Dear editor,
I write in response to the letter from Donovan Carter in this paper on Nov. 27 (Frisch is the right choice as Courtenay’s RD rep).
In Mr. Carter’s opinion, David Frisch is entitled to be appointed as a CVRD Director because he topped the polls for Council in the recent election.
I have no criticism of David Frisch whatever and it would appear that he might well have what it takes to make an excellent councillor.
Topping the polls does not, by any rule of governance, lead to an automatic appointment as one of Courtenay’s directors on the CVRD. These appointments are made at the discretion of the Mayor and are subject to endorsement by council.
The qualifications the mayor considers are unlikely to include how any councillor ranked at the polls.
A given candidate, including Mr. Frisch, may have excellent credentials to sit on council, while not necessarily being the most qualified individual to serve as a Director of CVRD.
Mr. Carter has concluded that on the basis of vote totals between the Mayor and Mr. Frisch, Mr. Frisch has been given a greater mandate than Mr. Jangula, since Mayor Jangula received a lower vote total in a field of two than did Mr. Frisch in a field of 13.
This reasoning is fundamentally flawed on too many levels to address here. Suffice to say that Mr. Carter is comparing “apples and oranges”.
Our Mayor is entitled to make his own decisions regarding appointments and does not need to heed the advice from this newly arrived governance tutor.
Bill Verburgt
Courtenay