Editor:
Re: Mayor mum on deputy position, April 17.
I am very sad to see that White Rock politics have not changed since I was on council.
Mayor Wayne Baldwin’s action not placing Coun. David Chesney on committees and deputy-mayor is totally unfair to the taxpayers.
Chesney was elected by the citizens of White Rock to represent them in all functions on council. Baldwin is preventing him from doing his job.
I would like to suggest to Baldwin to reconsider the poor decision he has made. In the next election, the citizens of White Rock will remember how he treated Chesney.
Mary Mikelson, Surrey
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Re: Voters’ remorse, April 22 letters.
I agree with the letter from Paul Griffin regarding White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin.
I, too, have been supportive of him ever since his days as city manager.
I am also extremely disappointed at our city mayor and council ramming through the policy on multi-unit garbage collection.
I do not accept or approve of government making major policy decisions behind closed doors.
I also am concerned when an elected councillor, David Chesney, was prevented from participating in committees and in the rotation for the deputy-mayor’s chair by decisions made in-camera with no official explanation given to our community as to why this decision was made.
He was elected by the residents of White Rock; I feel he should not be prevented from fulfilling his duty to the community that elected him.
Patricia E. Millar, White Rock
(Editor’s note: Two weeks after saying he could not comment on the decision, Balwin said council removed Chesney from these duties because “defamatory” comments were posted by a third party on Chesney’s website.)
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Re: Chesney censured over ‘defamation’, April 29.
While the news about White Rock Coun. David Chesney is horribly unfortunate, I hope it illustrates that this mayor and council have not been holding in-camera meetings to hatch secret super plots.
Also, in reading the info-sheet provided by the city about their waste-collection decision, the mayor and council concluded – at 6-0 no less – that the new system would best serve the majority of White Rock citizens for well-thought-out reasons.
What most concerns me is that this current group of White Rock conspiracy theorists – most of whom are unsuccessful candidates and their supporters – will make it so unattractive to serve on city council that quality people will not consider running in the future.
Who will be left to represent the majority interest if everyone knows serving a four-year term will be personally hurtful and professionally unrewarding?
I hope we can look back at this low point in four years and say that things turned around for the better.
I hope the conspiracy theorists stop casting our honest-minded councillors as tyrants who are cooking up the next Watergate.
I hope they might even consider asking the city what they can do to help, instead of spreading misinformation and innuendo.
This council has great plans for the balance of their term – expanding the promenade, improving the marina, constructing a people mover on the hillside, adding waterfront parking and relocating the rails.
Let’s move away from this ridiculous pettiness and negativity or else no one will be proud of this great city we live in.
Regan Ross, White Rock