Editor:

Re: South Surrey urged to join White Rock, Aug. 4.

White Rock Coun. Grant Meyer must have been writing to me.

He almost used my exact address when he said, “I think I’d feel bad if I were living at 192 Street and 8 Avenue and had to go all that way to deal with the city.”

With the gutting of South Surrey to bail out the mess in North Surrey, I do feel disenfranchised by Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts and council promoting a strange top-heavy agenda to “save” North Surrey.

It’s just thumbing their nose at me. It’s as feather-headed as placing concentrated development under power lines in Grandview Heights.

A functioning city hall has to be placed miles from me with no corresponding attention to even minimal transit?

I hope to contribute to Meyers’ vision, even though Watts dreams northward.

This subject warrants continued consideration.

W. Pratt, Surrey

Head in the clouds

Coun. Grant Meyer must be dreaming.

White Rock residents pay more in taxes and get in return a council that has so little regard for them it allows a developer to put up two – probably soon four – of the ugliest buildings that have ever disgraced a nice little seaside town, and visible not only from across the bay but as far away as Aldergrove.

Dream on, Coun. Meyer, before I’ll vote to join your city.

P. van den Bosch, Surrey

Powerless play

Just exactly who is urging South Surrey to join White Rock? It must be some sad individual who has the mistaken belief that having a White Rock address makes them superior.

I can just see the thousands of South Surrey residents banging on our gates – “Let me in! Let me in! I don’t care if my taxes are higher, I want to say I live in White Rock!” Seems to me there is as much or even more cachet to living in Ocean Park or Crescent Beach, so would those residents also want to pay even higher taxes and get less services? I don’t think so.

Coun. Grant Meyer speaks of the “rampant growth in Surrey” as being a factor in the desire to join White Rock. To state White Rock has slower, steadier growth patterns is patently false. Take a look around. Our growth is every bit as rampant and we have neither the space nor the infrastructure that Surrey has to accommodate it.

Yes. November and elections will be here soon. Meyer’s last election platform centred on an Amtrak train stop in White Rock, something he had no power to influence, in any way. Had he done any homework, he would not have been surprised when the idea fell flat on its face.

Since few legitimate ideas have emanated from his council seat, it appears Meyer, in looking for an election issue, will be tossing out a bunch of trial balloons to see where he might hang his hat this time around. I would hope that, whatever he chooses, it will be something he can honestly say is within his power to bring into being.

Come now. Do you really think we are all that gullible?

Margaret Woods, White Rock