Dear Editor:
Re: New West family business on the move, The Record, Aug. 10.
New Westminster has lost yet another long-time business and taxpayer to the City of Burnaby - Mott Electric. I personally am saddened by their departure. As an employee of a frequent sub-contractor to Mott, I found their business practices and conduct to be ethical and reliable. Their departure would be a loss to any community.
What was more surprising was the photograph in which our Mayor (Wayne) Wright seemed to be celebrating this loss with his long-time friend, Danny Mott. Many in New Westminster have known of the long and close personal relationship between the mayor and this family business. In fact, the Motts have been significant political supporters in each of Mr. Wright's campaigns.
Mr. Mott has made it clear that there was "no space for a business such as his" and that the mayor would never have been able to keep their business in New Westminster. These are comments between close personal friends!
Why are we building an office tower that is unsuitable for the likes of Mr. Mott, when the mayor must have known long before the election that his friend had to leave New Westminster because he could not find the space for his business to grow?
Think of all the other businesses bypassing New Westminster for the same reasons. One has to assume that, had the proper space been available, Mott Electric would have stayed. Perhaps the escalating business taxes are one of the factors in their decision to leave. Perhaps they know something that the rest of us don't, and they are getting out of Dodge while they can. Either way, New Westminster came up short and Mott Electric is gone and so is a significant, long-time taxpayer. The picture of our mayor laughing at the fact that he has lost this city yet another major business is distressing.
He calls himself a "build it" mayor but he certainly is not building our tax base - just our debt.
Elk Ebert, New Westminster
