Dear Editor. While a letter responding to another newspaper, the content has relevance to all media, notably Abbotsford Today, so I am sending along for consideration. I applaud the Mission Record Opinion “Waiving public hearings an idea worth abandoning” as while elimination of “red tape” is welcomed, many on Council lack the acumen and sound reasoning to understand democratic process trumps self-aggrandizement at making changes that compromise public rights.
Earlier at a Delegation Council remarked about many other Municipal Councils adopting Bylaws that (this) Council will not adopt, adding ‘many Municipalities do a lot of wrong things”, implying what this Council does is the only right way.
Similarly, Mayor Adlem touts this foolish move to abandon Public Hearings on DT projects, as “the first of its kind in BC”, which tells any sane person something, doesn’t it?
Then later, Councillor Stevens who recently went off on an unwarranted and totally wrong rant to me when I made a Delegation, now quite hypocritically is “horrified” the way a district staff member was being blasted in public”, which she is right, by the way, but a hypocrite, at best, given her “horrific” behavior toward a member of the Public.
Finally, former Councillor Plecas was bombarded by some on Council for his remarks about lack of identified revenue streams and potential to “hit the wall” when funds may be needed to pay projects later, with three Councillors touting their “save & spend” approach to Councilor Plecas tenure of “tax and spend” which frankly was an exercise in futile economics but so typical we are finding of this Council misguided and if I may be so bold, inept reasoning. Mission could follow the path of longtime Abbotsford Mayor who failed to provide amenities but kept tax increases low, only to, in the end, Abbotsford continues to suffer at “catch-up” tax increases, from a “save & spend” Council, now being touted at Mission, to meet costs of Plan A, bad judgment deal with the Heat Hockey guarantees and now endless criticism of their Homeless misdeeds, that given similar circumstances sadly Mission Council mind-set would likely duplicate.
Sadly, Council has become dysfunctional, whether the Mayors outbursts to members of the public admonishing them “don’t make me angry”, to apparent favour to “friends of Council” through to bad behavior dealing with both Public & Staff, it is clearly a Council that has permitted its self-importance to overcome commonsense it appears and thus, in part, the Mission Record Opinion piece is right-on but merely scratching the surface and indeed the Public is not only entitled to a public forum, but in fact, the Public bring far more sane and rationale discussion into the debate than exuded by a Council seemingly waffling in their own self-aggrandizement and inability to deal reasonably with new found power.
Yours truly,
George F. Evens