Wise guy better than a great guy
Dear editor: This is the third letter in a series of six. The last thing we should be saying is “Let’s elect Bob!” because he is a great guy and while he worked there wasn’t one union grievance. To be frank, who really cares? We need people that can manage a corporation with a $100-million annual budget and assets that are worth probably $1 billion or more. Councillors are part of a board of directors called city council and may have to challenge unions, change service delivery and demonstrate value for money. Here are the next questions: 7. Why did it take so long and so many citizen protests to finally overturn the Skaha Park disposition of lands? What should’ve been done?
To me, this question is answered by practices that’ve been driven by “Let’s elect Bob!” rather than selecting people based on how well they can manage the city, and its staff, according to our Official Community Plan. The disastrous result is also a symptom of elected officials and senior bureaucrats that want to leave their indelible personal touch and some sort of legacy. The waterslide plans were also presented to the city about four months prior to the 2014 election and were kept hush hush. The solution is councillors and staff that listen to and act on the concerns of citizens.
8. What will be done to act in the interests of the community compared to providing endless tax incentives for economic development?
Did you know that in 2010 the economic development budget was about $225,000, rose to an astronomical amount of nearly $1 million or more and now it’s down to about $500,000? At the last budget session one of the councillors actually asked the Director of Development Services if he wanted more. It’s great he decided not to run again because it was an irresponsible question.
9. What measures should the city adopt to improve the quality of life for all of its residents?
Measuring the quality of life is subjective. Some measures include limited commute times for work, less density, clean air, recreational opportunities, how many parks, etc. Sadly, there have been no measures adopted and instead we rely on reports from some agency somewhere instead of checking it out ourselves.
Frank discussion is needed to see what the 25 council candidates stand for. Wayne Llewellyn
Penticton and quarterly profits on their collections of spreadsheets and graphs.
For a “spin” on an ancient proverb (updated for this new PC world):
Wise are the people who make decisions for the well-being of those who they will never get to meet. (Wise is the person planting a tree, knowing they will not enjoy its shade)
For the record, I will not be extending my portion of any genetic “tree,” as I do indeed have mental health issues and would not be comfortable with having any descendants go through something similar to what I have survived so far. It is what it is due to what it has been. I just was wondering if anyone else has had similar thoughts like the above. Brian Strong
Penticton