Editor:
Re: Mayor Silas White’s letter to the CR (Jan. 6)
What Mayor Silas White doesn’t acknowledge is that working only with delegations requires the ordinary citizen to control his/her concerns, gather a delegation of like-minded people, do the research, and approach the council for discussions. While this may suit some people, it doesn’t suit the individual who is not able to gather others or have the time to do full research. Therefore, they go to town meetings and ask questions. The mayor and council are equipped with a Town staff for that job such as a CAO who informs them. It is therefore the mayor and council’s responsibility to make sure they too are informed and ready to give answers to the individual, or the delegation.
It is council’s duty to serve both delegations and individuals professionally with full attention to their concerns, and to provide full disclosure of those concerns to the taxpayers they serve. If inquiries are lost at council meetings, or they are not recorded, they are not open and therefore not fulfilling any mandate. I hope that mayor Silas White and council understand the position they hold is one that requires integrity, stamina, research, and facing all taxpayers at a professional, formal level.
R. Reid
Gibsons
