Skip to content

Letter writers defend city staff while mayor stays silent

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear editor,

It has been heart-warming to read letters to your paper  like that of Claudette Preece who simply cannot let this vilifying and unwarranted attack on our City of Courtenay staff go unanswered.

Her letter to The Record (Congratulations and stay the course, city hall; Oct. 9) attempts to, in some small way, speak for those who cannot speak but have come under such callous and unrelenting attack by a local developer who seems to expect that his proposals are simply too important to face the scrutiny of those charged with representing our public interest.

Yes, there was a time in the Valley when a developer could get the mayor to lead his private interest charge with both guns blazing then hang up the guns for a cushy management position with the developer--a mere two weeks after ramming the developer’s interests through council!

And there was a time when public lands could be assessed and nearly sold off to a developer, by a developer-friendly real estate agent,  at a small fraction of their real worth. But we are now living in a more sophisticated Comox Valley. Some regional district directors actually stand up and tell developers that they aren’t about to tear up a very publicly created community plan less than a year after it is created.

The really big question in all this is: where the heck is the Mayor of Courtenay?  Why isn’t he the one who is speaking up for his staff? We haven’t haven’t heard even a snivelling, whimpering mutter of support from the very man whose office is it is to both instruct and support staff in carrying out the directions of council.

If staff are coming under such extreme and public attack because they are carrying out the directions of council then the mayor should be the first person to stand in the defence of his staff.

Politicians are elected to make the tough decisions and to create policies that reflect the overall good of the community and to speak up for their hard working staff when they come under this kind of devastating, public and unwarranted attack.

 

 

Norm Reynolds

 

Courtenay