Editor:
Ron Howes missed a few things in his recent letter (“Contrast in mayors,” July 27). I always consider Bud Koch the “Founding Father of the District” – the last Mayor of the Village and the first Mayor of the District of Sechelt. He deserves immense credit for that. And I have always given Mayor Reid credit for the Justice Services Building (Police Headquarters and Court House). Although built under my watch, the official opening was delayed for a couple of months so that newly elected Mayor Reid could do the well-deserved opening honours. It could not have been built without his efforts and those of Councillor Barry Poole. I also give credit to Mayor Earle Basse for my first election in 1996 and to Mayor Henderson for his major role in my return election of 2014. Our community memory cannot be so short that we do not recall exactly what those two elections were about.
Has anything happened on my watch? As well as the aforementioned Justice Services Building, readers may recall the Davis Bay Seawall (1998-2002) and Cameron’s role there; the Trail Bay Wharf and the Rotary Friendship Park (shout out to Len Pakuluk, Stan Anderson and others); the Seaside Centre (SDBA – Ted Taylor); the first version of Hidden Grove (2002 – Bob D’Arcy and Michael Davidson); and aligning the stars for regional recreation and the Sechelt Aquatic Centre.
My critics, like Ron with his selective recall of former mayors, focus on the negative and controversial. Whereas what I get done is always with the community and with their support. I thought that was the idea in a democracy. Listen to the people: do what they want, do not do the opposite. Repeat after each election.
From this perspective the past four years look good – not a controversial pyramid in sight. Those were the instructions from the voters during the election of 2014. Voters had had their fill of “big ideas/big projects” and the big budgets that came with them. There has been only one “mega-project” over the past term – rebuilding Sechelt: a measured and methodical rebuilding of our finances, the organization that serves us and of our collective credibility. Job done.
Bruce Milne, Sechelt
