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haf GD a CE Ti Ga hd BE CN SERRE letters Justice prevails Dear Sir: On Monday January 9th, 1984, there was a court case held in Lind- say to determine if Gordon Starr «Road Superintendent, Mari- posa) was guilty of fraud against the Town- ship of Mariposa. We are fortunate in Canada to have an ad- ministration of law which is first rate; we call it justice. I am writing to let your readers know how I see it, with still another meaning of justice; by treating fair- ly and with due apprec- iation. The judge dismissed the charges of fraud against Gordon Starr and another person, in that courtroom on Jan- uary 9, 1984. The fraud- ulent item of concern with a value less that fifty dollars ($50.00), was the result of an incident dating back to 1979, over four years ago. It was not the tard- iness of the law or the administration of justice that delayed any - action by the courts, but as I see it, somebody who knew of the event when it happened in 1979 and, just brought it to notice in 1983, with some reason I would suspect. As I was Reeve of the Township of Mariposa at the time of the pass- ing of the Road Accounts (1979), I per- sonally felt an involve- ment in this incident, as I am sure the other Members of the 1979 Council must have. The Road Accounts are always passed by motion of Council after questioning items listed and works done. Mr. Starr, Road Superinten- dent, is present and answers to the question- ing. Items are not always listed by name, but rather, by parts numbers. The item of concern in this case was to be charged to Mr. Starr's personal account with the Com- pany he and the Town- ship both dealt with. It was not charged to Mr. Starr's account but to the Township account, by mistake, in 1979. When the municipal- ity found out during 1983 that there was a part charged to the Township that was not for its road equipment in 1979, I would have thought the Council should have requested Mr. Starr to explain to them what it was about. I'm sure that after twenty-five years of service to Mariposa, that there was a respon- sibility resulting from the confidence placed in Mr. Starr that should have prompted the Municipal Council to have an explanation given to them. To have the matter taken to court over an amount of under fifty dollars, and to not inter- cede on behalf of your employee, just doesn't fit into my way of doing justice. Mr. Starr should have had his day with the Municipality and, if not satisfying the Municipal Council, then he would have his day in court. Mr. Starr was respon- sible to Council in 1979 for over a half million dollars of a roads bud- get. His advice to all of the Councils that I was on, and that he worked under, was usually well founded and of value. Many times his advice has saved the Munici- pality money. The over- spending in some years was never politically palatable but proved in the long run to be of an advantage to Mariposa. The dollar assistance given by the Province in - subsidy rose from 55 per cent in the years prior to 1983, to 67 and one half per cent that started in 1983. This should have been a help in lowering the tax money required by the Municipality from its taxpayers in 1983. In comparison to other Municipalities in Victoria County, Mar- iposa did exceptionally well in having that much help from the Pro- vince. Gordon Starr's over- spending of the roads budget in some years has helped our tax base now, as the Province has recognized those municipalities who have used more of their own dollars to create and maintain a good roads system. It is now that Mariposa is reaping the benefits. Mr. Starr, as a public employee, has made good friends and there are also those who can't see that he has ever done anything to please them. I think that other municipal road superin- tendents, grader operators, sanders, snowplow operators and other roads workers have had the same experience. That seems to be par for the course "tlefootland, At Metro Zoo New children's centre The Metro Toronto Zoo is pleased to announce the official opening of the new Children's Zoological Centre on Sunday, February 12th, 1984. The centre will mark the opening of Phase III of Lit- where children have a unique _opportunity to ex- perience close en- counters with some of their favourite animals. Exhibits being housed in the centre include sheep, goats, rabbits, donkeys, an ostrich and even a chick hatchery, giving the visitor an op- portunity of seeing baby chicks being hatched in front of their very eyes. The centre will also in- clude touch tables featur- ing live exhibits and each exhibit will demonstrate for maintaining roads for the public. Many times Gordon Starr has gone beyond the normal duties that would be expected of him. It was while help- ing a person with diff- iculties that day in 1979, that brought him to court to defend himself, at his own expense, on January 9th, 1984. It is inevitable that there will still be those persons who think that justice is never done the way they would like it. Justice is a tool for society, let us not dull it by abuse. Yours truly, Jack Coulson, Valentia Editor's Note: Mr. Coulson is the former reeve of Mariposa Township. He was de- feated in the November, 1982 Municipal elections. INSTANT PASSPORT PHOTOS Ready while you wait. For your convenience call for appointment. PORT PERRY STAR 235 Queen Street 985-7383 MORTGAGE FINANCING AVAILABLE! -- RAYCAN -- 1st, 2nd & 3rd MORTGAGES AT PRIME RATES - Residential - Purchases - Seasonal Dwellings ~~ - Refinance - Rural - Debt Consolidation -1.C.1. - Purchase of Mortgages Call Rosemary O'Kane 571-2880 After Hours: 579-9318 a different theme. The themes featured will be camouflage and warning with Fire-bellied toads, Green frogs, and Anolis lizards; animal homes with Box tortoises, Dwarf hamsters and Snails. There will also be special exhibits that will change seasonally. ~ The Zoological Centre open year round, will become the head- quarters for the Lit- tlefoot Club. Club memberships provide free admission to the Zoo, a Littlefoot Club but- 3 IY SW TR009 <3) PORT Peni STAR -- Tues. 'February 7,1984 -- 7 ton, Zoo outings, secret coded messages, bi- monthly newsletters and other: surprises. The festivities get underway at 10:30 a.m. with a private showing for club members. The general public will be welcomed at 11:00 a.m. The Zoo's " cross- country skiing winter hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the last admissions at 3:30 p.m. and is located on Meadowvale Road in Scarborough, just north of Highway 401. -- fd Tal 1p Lag editorial comments (continued) requires a small army of organizers. It could be just a weekend, starting on Friday evening and ~ winding up Sunday afternoon ---- nothing too fancy, just some events and happenings that would appeal to all members of the community, young and old. In Lake Scugog, we have a great natural sot- ting for some carnival events. Al it takes is a lit- tle organization. We can suffer through the February blahs in silence, or tackle them head on and give people the chance to have some winter fun. A winter car- nival in Port Perry is something whose time has come. 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