[All] Fwd: Fw: Strategic Plan consultation: the most shameful and stupidest I've ever attended.

Thu Feb 24 22:45:05 EST 2011

Hi All,

I removed all direct references to individuals before sending to  
Brenda. She needs to hear how upset people are. Hope this is not a  
problem for anyone. If so, please suggest a better way to get the  
message across to her.

Robert M

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Robert Milligan <mill at continuum.org>
> Date: February 24, 2011 10:32:20 PM GMT-05:00
> To: Mayor Brenda Halloran <bhalloran at city.waterloo.on.ca>
> Subject: Fwd: [All] Fw: Strategic Plan consultation: the most  
> shameful and stupidest I've ever attended.
>
> Brenda,
>
> FYI.  I think you need to greatly improve the process of your  
> "Strategic Plan consultations".
> And maybe you need to re-do them with that improved process. Is  
> there an unedited video tape of the Consultations so you can see for  
> yourself? Do you have a carpet and coals in your office?
>
> Robert
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From:
>> Date: February 24, 2011 9:35:01 PM GMT-05:00
>> To: "GREN" <all at gren.ca>
>> Subject: [All] Fw: Strategic Plan consultation: the most shameful  
>> and stupidest I've ever attended.
>> Reply-To:
>>
>> At my Bridge game today I spoke with a Waterloo gal who attended  
>> one of the meetings and she, thinking I knew nothing about it,  
>> stated exactly what **** felt about the manipulation of the  
>> proposed outcome by way of 'controlling' the response.  In her  
>> group were 2 or 3 very knowledgable and experienced retired city  
>> folks who were as mad as **** at this control and limiting of  
>> answers.  We all know that data folks can 'skewer' any numbers and  
>> opinions they choose to this way.  I asked if anyone or two people  
>> walked out and she didn't see; so it must have been at a different  
>> meeting :  same response of manipulation as you
>> had ****.  And we pay these out of town folks to stuff our opinions  
>> right back in our faces, gotta be a change soon.  ******
>>
>
>
>> From:
>> To: * GREN
>> Cc:
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 5:38 PM
>> Subject: Re: [All] Strategic Plan consultation: the most shameful  
>> and stupidest I've ever attended.
>>
>> Maybe GREN can issue a press release on the Consultant Approach to  
>> community involvement OR ? And to think that taxpayers pay for this  
>> manipulative bullshit! This is not democracy but elected dictators  
>> playing control games through their agent consultants (& relatives).
>> ******* *
>>
>>
>> On 23-Feb-11, at 5:08 PM, ******** wrote:
>>
>>> OMG  ****    this is exactly what happened at the Kitchener parks  
>>> so-called" open round table"  discussions?  with the out of town  
>>> parks consultant   " Fred Galloway" from London;brother to Tom  
>>> Galloway.  We were made to name ONLY   ONE  on the list of needs  
>>> and priorities   and when questioned about this limitation,like a  
>>> BULLY , he kept saying  "No not 2   not  3  ONLY  ONE."   *****    
>>> and **** and ******* and many of us were angry  and should have  
>>> ALL walked out. They will not allow freedom of choice or multiple  
>>> choice in degrees because then those bullies lose control. I have  
>>> an old friend from long ago who was in high upper management (long  
>>> gone now)  and he gave me the best definition of a "Consultant"   
>>> that I've ever heard.....and there are very few for whom I have  
>>> gleaned any respect because most don't know a pittance about the  
>>> subject they "consult on"  especially in another community. My  
>>> friend told me that  "A consultant is a guy who borrows your watch  
>>> to tell you what time it is ". Yes, that means he picks the brains  
>>> of those in the know  or aught to be; finds out what answers they  
>>> want to 'reach?'  and then takes charge to do it come Hell or High  
>>> Water over the backs of the common folks.
>>> He was dead on for 90% of the ones I've met  or had to tolerate.  
>>> Kinda like  "Them that can't-- Consults"  ******
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From:
>>> To:
>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 3:30 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [All] Strategic Plan consultation: the most shameful  
>>> and stupidest I've ever attended.
>>>
>>> Re:  Waterloo strategic plan consultations.  I went last night --  
>>> and walked out.  We were put in small groups - only 4 in mine.  We  
>>> talked productively about our visions and hopes for Waterloo for  
>>> about an hour, and then each of the 3 groups gave short  
>>> summaries.  Before there was any chance for us to comment on the  
>>> ideas coming from the other groups, the hired consultants swung  
>>> into action.  We were each handed a gizmo that looked like a  
>>> remote control for a tv.  Then they started explaining that we  
>>> were to compare the "6 pillars" (eg, environment, economic) of the  
>>> strategic plan to each other. Since there were 6 pillars, that  
>>> made 15 possible combinations (eg 1+2, 1+3, 1+4...3+4, 3+5 etc.).  
>>> The gizmo allowed us to pick which of each pair we favoured and  
>>> rank on a score of 1-10.  And instantly it all would get added up  
>>> and we would know what mattered most!  I put up my hand and asked  
>>> what that was supposed to prove:  they cut us off from productive  
>>> group interaction and were reducing us to individuals in a secret  
>>> ballot voting at the same time for something and against another.   
>>> I mentioned how the School Board at a big public consultation  
>>> after the Harris cuts tried to do the same thing: they tried to  
>>> lure 200 people by giving each of us 3 votes to select our  
>>> favourite things from a list of about 20 (eg, outdoor ed, special  
>>> ed, music) so that they would know what to cut.  I spoke out and  
>>> said that we needed all these things in an educational system, and  
>>> chopping any of them would be like hacking off the leg or ears or  
>>> liver of a body and expecting it to still function.  Now we were  
>>> doing the same thing again.  The consultants just bulldozed me  
>>> aside and kept on going.  I walked out and was joined by only one  
>>> other person.
>>>
>>> So if you go - don't be afraid to challenge such shenanigans.   
>>> Insist that you came to talk together and interact, not generate a  
>>> bunch of numbers using gee-whiz technology.  Tell them that this  
>>> is not public consultation but a shell game, and they should be  
>>> ashamed of themselves
>>> - ****** ********
>
>
>>> From:
>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 2:48 PM
>>> To:
>>> Subject: [All] Strategic Plan, Nuclear not profitable and Tar  
>>> Sands update
>>>
>>> Hello folks
>>>
>>> Here's the latest
>>>
>>> Waterloo Strategic Plan
>>> Tonight is the last evening where Waterloo residents can  
>>> participate in a workshop regarding the Strategic Plan. The  
>>> meeting starts at 6:30 at Forbes room at RIM Park.
>>>
>>> Etc.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>

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