Editor:
Most of our new Sechelt councillors are entrepreneurs and they know how to get to work quickly and make it count. They know how to spend money to make money and they know about finances because they've had to grow their own businesses in the real world or perish.
This is a breath of fresh air for Sechelt.
For example, no entrepreneur would have let the golf course sit around on their desk for three years, as the previous council did, without collecting overdue rent. And what entrepreneur would sign employment contracts that allow senior staff a one year bonus even if they got another job before the year was out?
What entrepreneur would keep employees who didn't check for loopholes in the Target Marine agreements, not once, but twice? Who is responsible? Not council, but their advisors. And who were their advisors? Yes, the senior staff who were so well compensated.
There have been a couple of accusations about over-spending, but no real details. How do you budget for a sinkhole, for instance? And would we rather stare at a large balance of money in the bank, even if it means we don't go for projects that will benefit Sechelt and bring in more dollars in the long run?
Councillors Shanks and Lutes want to put a hold on all that. Let's go back to the way we were, a backwater community that doesn't change. Don't worry that our children and grandchildren have to move far away to find work. We can take a ferry and visit them on holidays, right? And when we want to downsize, but can't sell our homes because there is no one to buy them, well, tough luck.
Brenda Swansen, Sechelt
