look at McDermott's eyes, are they not the furthest from fresh and clear and focused?

    McDermott has been glaring at Don Lubberts since he sat on Council. Fort Erie gets what it gets electing the likes of Marina Butler and Kim Zanko.

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  22. We all remember George, when on your election blog you encouraged voters to support the Butt for Ward 4. Well George when you lie down with dogs you will get bit by their fleas. Do the right thing Monday night and give your undeserved place on the CB Focus group to Lubberts. Man up George and do the right thing.

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  23. Poor George, taking all this abuse while the rest of the group scheme and quietly go along with whomever propose to offer the best return on the greatest level of sneakiness and underhanded political moves. Old "fresh eyes",(being the old guy with the least to lose, as he's pretty much done like dinner) takes his place with what we know is an exercise in dishonesty. Besides, do the people in his distant ward really want this guy ignoring their concerns so he can be used by a "study" way over in CB? He should really have more brains than to get used like that, especially in such a dishonest manner.

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  24. In my opinion the entire process is undemocratic bordering on illegal. I hope the five Councillors' behaviour gets reported to the Integrity Commissioner. You can't just suddenly change the rules because of fears that the outcome of the Focus Group may not go your way.

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  25. Two weeks between the "public" council meetings still leaves 14 days or so for the CoC to hold their private conversations and listen for orders from their higher ups. On that note, anyone else enjoying their latest tax billing now arrived? 10% and in some cases more increase to support some of the stupid spending that was approved last spring. Has your confidence in the present council increased with this bit of bad news? $30,000 not available to put up in smoke for a few minuites of fireworks? Ask JT for a little back. It looks like money wasted is money wasted. Why not shoot it into the sky and create a little more air pollution. So far it would seem its the only thing that wasnt paid for and wasted. But looking closer, councilor Pass suggests, according to the newspaper, "it was overlooked" ! So maybe it would have been paid for otherwise. Well, now we feel better. That money might have been available except somebody "forgot". Our confidence in this council erodes by the hour. Lets hope they can forget to waste our tax money a little more often from now on.

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  26. Well said John AM. We guess the old saying still holds true in the case of Steve Pass, "better to be thought of as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".

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