Councils ignore their community

Dear Editor: Why do city councils brush contentious issues aside ignoring the valuable contribution of the community?

Penticton council reached its nadir when they broke faith and signed a contract to dramatically change the use of Skaha Lake Park without the consent of the taxpayers that own that land.

It resulted in petitions against changing parkland plus a petition requesting recall for civic politicians. Council eventually backed down paying $200,000 to end the contract.

The petition against recall was presented in the provincial Legislature and placed on the agenda at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. It currently has the support of the new leader of the opposition Andrew Wilkinson.

If provincial politicians have recall why shouldn’t the four-term civic politicians be accountable also?

Today Lake Country council is trying to circumvent the wishes of the people despite petitions against changing the nature of their parkland. They should stop in their tracks and start a period of adequate consultation.

Kelowna too has its problems with their failure to adequately engage citizens on a 33-storey tower.

Councils have four-year terms now. There are no checks and balances to prevent autocratic councils from running roughshod over the best interests of the people. Much irreversible damage can be done in a four year term.

Kelowna council has failed in giving the community an adequate voice in their community. They think they are there to rule not to govern by grace of the citizenry.

Westcorp tower; an addict housing complex in Rutland; the new Tourism Kelowna visitor information centre on Queensway should have had many open houses with the opportunity for adequate consultation with the people of Kelowna.

Apparently Kelowna city staff was against the Westcorp project. Despite 120 pieces of correspondence on this subject, this council whether rightly or wrongly, went blindly on their own way.

After three years of uproar in Penticton we now have regular public open houses; surveys; a ShapeYourCity website and public engagement on important issues in our community. Today in Penticton we have representative democracy. Time will tell whether this is temporary.

There is an election coming in October and Penticton’s mayor and council want to be re-elected. After three years of not listening to their community I doubt very much any of them will be reelected other than Coun. Campbell Watt, the lone member of council that tried to change things. Elvena Slump

Penticton