Dear editor,Please allow me to thank Mayor Phelps and Coun. Ambler for helping me to make up my mind as to who not to vote for in the upcoming election.In my mind they are pandering to a special-interest group who insist on the right to use our roads, in a lot of cases detrimental to pedestrians and motorists, and do not pay a licence fee or have insurance as do the motorists who pay and use the roads.To even consider paying another possible $400,000 on a covered bridge is ludicrous, especially at this time of economic uncertainty.I, like a lot of other retired people in this valley, depend on interest on our savings to pay our way. I can assure you, the rate is much lower than the rates our taxes have gone up since we arrived in the Valley.I do not dispute the fact that with the increase in the population, we need more facilities. I do say we should try to cut some costs to allow us to do necessary things.Why a new city hall wasn't built when the old one burned down I will never know. City hall staff could have been moved into temporary quarters instead of buying a derelict building, spending hundreds of thousands to upgrade it, to now having to spend more money to make a very old building healthy. I'm sure the very expensive facade is helping with the welfare of the workers. We are committed to spending well over a million dollars on projects at this time. It's time to take a second look.I can only hope that all eligible voters get out and vote to rid us of our tax-and-spend mayor and councillors.Ask each candidate what their priorities are for your tax dollars. If they don't give you a straight answer, don't vote for them. Also ask them if they are willing to take on the job at the present rates, not vote themselves a raise as soon as they get in to office.In the voting booth, remember what the special interests of all the candidates are and vote accordingly.Bernie Guyader,Courtenay