By AmbrÖse Bierce. Abbotsford Councillor Les Barkman has had an interesting slide through political life in Abbotsford. Among the trio who have had hardly a word to say about … well … anything in his last two terms, Barkman is rumoured to be at the council table as a union voice. Nothing more – nothing less.
Most councilors in Abbotsford are single issue councilors which is why they are able to rely on just enough votes to get re-elected if they keep their noses clean and appear to look after the interests of the people who vote for them.
Here’s a question for Councillor Bartkman from his union supporters.
Councillor Barkman
On June 12, 2013, seven days after the infamous Chicken Manure Incident, the Abbotsford News wrote an editorial saying,
“We are led to believe this was the work of a handful of lower level authorities in city hall who thought they were taking affirmative action on a long-standing problem.”
On July 22, 2013, Abbotsford Today revealed that several top level officials in several departments knew of the plan.
Two days later, on July 24, Abbotsford Today revealed that the Salvation Army knew about the plan and was in agreement with it.
We’ve repeatedly asked the News to clarify who it was who led them to believe this was an isolated case and the work of a handful of lower level authorities. They’ve never told us, or more importantly, the people of Abbotsford who that was or why they haven’t retracted the statement since the truth has proven it false.
When is Councillor Barkman, our union guy at City Hall, going to demand an explanation from the News and the public official(s) who led them to believe it was the workers who were responsible for the Chicken Manure Incident.
It’s the one issue with which he appears to be most conversant and, some would say, the only reason he collects a public paycheque. Certainly he ought to be able to at least one thing for City workers in two terms in office.
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AmbrÖse Bierce
AmbrÖse
AmbrÖse Bierce is Today’s writer in residence who occasionally gives voice to the concerns of individual citizens and taxpayers who, for a variety of reasons, are unable or unwilling to take a public stand on issues of relevance to the rest of the community. Reasons may include possible loss of job, injury to their business, or any number of quite legitimate reasons to keep their mouths shut.
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