MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS COMPLIANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE (MECAC)

Well more power to the Regional Clerk Kris Fletcher for her sense of professionalism and humour. Her response to my Application to serve on the upcoming MECAC is as follows:

"Dear Mr. Marshall:

Re: Municipal Elections Compliance Audit Committee (MECAC) Appointments

I am writing to express appreciation for your interest in serving on the Municipal Elections Compliance Audit Committee (MECAC). The matter of appointments to this committee was reviewed by the Area Clerks in August 2018.

Although you were unsuccessful at this time, your application will remain on file should a vacancy occur during the term of this committee. Thank you for your willingness to serve as a representative.

Yours truly "


Kris Fletcher


Now while that was very nicely written I think we all know that the comments around the table were less than nice. I can especially hear our clerk, Val sounding off on how one Mr. Marshall dragged that really nice Mark, Scott and Sandy through the mud etc. etc. That in a nutshell is the problem with the whole process. Municipal Clerks are actually supposed to be somewhat independent of their municipal councils and their duty is supposed to be to the province and to the Municipal Act and eventually to the people being governed. It just isn't so and Val is a prime example. She personally broke the law in her defence of certain Council members and in her failure to immediately remove both Mark and Sandy from Council for their serious violations, as ordered by the Municipal Elections Act.

In my Application to MECAC I kind of rubbed their noses in the fact that they too screwed up royally here in Elmira with their failures to act according to law. At least we hope their actions were incompetence and not deceit.

I trust everyone took note in Ms. Fletcher's first paragraph that it is the area Clerks who decide who will be on MECAC and hence responsible for overseeing that we have somewhat honest elections. That is precisely why the committee last time had so many former politicians and good old boys on it. These Clerks certainly don't want to see anyone independent and unbeholden to the status quo on there. They could cause "trouble" if they were to strictly enforce the law of the land after all.