Proudfooter Jim Skelton Can't Make Up His Mind

We warn you now that Mayor Tomlinson's sycophant Jim Skelton likes to run on and this email, apparently from out of the blue, to former Kearney mayor Jeff Johnston is no exception. At least this time he's not regaling us with lore about how his mom discovered America and dated Henry Hudson.

From: Jim Skelton

Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 2:16 PM

To: Jeff Johnston

Cc: Ken Ball ; Barry Dingwall ; Arthur Murdy ; Steve Sainsbury ; Paul Tomlinson ; Louise Wadsworth ; Yvonne Wills

Subject: Operating Expenses, Reserves and Taxes in Kearney...

Good afternoon Jeff,

I trust this finds you in good spirits and good health.

As I believe you likely know there has been much talk recently regarding the Town’s Finances…

As a truly concerned citizen, as I know you to be, it seems that there has also been much confusion and in some cases blatant inaccuracies bantered about.

This is a wonderful community…a land for our grandchildren to raise their children and so on and so on…

Indeed a Community of Lake Communities…a Community like no other.

So it pains me just a bit when distorted facts are shelled out like peanuts from a street vendor…no thought to their damaging impact! 

Simply buyer beware!

Well that’s just not good enough for precious Kearney!

Every citizen has a responsibility in fact an obligation to ensure only factual and unbiased material is distributed to the unsuspecting Town’s folk.

So Jeff…let’s first talk about RESERVES.

            Reserves are perhaps best Defined as:

“Monies set aside from prior operating budgets to allow for the future Repair and/replacement of ‘critical’ Town Assets” [So NOT for fixing budget screw-ups as Tomlinson claims here? ...ed.]

How are Reserves acquired?

Simply from planned amounts set aside in operating budgets or the occasional ‘happy’ opportunity from an unplanned operating surplus.

In short they are built with taxpayer dollars…you could say ‘on the backs of the ratepayers’

So the next question becomes do we have enough, too little or too much?

            Think about this for a minute or two…

            Too little…problematic for future tax increases!

Too much…we’ve been gouging the tax payers!

Clearly a complex situation to get just right!

A constructive report prepared by the [now-defunct] PTPOA and presented as a Delegation to the previous council, when you were Mayor, had the following comments on the subject of ‘reserves’:

    The Town’s Financial Reserves are not rigorously controlled and/or protected.

There is evidence that reserves have been depleted and/or reassigned or transferred without full regard for the impacts on future budgets.  In so doing, on a short-term basis it amounts to “borrowing from Peter to pay Paul”, without due or any regard for when or how Paul will repay Peter.  During budget deliberations no review of reserves was undertaken save a ‘status’ report of the current position.  This does not appear to reflect sufficient diligence for proper planning. 

The reasons for the depletion or deterioration of reserves can be attributed to a number of related problems or pressures, not the least of which is the inappropriate release or reallocation of reserves to supplement or ‘shore up’ other unrelated current expenditures.

Conclusion:  Reserves and their administrative control is not subject at present to appropriate levels of consideration or review by the Town.  Left unchecked this situation will potentially leave the Town short of funds for future requirements.  The replenishment of needed reserves is not being addressed within the scope of annual budget planning. 

I suspect the above may have been long ago and has since overflowed the memory banks.

Pity more heed had not been given when it could have been…

Now back to TAXES…

Jeff you have been heard to state, when you were Mayor, that the property taxes in Kearney are the ‘lowest’ amongst surrounding municipalities…indeed you were hopelessly on record on numerous occasions stating just that fact.

Now it appears that you have switched to a different tune that goes something like this…”Kearney’s taxes are artificially being kept too low” (or words to that effect).

So which is it Jeff:

1.    Taxes were the lowest when you were Mayor? Or,

2.    Taxes are now artificially being kept too low?

Knowing you you’ll argue for both of the above…ah decision making; possibly not your long suit eh Jeff!

Well, let me help you out; and this is important for the future of Kearney…I did mention that that great ‘future’ is our common mutual goal didn’t I?

I know it sometimes gets lost in all the convoluted rhetoric and misinformation.

A thorough study and audit conducted a little over  a year ago had the following startling conclusions:

1.    Kearney’s taxes were not the lowest in 2008!  In fact they were $524,027 higher than necessary.

2.    Kearney’s taxes were not the lowest in 2009 either!  They were $686,675 higher than necessary [when Paul Tomlinson was Chair of the Budget Committee and Skelton was a member]

3.    And, in 2010 …you guessed it they were again a whopping $506,792 higher than necessary! [Based on the budget Skelton and Tomlinson's Budget Committee brought to council.]

Let’s not dwell on the patently obvious let’s just put it all down to inappropriate budgeting shall we?

But consider the ratepayers in the Town…did you ever tell them that you, as Mayor, authorized the over taxation of your citizens to the tune of $1,717,494? [Although Paul Tomlinson has publicly declared that the mayor is "just one voice"]

And, that was just in your last three years as Mayor.

If you string together a further amount of unnecessary or misspent funds we’d have to add another (140,00 + 70,000 + 45,000 + 25,000)…

In total just a tad shy of a cool $2M.

But just like in the movies each story has a bright side…

In this case if we loop the over taxation to the treatise on reserves we discover that in an ironic twist of fate you had already, albeit unwittingly, provided sufficient funds to allow $280,000 of reserves to assist in correcting the 2012 budget imbalance! [So, Mayor Johnston's foresight will allow the town to stay afloat despite Mayor Tomlinson's "budget imbalance"? What a jerk that Mayor Johnston was for putting extra funds into the Reserves!]

So all is well in The Biggest Little Town of K after all. [Apparently, thanks to Mayor Johnston.]

Oh yes and if you’d refrain from continually mixing apples with oranges as you discuss finance you will also observe that the Town’s Finances and Reserves are indeed sound.  Not to say that we don’t need to commission  a full and proper Reserve Study TO ENSURE WE DON’T OVER TAX OUR GOOD CITIZENS. [So now you're saying we need to commission a study because you think Paul Tomlinson screwed things up after all?]

But all in due course…hope the above helps you to better understand the complexities of municipal finance. [We've asked this before: You do know that Jeff Johnston isn't the mayor anymore, right Jim?]

Regards,

Jim

So, a nice rant from Skelton about how Jeff Johnston, while mayor of Kearney, "authorized the over taxation of your citizens", although Tomlinson and Skelton were on the Budget Committee in 2009 when taxes "were $686,675 higher than necessary", according to Skelton. 

Excerpt from the Council minutes of May 28, 2009:

Res. No. C-332-09 Mary Lesperance, Louise Wadsworth

BE IT RESOLVED that Council accepts the recommendation of the Financial Management Advisory Committee that Paul Tomlinson be congratulated and thanked for chairing and co-ordinating the Budget process for 2009 .

CARRIED   

But we can turn back the clock as well. On July 2nd, 2008, the Almaguin News reported that Jim Skelton, the now-defunct PTPOA (Proudfoot Township Property Owner's Association), and then-Councillor Paul Tomlinson demanded that Mayor Johnston INCREASE property taxes from 3.7% to 8.39% because they felt the former amount was too low and would require that the Town dip into reserves.

Click on image to enlarge

Sound familiar? 

Except, now that fellow Proudfooter Tomlinson is dropping taxes to the point that reserves won't just be dipped into but completely depleted, Skelton's reaction is to keep shaking his fist at former mayor Johnston, whose council helped build up the Reserves, again according to Skelton.

Jeff Johnston responded to Mr. Skelton, somewhat more adroitly (thank heaven), with:

Jim, thanks for your email. I have been away since August 7th and in my absence I believe many are raising increasing concerns regarding the town’s finances, including professional accountants.

I am not an expert nor a professional accountant but I do listen to those who are. Fundamentally the town does not have enough revenue to meet operational needs and are dipping into reserves at an alarming rate. So, if you feel things are being misstated, why not present your position to the Concerned Citizens. I am sure they would appreciate your expertise and would be willing to openly share it.

Best regards, Jeff

And share it we have! And maybe in four years we'll email Tomlinson a rambling diatribe accusing him of having "authorized the over taxation of your citizens", right before we go shopping for a new drool-bucket.

More Lies and Buck-Passing by the Proudfoot Four

A concerned citizen who attend the Town Hall meeting on Saturday, August 25, 2012 writes to tell us that the Proudfoot Four are still singing the same old tune and blaming everything but their own arrogance and gross incompetence for the rapid decline of Kearney. They blame us, town staff, former town staff, the former council, computer glitches, the Johnston family, the Easter Bunny, the Tidy-Bowl Man, and now the Town of Perry. Everyone but themselves. Read on:

Dear concerned citizens;

I attended the town hall meeting on Saturday and was impressed by the way our ratepayers came forward concerning our CBO [Henry Hess] and his antics. Most were very upset on having to be reinspected. Our mayor [Paul H. Tomlinson] and councilors Dingwall and Wadsworth blamed the town's records were inadequate, incomplete, or didn't exist because of our former CBO's poor record keeping; which I don't believe for a second since I know Mr. Schaefer quite well. He is very well organized and very conscientious of his job.

Our mayor decided to explain why the town had to hire a new CBO. What came out was not the truth. He explained that the fault was Perry township's; that when Jeff Pepin quit they could no longer contract their CBO to Kearney.(maybe some truth in that) Our mayor didn't explain how that came about. I attended the council meeting just before the CBO contract was to be renewed. The council, in their lack of wisdom, led by Paul Tomlinson decided to put the position up for tender. It went into the Almaguin News. And that's how Perry Township council found out. Our staff or our mayor couldn't be bother to inform them of our councils' decision.

ARE YOU SURPRISED?                                                      Bob Tilley citizen

No, Bob. We're not.

Sadly, Mayor Tomlinson can't keep his lies straight, because back in early 2011 he told the Almaguin News that Kearney had to put the job up for tender because "it's the law". No mention of Jeff Pepin. You can read our coverage of it here and here. And if Tomlinson is now saying it was the fault of a Town employee that records weren't kept properly, then it's the Town's fault. So if Hess can't find your final inspection, have him do another one free of charge, grandfathered to the building code in force on the date of completion. Because if a municipality is 1% at fault, it's 100% liable. Sorry Paul, but "it's the law".

A New Twist on the Building Permit Fiasco

 A concerned citizen writes:

I think that we need to have a private meeting on private property with everyone whom has been told they need to purchase building permits to close jobs that have been finished for extended periods of time.

I would like to tell people that they should not buy a building permit or they will be subject to following all new building code updates regardless of when the work was finished.

I would appreciate not posting my name or email at this time.

Thank you.

Nothing New Here

The Proudfoot Four have never taken responsibility for any of their mistakes, such as the horrendous 2012 budget, poor town maintenance, deferred road work year after year, posting of videos and photographs of private citizens with disparaging statements, chasing away volunteers, killing charity contributions while giving themselves pay raises, inciting hatred, publicly referring to citizens as "trash" or "disgusting", waiving fees and environmental impact studies for friends, creating silly by-laws that end up rescinded, double-dipping on building inspections, and so on, and so on.

So it's no surprise that the Proudfoot Four (Mayor Paul Tomlinson, and councillors Dingwall, Sainsbury, and Wadsworth) jumped at the opportunity to blame the Concerned Citizens of Kearney blog for the town's woes. Just like the original budget's problems were "the previous treasurer's fault", then the revised budget's problems were "a computer glitch". Then there's the budget meeting where a taxpayer was dragged out by police for trying to videotape the auditor critique of the budget. When it was revealed that videotaping meetings is permitted and that Deputy Mayor Wadsworth had no right to have the man removed, did she apologize? Did she acknowledge her mistake? Nope. She blamed the town staff. Did Mayor Tomlinson, who stuck his tongue in the man's face and encouraged the expulsion, apologize? Nope. He blamed Wadsworth. Don't believe our "lies"? Read all about it in the Almaguin News, here and here.

So are we scaring away investors? Read a potential investor's letter here.

Sorry, Paul. You can't just shoot (or blame) the messenger. And everything we've posted is easily verifiable through the links to public documents we've provided in our articles.

Read the whole article in the Almaguin News here.

A Concerned Visitor Writes Us

We received this letter from a visitor to Kearney:

What a scary town you folks live in.

Recently I was fortunate enough to early retire and as such my wife and I have been driving around the Muskoka, Huntsville and lake of Bays area in search of a small town in which to put down new roots. Flipping through real estate listing we were surprised at the seemingly good prices in the town of Kearny, compared to the above mentioned, and decided to make a day of it.

We arrived early as we’re are both big on exploring and meeting people and were immediately struck by the towns old time charm and northern beauty. After strolling along Main Street and meeting a number of lovely people my wife asked an older gentlemen, who we were chatting up, about the towns politics. There was no reply and the fellow just seemed to stare at us as if we had crossed some form of hidden line, so after an awkward silence we thanked him for his time and continued on.

Next stop the beach where we found children playing in the water as mothers watched on under blue skies. This time my wife started chatting up a young mother, being a retired teacher she was enquiring about volunteering at the local school, and after a lull in the conversation I ventured to again question about local town politics. The look on the woman’s face was telling as she became immediately guarded and asked.
“Where did you folks say you were from again?”
A little surprised my wife asked.
“Does it matter?” To which the young women replied.
“Are you friends of the Mayor?”
At this point my spider senses started tingling as I exchanged glances with my wife and said.
“I think it’s time to go honey.” As we stood to leave the women looked up at us and said maybe try the Kearney blog and then returned her gaze to her children.
It’s funny how the smallest interactions can alter ones perception and the Town of Kearney now somehow looked a little different.

We arrived home late that night and my curiosity had the better of me so I googled the town of Kearny and checked the town's website ... nothing revealing there...
Then I googled Kearney Blog.

Oh my God!!!

It took me hours to read through the various pages posted here and I’m shocked. No wonder nobody would talk politics your town is down right scary, which also might explain the depressed real estate prices. You people need help and you need it now as the Mayor looks like a character out of the movie Deliverance and seems to have the personality to match. But in all seriousness I can’t imagine why the Johnston's have not moved on a long time ago as I suspect they are genuinely in harms way!!
I’m sorry but given all I have read here, coupled with the total lack of response by the Mayor of your town, I couldn’t possibly imagine living in Kearney although the citizens have my deepest sympathy.

Off to Baysville.

Anonymous

Are you surprised?

Portable Toilets at Lions Park Disgusting

Remember when we joked about having to use the bushes at Lions Park after Mayor Tomlinson killed funding for a rink/park attendant? Well, you might want to start using the bushes after we saw the condition of the toilets. Evidently, nobody's maintaining or emptying them and they're overflowing and filthy! And you'll have to bring your own toilet paper, hand-soap, and water because none of that is supplied either.

Are you surprised?

The Milner Family Clarify their Position

James Milner, in response to our last post, writes:

IF IT WAS YOU... moron

James Milner

james.c.k.milner@gmail.com

So let's see if we have this right.

Complete stranger is accosted on the street and beaten in front of his family. Milner family calls beating of disabled stranger, allegedly by James Rhys Milner, "an unfortunate event".

or 

Complete stranger is accosted on the street and beaten in front of his family, but stranger might be affiliated with this blog. Milner family approves of beating a disabled man, allegedly by James Rhys Milner, for daring to exercise his right to free speech.

Thanks for clearing that up, James, but either way we have some bad news for you: 

You're not the good guys, James. Good guys don't assault disabled law enforcement officers in front of their families regardless of their political affiliations. That's what scumbags do.

The Milner Family Endorse Beating the Disabled

Hello concerned moron, I would appreciate it if you didn't mention any names (unless of course with written consent) on your childish, immature blog. legal action could be pressed... you violate peoples rights by way of posting photographs and names without consent, and slandering individuals on a weekly basis. You are basically lucky no one you slander has as much free time as you... I know fighting is often not the answer, but if you are the one who recently was engaged in a physical altercation (and obviously were bested) then I'm glad you got your ass kicked... if not then it sounds like an unfortunate event. I am only 21 and I know you are alot older than I, but you appear to still have alot of maturing to do. Picking on seasonal residents (who by chance make up for I'm guessing %70+ of your towns annual tax income) is not only childish and immature but also a waste of your time. If you are in fact a "concerned citizen of Kearney", perhaps you should get off your lazy ass, go into town and clean the streets yourself, volunteer your time, instead of wasting it making slanderous and often false accusations on a teenage blog. your stupidity and immaturity is both ubiquitous and impressing in magnitude. If you're that sour about loosing an election then perhaps it is you with the problem???

James Milner

james.c.k.milner@gmail.com

Very nice. There's so much wrong with that email, we don't know where to begin. But we like the part where you're glad that a disabled man "got his ass kicked" in front of his family, James. Classy.

Are you surprised?

Assault Article Available Online

The assault of Jeff Johnston Jr. was on the front page of the Almaguin News this week. 

Read the entire article here.

The folks in Proudfoot must be so proud!

Jeff Johnston Jr. Writes In

Dear Concerned Citizens, 

Mayor Tomlinson likes to play detective, so here a mystery for him: 

I notice that you posted the "A Deeply Concerned Citizen Writes In" article today (August 10, 2012) at 11:07am. Your readers will be interested to know that at 11:07am today I was being examined by a specialist for the broken nose I suffered on Sunday. The specialist's report will be introduced as evidence at the "alleged assailant's" trial, so it'll soon be public record. Also at 11:07 today, my parents were driving down a highway in South Dakota. So maybe the Brainiacs in Proudfoot can explain how my father and I are "The Blog" when stuff is being posted when we're nowhere near a computer. There's been plenty of other occasions where I've found that new stuff was posted while I was at work, where there's no internet access and cell phones are prohibited. Regardless, I don't think you could run a blog from a cell phone... I have a hard enough time just reading the blog on my iPhone. I have no idea where my father was on those particular occasions but he certainly has never had any qualms about churning out reams of stuff under his own name. My father, while adept at email, calls me several times a week for help with mundane computer tasks, so the idea that HE's running the blog is just silly. I know it sucks for Mayor Tomlinson and the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents' Group to think that there might be other's that disagree with his management of Kearney, but he's just going to have to face the fact that my father and I are NOT "The Blog"! Maybe Tomlinson should scan the hundreds of names already on the petition for a new suspect.

 To those who DO run the blog... Keep up your excellent work, and thanks for your support! 

Jeff Johnston (Jr.)

Food for thought! We'll have to make a point of publishing something when you and your family are sitting in open court.

Are you surprised, Mayor Tomlinson?

A Deeply Concerned Citizen Writes In

Is Proudfoot even on this planet??? The Johnstons openly exercise their right to free speech for the betterment of our town and are labelled as cowards. James (or Rhys) Milner of Proudfoot beats a handicap law enforcement officer in front of his terrified family and considers himself a hero!! No doubt "Mr." Milner is strutting proud through Proudfoot getting high fives from Tomlinson and Dingwall who have been fostering this hate against the Johnstons and anyone else that dares oppose them! My father died fighting against this kind of jackboot tyranny in WWII. Not that Herr Dingwall was there!
Please don't publish my name. I don't want to be beaten like a dog by Tomlinson's Schutz Staffel [sic].

More Pieces of the Puzzle

Bits and pieces of information have been trickling in that might shed more light (or create more questions) on the motives of the assailant who accosted the Johnston family in Burks Falls on Sunday, August 5th.

It seems that James "Rhys" Milner, the alleged assailant, has had at least one other run-in with former mayor Jeff Johnston. At a recent council meeting (the source wasn't sure of the date), Mr. Johnston was addressing council about possible environmental concerns regarding proposed changes to property usage by Tim Brown (Ethical Wealth Corporation). Mr. Brown wants to use his property at 4290 Chetwynd Road as a marina storage and there were concerns about water run-off into a local creek and onto a neighbour's property. Mr. Johnston was pointing out that the run-off could end up contaminated by boat fuels, lubricants, bilge, etc. and was suggesting to council that an environmental impact study be done before approving Mr. Brown's request.

4290 Chetwynd Road

As Mr. Johnston was addressing council Mr. Milner started yelling at Mr. Johnston to "Shut up and sit down". This continued and, because Mayor Tomlinson allowed the heckling, another member of the public had to intervene so Mr. Johnston could continue.

Rhys Milner and Tim Brown are both members of the Grass and Loon Lake Residents Group, as are Mayor Tomlinson (its creator), Councillor Dingwall, and Councillor Sainsbury. Mr. Milner is also a close neighbour of Councillor Dingwall and Cindy Varcoe (also a member of the GLLRG) who have both publicly expressed their dislike of the Johnston family.

As a footnote: Cam Wadsworth, Deputy Mayor Wadsworth's husband, was appointed to the Environmental Advisory Committee and he decided that Mr. Brown did not require an environmental impact study, so council will allow him to set up his marina storage despite the concerns.

So if you're branded as an enemy of the Proudfoot Four (or the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group), you'll be shouted down at meetings, dragged out of meetings by the police, and beaten in front of your family by thugs in the street.

Kearney democracy.

Sound familiar?

Are you surprised?

Kearney Politics Turn Violent

We received this disturbing email from an anonymous source. Apparently, the OPP will be releasing infomation about this incident to the Almaguin News next week so we're going to redact the alleged assailant's name until we get confirmation. We haven't confirmed if the Jeff Johnston is former Kearney mayor Jeff Johnston or his son. Either way, Jeff Sr. is a man in his 70's and his son has been permanently disabled since a workplace accident several years ago. We were able to confirm that the alleged assailant was a member of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group at least until 2010, according to a copy of their meeting minutes. 

Here's the email:

On Sunday, Jeff Johnston of Kearney was assaulted while leaving a restaurant in Burks Falls. The alleged assailant is a property owner on Hazard Hill Road in Kearney and a member of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group. Members of the GLLRG include Mayor Paul Tomlinson, Councillor Barry Dingwall, Councillor Stephen Sainsbury, and Tim Brown (Ethical Wealth Corporation). According to witnesses, Mr. Johnston had just finished having dinner with his family when they were accosted by the man who had apparently been waiting for them outside. The assailant revealed to the Johnstons he knew where they lived, where family members worked, and described himself as their “worst nightmare” because of Mr. Johnston’s criticisms of Mayor Tomlinson and council. As restaurant employees phoned the OPP, the assailant attacked Mr. Johnston when the latter revealed that he was recording the interaction on his cell-phone. Mr. Johnston was knocked into the street and repeatedly punched and kicked in the face. The attack ended when family members and passers-by pulled the assailant off Mr. Johnston. Mr. Johnston was treated for several facial injuries by paramedics but did not require hospitalization. The assailant was detained until the arrival of the OPP a few minutes later. Victim Services were dispatched to help two members of the Johnston family - an elderly woman and a young child - who were both badly traumatized by the event. Charged with Assault and Causing a Disturbance is James Rhys Milner of Brampton [and Kearney]. A court date has not been set.

This is shocking and terrifying! If you have any information please contact the Almaguin Highlands Detachment of the OPP at 705-382-2015 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

(Unlike the heroes of Proudfoot, we're leaving spouses and children out of it.)

Editor,

It was upsetting to read your negative review of the Regatta. Yes, it was altered with many roadblocks including fire ban, lack of volunteers, and lack of postive support. I think the organizers and volunteers should be proud of a "job well done". I just wanted to say THANKS to the team for a great regatta and the hopes that the organizers and volunteers will be back for 2013.

Cheers,

Chris

Trailside Adventure Co.

 

Your right Chris, it was a "job well done" by the volunteers. Unfortunately, the current council tried to kill the Regatta, then crippled it. The volunteers did their best, but it doesn't change the fact that Regatta was deliberately crippled. We've seen countless Regattas over the years and this year's was a hollow husk of what could have been. We thank the volunteers for their tireless efforts, but we're not going to heap praise on those members of council that fought hard to kill Regatta, then turned out for the photo-op. 

The 2012 Regatta wasn't the only one this council tried to kill. The 2011 Regatta almost suffered the same fate until the public outcry resurrected it. That year went well because the volunteers were still driven by the successes of previous years. But it was such a constant battle with Mayor Tomlinson's roadbocks that most of the 2011 volunteers were burned out in the end. Then Mayor Tomlinson imposed the 3 volunteer cap, and then lied about it.

Thanks Chris, for trying to bring a positive spin to the hard work of the Regatta volunteers, but it doesn't change the fact that Regatta could have been so much more were it not for this council's "can't do" attitude. So we can't bring ourselves to give a big, two-thumbs-up and just let council walk away from this unscathed.

Kearney Regatta 2012 - Epic Fail!

Well, the Proudfoot Four weren't able to kill the 2012 Kearney Regatta, despite trying to vote it down... twice, but they did manage to mangle it beyond recognition. The weather can be blamed for cancelling the fireworks, but it was Mayor Pall Tomlinson and his henchmen who made sure there was no...

• Battle of the Bands
• Street Dance
• Northern Light Steel Band
• and so on...

Which could have saved Regatta from the lack of Fireworks.

Councillor Yvonne Wills even got in on the act when she tried to eliminate the prize money from the kids sports events (a whole whopping $159!) until volunteers shamed her into coughing up the money when they declared they'd pay the prizes out of their own pockets. And despite volunteers standing by for the kids water competitions on Saturday, Councillor Wills cancelled that. Wills wasn't making any effort to promote the merriment either; Every time we saw her she was stomping around with a big scowl on her face ignoring everyone. Councillor Ken Ball made up for it though, with an unceasing smile and cheery disposition. Councillor Dingwall manned the dunk-tank for a while, mostly chewing gum with his mouth open and sneering at passers-by, until he gave up when people stopped coming.

There was one tug-of-war for the adults, but kids who showed up for their tug-of-war were just handed ribbons and sent on their way.

The Beer Garden had limited success, mostly because last year's open tent was replaced this year with an enclosed tent. An awesome idea when temperatures are in the high 30's.

Of course, MP Tony Clement and MPP Norm Miller didn't show up after being treated like dirt last year by Tomlinson. If fact, Tomlinson himself only made a brief appearance on Saturday at the Bouncing Castle before hightailing it back to Proudfoot.

The general consensus among attendees, and on the Regatta Facebook page, was that this year's Regatta was the worst ever. Several vendors commented that it wasn't worth the gas to drive to Kearney.

Most attendees came to Kearney expecting a Regatta like those of years past. Instead they were disappointed by a withered event in a withering town. Many are likely to go elsewhere next year, rather than be disappointed again, unless Council steps up and makes a real effort. But given the complete lack of any promotion of tourism in Kearney by this council (visit the Ice Caves, but we won't tell you where they are) and the shoddy treatment of the few volunteers that hadn't already been run off, we don't have high expectations.

Are you surprised?

A Horrified Wife Tells Her Story

This email needs no introduction. 

I feel I have to send this email as I can't stop thinking about what happened and how much it disturbs me.

I was in Burke's Falls having an early dinner with my family on Sunday, August 5th, and when we came out of the restaurant, a man sitting alone on the patio, drinking by himself, started saying negative things to us and swearing..  He called us cowards, and was saying he knew where we lived and where my husband works. My young step-daughter was with us and heard everything he said and he was swearing and being quite offensive.  In her words...."He was scary". He also said something to my elderly Mother-In-Law and Step-daughter inside of the restaurant, near the washrooms, before this all took place.

We had no idea what he was talking about and we asked him who he was.  He would not give his name but said he was "Our Worst Nightmare" and threatened to see us at our home address and he stated that exact address.

I took my step-daughter down the street, away from there to get her away from this creep, and did not want her anywhere near him because he was obviously a hot-head and out of control.

From down the street, I watched and saw him shove my husband and then hit him repeatedly, pushing him onto the street into oncoming traffic on Ontario Street.  My husband tried to hold him away, without hitting back, and this guy continued to hit and kick my husband in the face.

Finally, a passerby helped pull off the assailant, with the help of family, but my husband was still being dragged and kicked by the assailant.

My husband never fights and I have never been one to fight ever, but when I saw what the assailant was doing to my husband on the street, punching and kicking, I wanted to run up there and attack the assailant myself and kick him in the head, just to get him to stop beating my husband.  I was furious and scared at the same time!   

The only thing that stopped me from  running to the scene, was the fact I couldn't leave my 9-year-old step-daughter there alone on the street, and I couldn't bring her up closer to the scene, as she was already traumatized by the whole event.

I'm glad to say the asshole was charged and I wouldn't be surprised if he has done this kind of thing before.

I have never written the blog before, but I'm absolutely pissed with these people (and you know who you assholes are).... 

[Mrs. Johnston]

And Another Poll

Still giddy from the democratic rush of the last poll, we've decided to add another one.

Tim Brown (aka Ethical Wealth Corporation) keeps popping up at council meetings looking for fee waivers, rezoning waivers, variance waivers, environmental impact waivers, and so on. Here are some quick facts:

1. Tim Brown is a member of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group.
2. Barry Dingwall, Steve Sainsbury, and Paul Tomlinson have all served on the GLLRG's board of directors.
3. Tim Brown was Dingwall and Sainsbury's campaign manager and fundraiser during the last election (its on their campaign brochures).
4. Tim Brown is a personal friend of Paul Tomlinson.

The question has already been raised to council but got a big shrug from the Proudfoot Four, so let's let the good citizens of Kearney speak.

"Should Tomlinson, Dingwall, & Sainsbury each declare a Conflict of Interest whenever Tim Brown (Ethical Wealth Corp) comes to Council for favours?"

Take our poll (on the right) and see what the good citizens of Kearney think. Not that the Proudfoot Four give a damn what their constituents think.

A New Poll

We asked the very strongly worded question, "Has Mayor Paul Tomlinson worn out his welcome in Kearney?" and 93% of the 280+ voters (so far) have said Yes. 280 voters doesn't seem like a lot, but it does represent more than 10% of Kearney's peak seasonal population. Gallup Polls go on much lower samplings.

We've added a new poll. In 2009, during the last council's term, Steve Sainsbury and Barry Dingwall petitioned the Ontario Municipal Board to have the ward system abolished in Kearney. The ward system was set up in Kearney to allow citizens living in different sections of Kearney to elect a councillor that represented their interests. Only the residents (or property owners) of that ward could vote for that councillor. The previous council argued that removing the ward system would allow certain influential groups to load council with their own councillors and effectively take control of the town. Dingwall and Sainsbury poo-pooed this notion saying that the ward system prevented true democracy in Kearney. The OMB was convinced and here we are.


So our new poll asks, "Do you feel that EVERYONE in Kearney is being served BETTER since the removal of the ward system?" Bearing in mind that without the ward system the Grass and Loon Lake Residents Group was able to fill 4 out of the 7 seats at council, effectively controlling the town.

Lions Park - The Tomlinson Era

 This is how Kearney's Lions Park should look. Attractive. Picturesque. 

This is how Kearney's Lions Park really looks in the Paul H. Tomlinson era. 

 Pretty isn't it?

Wasn't enough to close the washrooms?

Had to put the outhouses right out front, Paul?

Paul H. Tomlinson.

Kearney's King Midas.

Only, everything he touches turns to shit.

Are you surprised?

Petition to Mayor Paul Tomlinson

Unfortunately, because of limitations with Blogger.com, we aren't able to provide a clear copy of the petition that would be suitable for printing. If you'd like a copy of the petition we are more than happy to email it to you in PDF format. Just email us at:

concernedcitizens@hotmail.com

Printed copies are also available at:

The Candy Store (3 Billy Goats Gruff)
60 Main Street
 

Nostalgia Antique

14 Rain Lake Road (at the King William Street)
 

Trailside Adventures

80 Main Street

Concerned Citizens Are Fighting Back

Here's just one recent complaint the Town of Kearney (with a copy to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) has received:

Click on image for full-size version

They Don't Even Try To Hide It

Timothy A. Brown

At the council meeting on June 15th, 2012, two things happened:

First, Tim Brown came to council (Sort of. It was Brown's lackey Scott Richards, again) asking for a variance on a piece of property Brown owns at 4290 Chetwynd Road. Despite the clear conflict of interest, the Proudfoot Four were about to grant their buddy the variance when someone in the public gallery asked about the environmental impact. Oops. Issue deferred.

Then, in the same meeting, Deputy Mayor Lousie Wadsworth and her three cohorts voted her hubby Cam Wadsworth onto the Environmental and By-law Advisory Committee. What's another breach of ethics and the Municipal Act when you've committed so many, eh?

After watching all this blatantly unfold, we predicted:

"... don't be surprised if Tim Brown's environmental concerns suddenly go away."

And guess what happened at the council meeting on July 5th...

Tim Brown's environmental concerns went away! No impact study required, old buddy!

ARE YOU SURPRISED?