We notice that there are a number of our community councilors still wearing blinders when it comes to some issues at the council table.

1. The already overcrowded campsite at Hope Bay where the owner has now constructed 10’x10’ buildings (just under the code that requires a building permit) and plans to rent them. His request to expand his operation has been under careful scrutiny by the County. The rep from the County Planning Department has recommended that his application be denied. Evidently that’s not acceptable to his ward councilors Stan Hoath and Dan Kerr. They have voted against the recommendation and dragged along with them Councilors Lamont and Wunderlich. They have followed the practice of little or no regard to their constituents. We would suggest that they visit the campsite and talk to more people in the area than just the camp owner.

2. Our town continues to invite new development but some of our councilors have not seen fit to question Donna Elliott and her department as to why the “Community Profile” on the town’s website has not been updated since November 2005. We have been criticized by out-of-towners still has the community profile showing a welcome from the previous mayor and a listing of the previous council – inexcusable! All of this in spite of the fact that Councilors Harron, Wunderlich and Lamont accuse our “thought-processing” councilors of micro-managing staff.

3. We taxpayers are expected to dig into our pockets again to pay for a useless compliance audit of the Mayor’s campaign expenses.

Here again Councilor Harron and her cohorts are inviting continued conflict inside council.

4. We had hoped that Councilor Harron with the help of a new council would get tuned in to her own constituents. But alas – even when she is in charge of a meeting she looses control and allows Councilor Wunderlich to vent once again about the pipeline and put his endorsement on padding the pockets of Power Budd to the tune of almost a half million dollars. Let’s move on from Councilor Wunderlich’s history. The results of this expenditure haven’t changed – as taxpayers we have received nothing in return.
5. If the purchasing policy is okay as favoured by the famous five then why has there been so much controversy and so many time consuming sessions that should have been dealt with automatically. The current purchasing policy is replete with excess verbage.

This council doesn’t need outside guidance as has been suggested. It just needs a little (or perhaps a lot) of integrity and honesty.