Opinion. By Mike Archer. At a time when being an incumbent in Abbotsford politics makes one about as popular as a fart in a spacesuit, Councillor Les Barkman showed rare courage by announcing his intention to run for a third, longer term this week.
Having collected a councillor’s pay checque for six years and a City of Abbotsford pay cheque for 34 years prior to that, Councillor Les Barkman told the Abbotsford News this week that, since we’re going to be paying councillors for four years now its important we choose the right people.
I presume he means him.
There should be few public officials more familiar with the problems Abbotsford has with economic development. Our water and sewer pipes can barely handle the current demands on the system, much less the demands which would be made on it if the City were ever to grow.
The fact that Abbotsford roads are in a terrible state of repair should come as no surprise to him either.
Barkman knows all about these issues having spent his career as a supervisor of sanitation and roads for the City of Abbotsford doing nothing about them.
His campaign slogan is that Abbotsford has to move forward in a way which is progressive but under control.
Don’t worry Les, all the upgrades to our infrastructure you spent 34 years not doing, followed by six years of not doing anything about them as a councillor, will keep economic development well under control for decades.
Having no more money to spend after John Smith’s Plan A put us in debt for decades, Barkman says he’s proud that we haven’t spent any during his two terms.
As a guy who represents the workers of the City of Abbotsford he has yet to explain why he has allowed the Abbotsford News’ statement that the Chicken Manure Incident was the fault of low level City workers stand without explanation or apology for over a year.
His main claim to fame, after six years in office, was to kowtow to John Smith and the ADBA and vote against the ACS/BC Housing low-barrier shelter setting himself clearly on the wrong side of history in terms of good public policy, the science and facts about homelessness, economic development, the whole philosophy of building a city where people actually want to live and do business, and the majority of his fellow citizens who spoke out on the issue of homelessness.
If you were planning on riding John Smith’s coattails one more time I think it’s become pretty apparent Les … you picked the wrong horse.
It is the incumbents that have tarnished Abbotsford for the years and years. The incumbents have made this city the abysmmal failure it is. The incumbents have made this city Canada’s murder capital. The incumbents wanted sell our water citing a water shortage. The incumbents brought this city the Calgary Flames in the Vancouver Canucks heartland. The incumbents created a homeless crisis worthy of UN attention. It is high time they retire from politics. Barkman, Ross, Gaetz, Smith and the biggest disappointment of them all MacGregor need to not run for re-election. MacGregor had tremendous potential as he is an intelligent man but has not showed it. Shame.
Both Barkman and Banman touting zero% tax increase, because that’s all they can really reference to and even then what about the increases in User Fees?