Every week I await the latest copies of the local papers to discover what shenanigans are going on in the little village of Tarnished (formerly Stirling). Absurdities reached a new level in both papers this week, with news of former mayor (a decade!) Peter Kooistra's wild rant at the current Council.
Former Stirling-Rawdon mayor gives council an earful
Posted 3 days ago
Kooistra's crazy-sounding behaviour wasn't the main absurdity for me, though. It was contained in several of his published quotes in "The Community Press".
One paragraph reads "Instead of talking to him personally, he said (Kooistra), they "didn't have the guts and had to put it in the paper."
Kooistra then adds, "I was always proud of the staff we had and respected them."
I also served the people of Stirling-Rawdon for a decade, as the head librarian. During my tenure I extended the library hours at no increase in staff pay, automated the library, headed many successful fund drives, coordinated the hundredth anniversary of the library, implemented the creation of the Local History & Genealogy Centre and worked a few other miracles.
My reward? With no warning I was sent nasty letters threatening arrest by Tarnished's finest if I set foot in any municipal building. I wasn't allowed to present a defense against the
multitude of trumped-up charges in person. Not one member of that Council, including King Kooistra, or of that library board, had the courage to do their duty and inform me of what was about to happen to me. This is called a witch hunt by some, a kangaroo court by others, and by the more literate, Kafkaesque (re "The Trial" - recommended reading if you live near Tarnished).
The hypocrisy of Kooistra saying he 'respected staff', while the above happened to me on his watch as Mayor, and his nerve in calling others cowards, when he hid behind his small town police force and lawyers' letters while this travesty occurred, is hyprocisy of the highest order. Or black humour ...
Enjoying every article on the craziness in "Tarnished",
Chris Faiers
(signed)
p.s. thanks to the incompetence and cowardice of Kooistra's reign I received substantial wrongful dismissal pay
p.p.s. the Chairperson of that library board published a local editorial column encouraging people to "man up" - still waiting on that one
Chris Faiers
12 Main St.
P.O. Box 69
Marmora, ON
K0K 2M0
613-472-6186
zenriver@sympatico.ca
2 comments:
local media wimped out yet again ...
Neither of the 2 local newspapers published my letter. Since my vicious firing 5 years ago I've sent a number of letters-to-the-editors outlining what happened to me - and what happened to me can happen to anyone else!
There are several issues which should be addressed re my 'witch hunt' firing. SHOULD SMALL TOWN'HILLBILLY' MUNICIPALITIES HAVE THE RIGHT TO THEIR OWN POLICE FORCES?
WHY IS THEIR NO ORGANIZATION TO PROTECT LIBRARY CEOs? I know of at least 3 other library CEOs who were fired by their boards in similar fashion (if less threateningly). Generally, Head Librarians aren't in union bargaining units, which often don't even exist in many rural municipalities.
DO LIBRARY BOARDS EVEN FUNCTION? See the above. Instead of protecting their Chief Officers, I've experienced and seen library boards badger and fire without cause CEOs who have given their lives to building library services.
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