Yes, democracy is messy, Mr. Mayor

I’m writing to reassure Mayor Jim Watson that although I am against the city turning over the last public space at Lansdowne Park to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, I fully support the metric system.

The mayor’s condescending comment about opponents of the city’s attempt to quietly hand over control of the Aberdeen Pavilion and other amenities to private interests speaks volumes about what is wrong with the way business is done in the national capital.

This is about people pushing back against civic leaders who appear only too ready to make cosy “public private partnership” deals that cut out any avenue for public discussion.

Yes, Mr. Mayor, it’s unfortunate that the democratic process is messy and often takes time to reach a conclusion.

But thanks to the motion passed at committee this week, the public will have a chance to have its views considered. The motion clearly demonstrates that there really is no rush to hand over control of this last bit of public space at Lansdowne.

The sky didn’t fall after the motion passed because, Mr. Mayor, it’s about the process.

John Crump, Ottawa