CITIZENS FOR DIRECT DEMOCRACY
Direct Democracy for the Public!
Citizens for Direct democracy are a group of active and engaged Citizens who believe that it is time for our Municipalities to start using Direct Democracy as a method of interacting with the Public on a multitude of issues that directly affect all of us. We elected Council Members to be Caretakers of the Municipality and our Best interests, this can now be done directly through Social media, Web Sites, Mobile Phones, Apps etc. There is no longer any need for Councillors to "Mind Read" what it is the Public wants to do about any given issue. Many Countries around the World have Direct Democracy Party`s, the only Country to date that uses a fully integrated Direct Democracy is Switzerland ( A Country that has World Wide respect) so we have a working model, Social Media is incorporated into the Swiss system, including the fact that 100,000 signatures from the entire Country is enough to trigger a Direct Democracy Referendum. All important matters concerning strategic planning for the future , all matters that are of Public concern are held up for Public Opinion and Scrutiny via Social Media. We can do this, Victor Hugo said "No Power on Earth Can Stop an Idea Whose Time Has Come" the Technology is here to enable that. We encourage you to join us as we re-form the way we make decisions into the way that is guaranteed by our Charter of Rights by our elected Caretakers of this Municipality!
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At the moment the Citizens for Direct Democracy is funded by incredible People like You who see that this is a fundamental step towards Real Democracy, who see that this is important work that cannot be achieved without all of us chipping in. A $5 donation will go a long way towards, Business cards, Website, Media Awareness and equipment. Thank you so much for helping out!
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The Mayor, and Councillors.
City of Kawartha Lakes.
In the last few months I have sent several letters to the editor at Kawartha Lakes This week. My letters have noted some serious discrepancies in the bookkeeping at CoKL. These letters have not been published.
I believe that these problems must be brought to the public’s attention, since they are a barometer on how well the city manages our tax dollars.
On the other hand, we see pages devoted to messages from the mayor; messages that are meaningless, non-quantitative platitudes related to ‘turning a corner’, and ‘right sizing’.
City adverts, that appear in KLTW, must be an important income source for that newspaper. This is also taxpayer’s money, that is sometimes used to fuel the propaganda machine.
C4DD is concerned that information is being screened out by the newspaper, to the detriment of transparency in local government. The public cannot prevent newspapers taking sides in debates between the government, and the people. The reasons may be financial, ethical, or personal affiliations. However, this thinking ushers in a dark era when freedom of the press is a permitted path, but is a path not taken,
I have appended my latest letter, concerning errors found in the bookkeeping related to the budget for 2018. These errors were found after the release of the budget statements.
This information was released on November 4, 2017, to Council, and Senior Management Team, by the treasurer, Carolyn Daynes. The errors were clearly identified as such. Why was this not released to the press?
Daynes notes that these errors increases the tax rate required to 3.68% from 3.48%.. This means that about 6% more money must be raised. On a budget of about $120m this is close to $7m, which constitutes a major error, and a genuine burden on taxpayers. We can feel the grasping hand of CoKL already sneaking into our pockets.
Peter Weygang
Sec. C4DD
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This is a copy of the email.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
The Editor
Kawartha Lakes This Week
A CORNER YOU SAY?
Bus fares are going up. Dump fees are going up. The budget increases by twice the CPI, as always. Where does this money go? What is the salary increase for staff this year? When will CoKL be out of debt? That is the information I want to find in the Mayor’s communication.
He says that they have borrowed money so they can put some aside! A truly extraordinary statement, and a weird fiscal policy. The errors persist: Child care error of $1,106,502. Housing error $209,900. Ontario Works; $102,470 included in revenue that should have been in expenditure! He says that the City has turned a corner! Looks like the same old road to me; mainly hidden by a bureaucratic fog
City of Kawartha Lakes.
In the last few months I have sent several letters to the editor at Kawartha Lakes This week. My letters have noted some serious discrepancies in the bookkeeping at CoKL. These letters have not been published.
I believe that these problems must be brought to the public’s attention, since they are a barometer on how well the city manages our tax dollars.
On the other hand, we see pages devoted to messages from the mayor; messages that are meaningless, non-quantitative platitudes related to ‘turning a corner’, and ‘right sizing’.
City adverts, that appear in KLTW, must be an important income source for that newspaper. This is also taxpayer’s money, that is sometimes used to fuel the propaganda machine.
C4DD is concerned that information is being screened out by the newspaper, to the detriment of transparency in local government. The public cannot prevent newspapers taking sides in debates between the government, and the people. The reasons may be financial, ethical, or personal affiliations. However, this thinking ushers in a dark era when freedom of the press is a permitted path, but is a path not taken,
I have appended my latest letter, concerning errors found in the bookkeeping related to the budget for 2018. These errors were found after the release of the budget statements.
This information was released on November 4, 2017, to Council, and Senior Management Team, by the treasurer, Carolyn Daynes. The errors were clearly identified as such. Why was this not released to the press?
Daynes notes that these errors increases the tax rate required to 3.68% from 3.48%.. This means that about 6% more money must be raised. On a budget of about $120m this is close to $7m, which constitutes a major error, and a genuine burden on taxpayers. We can feel the grasping hand of CoKL already sneaking into our pockets.
Peter Weygang
Sec. C4DD
******************************************************
This is a copy of the email.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
The Editor
Kawartha Lakes This Week
A CORNER YOU SAY?
Bus fares are going up. Dump fees are going up. The budget increases by twice the CPI, as always. Where does this money go? What is the salary increase for staff this year? When will CoKL be out of debt? That is the information I want to find in the Mayor’s communication.
He says that they have borrowed money so they can put some aside! A truly extraordinary statement, and a weird fiscal policy. The errors persist: Child care error of $1,106,502. Housing error $209,900. Ontario Works; $102,470 included in revenue that should have been in expenditure! He says that the City has turned a corner! Looks like the same old road to me; mainly hidden by a bureaucratic fog
Are you ready to join us?
Together we can create meaningful change!
Proposed Action by Citizens for Direct Democracy (C4DD)
We need your help
C4DD intends to ask the Provincial Government for a full fiduciary enquiry into the scandalous management of taxpayers’ dollars.
We will compile a dossier of complaints to send with our demand.
We will need the details of what is happening in the former townships of Victoria County. We also need your input regarding staff positions, numbers, salaries, benefits, allowances, bonuses, and other incidents.
The dossier needs specific examples in the following areas.
1) The closing of fire halls.
The estimated savings. The cost of hiring the new fire chief etc. The increase in home insurance premiums.
2) The closing of ice surfaces, and arenas.
The inconvenience of travel to other rinks. The cost of building new double-pad rinks. Accessibility. Parking at new rinks
etc.
3) Beach Park.
The future use of Beach Park after the Trailers are removed from the Trailer Park.
4) The Core Services review.
That completely ignores the main cause of our financial crisis, namely far too many overpaid staff.
5) The refusal of Council to make their own decisions.
The delegation of decisions to staff without regard to public opposition.
6) The betrayal of public trust, and confidence.
Petitions, presentations, letters to Council, concerns expressed in the Press; have been totally ignored.
The Social Contract has been broken.
7) The collapse of fiscal management.
Taxes have been raised to a staggering level. However, the bureaucracy expands. Services are reduced. Facilities are
closed. Homes are endangered by fire hall closures. The $100,000 a year sunshine club has increased from 24 in 2009 to 84 in 2016. An increase by 300% in
just 6 years!
8) Other areas of concerns.
The above list is not exhaustive. The matters of unusual fund raising levies, water bills, the use of taxes to support other agencies, the sale of properties in Omemee, the sale of public property, and probably many more, need to be identified, and supported by reliable information.
Please send us an email providing specific details. Point form is okay. We can, if you wish, arrange for a video interview with you, or a group.
It is our ultimate intention to use social media swarm voting to replace all the current council members. They will be replaced by people who clearly understand that they have only one job, and that is to implement the will of the people.
Together we can create meaningful change!
Proposed Action by Citizens for Direct Democracy (C4DD)
We need your help
C4DD intends to ask the Provincial Government for a full fiduciary enquiry into the scandalous management of taxpayers’ dollars.
We will compile a dossier of complaints to send with our demand.
We will need the details of what is happening in the former townships of Victoria County. We also need your input regarding staff positions, numbers, salaries, benefits, allowances, bonuses, and other incidents.
The dossier needs specific examples in the following areas.
1) The closing of fire halls.
The estimated savings. The cost of hiring the new fire chief etc. The increase in home insurance premiums.
2) The closing of ice surfaces, and arenas.
The inconvenience of travel to other rinks. The cost of building new double-pad rinks. Accessibility. Parking at new rinks
etc.
3) Beach Park.
The future use of Beach Park after the Trailers are removed from the Trailer Park.
4) The Core Services review.
That completely ignores the main cause of our financial crisis, namely far too many overpaid staff.
5) The refusal of Council to make their own decisions.
The delegation of decisions to staff without regard to public opposition.
6) The betrayal of public trust, and confidence.
Petitions, presentations, letters to Council, concerns expressed in the Press; have been totally ignored.
The Social Contract has been broken.
7) The collapse of fiscal management.
Taxes have been raised to a staggering level. However, the bureaucracy expands. Services are reduced. Facilities are
closed. Homes are endangered by fire hall closures. The $100,000 a year sunshine club has increased from 24 in 2009 to 84 in 2016. An increase by 300% in
just 6 years!
8) Other areas of concerns.
The above list is not exhaustive. The matters of unusual fund raising levies, water bills, the use of taxes to support other agencies, the sale of properties in Omemee, the sale of public property, and probably many more, need to be identified, and supported by reliable information.
Please send us an email providing specific details. Point form is okay. We can, if you wish, arrange for a video interview with you, or a group.
It is our ultimate intention to use social media swarm voting to replace all the current council members. They will be replaced by people who clearly understand that they have only one job, and that is to implement the will of the people.
