Atmosphere in West Bolton has lightened considerably

In reply to Lindsay Tuer’s letter to the editor (“What I’ve learned as a municipal councillor”) from Oct. 3: As a West Bolton citizen who has attended most of the municipal council meetings for the past five years, I am dismayed at your use of the word “viciousness” to describe the atmosphere at those meetings. Granted, there were some very heated debates during the Mont Foster debacle around five years ago. Since then, however, the atmosphere has lightened up considerably, and was certainly much improved during your two-year mandate. As a matter of fact, in an article titled “Road to truce on Mt. Foster” in the October edition of Tempo, Fred Langan and Tony Rotherham conclude by saying that “civility has returned to public discussions in West Bolton.”

Besides complaining about the tone of the debates, you mention “how easy it is for a few people to hijack the conver- sation for their own interests.” But isn’t it part and parcel of municipal politics and democracy itself to voice your opinions freely, whether they are a concern of yours as an individual or as a citizen for the greater good of the municipality? If someone is taking up too much council meeting time on their own interests/personal matters, it is up to the president of the assembly to redirect that conversation to the contents of the agenda.

That being said, I agree with you wholeheartedly that young people, as women indeed, are under-represented in municipal politics, especially in West Bolton, whose population is aging. Our democracy is fragile, and it is unfortunate that you chose to express yourself through a newspaper instead of use your freedom of speech in the council.

Bolton-ouest