Thursday, October 11, 2007

Readers Write

October 11, 2007

To Coldstream Council,

I am shocked and appalled by your recent decision to reverse the decision you made at the public meeting at Coldstream Elementary in September. This was a meeting called by you, well attended by the public, concerns were voiced, you apparently listened, and made a decision not to send forward this application to develop the Spicer Block. Now, because of a 650 name petition, you have decided to go ahead with a referendum anyway.

I have a few questions for you that I would like answered:

  1. Why did you consider this petition in the first place? At what point is a decision a decision? This might be a hard one to answer, but truly – leadership is about making hard decisions and then sticking to them. How can I, as a taxpayer in Coldstream, trust council when you flip-flop on a decision you made in a public forum?

  2. If the “No” side had gathered a 650 name petition (which we didn’t because we trusted a decision had been made) – would that have cancelled out the “Yes” side 650 name petition? Or would a few more names on either side perhaps have tipped your decision one way or the other?

  3. Are you aware of how this petition was gathered?

Finally, I want you to know that I believe that this entire process has been flawed. I find it inexcusable the way that this sports complex was presented, I find it inexcusable that the council should so easily, after one month, reverse a decision where the process was so painful for many, and I find it inexcusable the way you are pitting Coldstream residents against each other in a tug-of-war between sports groups and people who want to preserve the rural nature of Coldstream.

A very concerned Coldstream resident,

Joyce Gershony

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As a parent of 3 soccer age children and a long time Coldsteam resident, my comments put me in conflict with the sports community when I say absolutely no to this piece of land. Why? As stated by a resident at the public meeting.....sport use is a selfish use of land. I wonder how quickly that land would have been even suggested up had it been covered in orchard instead of hay? I would rather pull my children from organized sports than have this piece of prime land used for that purpose. Like Joyce Gershony, I am also upset at the ridiculous process employed by this council, including dumb comments like " we'll only be borrowing from the ALR, not asking for removal from". My sentiments will be expressed in both the referendum and at the ballot box!

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The opinions expressed by "Coldstreamer" are strictly his own and do not represent the opinions of Coldstream Council!

Because I value your thoughtful opinions, I encourage you to add a comment to this discussion. Don't be offended if I edit your comments for clarity or to keep out questionable matters, however, and I may even delete off-topic comments.

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About Me

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I have been a resident of Coldstream since 1976. I have had 15 years of experience on Council, 3 years as Mayor. As a current Councillor I am working to achieve fair water and sewer rates and to ensure that taxpayers get fair treatment. The current direction regarding water supply is unsustainable and I am doing all I can to get the most cost effective water supply possible.