Dear Editor:
I know that the councillors at city hall have a very important job and, given the times, a difficult one.
But considering their recent position that they will carry through with the office tower, regardless of what or how the citizens (taxpayers) say or vote is, at best, disappointing and, at worst, arrogant and undemocratic.
So maybe council should try to convince us that they are right and the sceptics are wrong, or at least make an effort to allay our concerns.
Where is the accountability and respect to those who pay the bills? But that, it seems, is what is not going to happen. Council will go ahead with this development regardless.
Is it because council has backed itself into a corner and can't extricate itself? Many questions are still not answered. Why did we get into a multi-million dollar tower with little or no public input and without a signed agreement with the developer?
Why were things not nailed down beforehand? If the civic centre was not financially feasible as a stand-alone project, why did we go ahead with it? And if it was, as I understood it to be, then what's the problem with capping it at the roof?
We now find that when the cost of building the office tower was discussed with the provincial government and Municipal Financial Authority, council was told the financial authority would not get involved in financing the office tower, which is essentially a private venture, hence the need for alternative financing.
Again, it is unfortunate that there has been reluctance on the part of the council to come to us, the ratepayers, and address our concerns instead of basically telling us to suck it up. The council's disappointing and unacceptable attitude towards citizens' concerns on this most important issue will be long remembered.
Bill Zander, New Westminster
