Leo Ladouceur | Aug 05, 2015


It is obvious that by asking for an immediate increase in compensation County Councilors have forgotten who gave them the job and what the concept of serving the public is supposed to mean.  The real County “Poor Cousins” are the tax-payers who are forced to pay the cost of managing what we perceive to be a useless level of government called Frontenac County.  
What would happen if Council and their employees did not get their annual wage boost? Would Council dare to throw in the towel and simply shut down? Imagine if all current benefits, services and programs they currently dole out to their tax-payers were ended. Are there any? Would any of us Poor Cousins even notice? Do we have any idea what the County does or what services they deliver?  Can we explain where or why the County spends that chunk of money we are already forced to fork over? Would there be a revolution and anarchy in the streets or a cry in our churches, “Lord, whatever will we do without County?”

The public’s perception is that service to the public is not on County’s agenda. But their managers are masters at hiring consultants and planning strategies to come up with another plan and a new strategy. They won’t spend money on townships and tax-payers that need it but they can give themselves yearly wage increases. They stuff County reserve coffers full of our cash and GST money and when idle they just ague for a year or two over whether the next Almighty County Warden should be a Queen or a King.

Deputy Warden Frances Smith thinks that she and her colleagues on council are so talented, so able and spend so much time on County business that they have the public’s respect and deserve an increase. Her words bring tears to our eyes. Perhaps at the municipal level that they were actually elected, as township councilors, they have the public’s respect because Poor Cousins understand what Townships do for them.  ut as a County Council the public does not understand what County is or what if anything it does. We do not respect County and no one should expect us to respect boasting county councilors who vote themselves raises without even asking those of us who will have to pay for it.

Poor Cousins would advise them to spend much more of their time doing something at County that is a valuable, useful, measurable service, something that tax-payers would understand, appreciate and be thankful for. In the next three years show us what you actually do at County, where and why you spend our money and a reason or two why County Council might somehow even be good for us. Then get your raise if by chance you really are respected and do get re-elected.  As former County Council members have learned, we Poor Cousins do have a say in that.

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