Editor:
Re: “Mired in mediocrity” by Doug Hockley, Letters, April 6.
I found Mr. Hockley’s letter both laughable and troublesome. As one of Mr. Henderson’s councillors for that tumultuous term, Mr. Hockley is in no position to criticize anybody’s alleged lack of transparency. Lack of overall transparency, including the awarding of contracts without fair tendering, lack of public consultation, and an unprecedented number of in-camera (secret) votes, was standard procedure during his term.
I do agree that the Henderson, Hockley, Siegers council was certainly not mediocre. They managed to jam through projects, outrage “the silent majority,” and successfully drain Sechelt’s financial reserves, all that in a single term of office. The Auditor General’s report confirms just how good they were at bad governance. Could it be that a lot of what you don’t see “getting done” might be the cleaning up of the mess you and yours left behind?
Mr. Hockley falsely pronounces that “nothing can be seen in the way of progress,” there’s a smell of “decay” in Sechelt and we’ve experienced “four years of decline.” This is blatant misinformation when the actual facts are considered. Truth is that Sechelt is thriving under the current administration. Building permits were $43 million in 2017 compared to $23 million in 2013, business licences are up every year, and other statistical indicators of record tell a similarly positive story.
At what point does this section of the newspaper cease being a forum for expressing opinion, and become a vehicle to manipulate public opinion in advance of an upcoming civic election? Mr. Hockley’s letter is nothing more than a mean-spirited preemptive attack targeting potential candidates for municipal office.
It’s troubling indeed that the line between fact and fabrication seems to no longer matter.
Tom Clelland, Halfmoon Bay
