Dear Editor:
I would like to thank the local newspapers for providing such entertaining journalism. These roving reporters, editors and other staffers must be wringing their hands with delight over what will hopefully grab interest, create controversy and perhaps even create more controversy and more headlines - and perhaps even job security for those who write about it!
With the zeal with which defamatory remarks and opinions have been thrust upon the citizenship, I'm surprised that a call to arms has not been declared and an angry mob of pitchfork carrying and torch-bearing ne'er-do-wells hasn't already marched on the Hyack office demanding heads on pikes!
But alas, this is not a Frankenstein movie sequel -but there appears to be monsters in our midst just the same.
In conducting research recently into conflict resolution, I came upon a new term, "demagogue," that has a number of meanings including: "a [person] who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace," an "agitator who appeals with crude oratory to the prejudice and passions of the mob" and " a person who gains power by arousing people's emotions and prejudices."
Demagogues endeavour to: intensify existing conflicts; dehumanize "enemies," see only their side, seek uniformity and blind obedience, and manipulate by distorting the truth with anyone who questions their propaganda being quickly labeled as "traitors" or "one of them" or even a "rogue" - a term recently used by an uptown businessman, a former executive director and an active board member. Coincidence? One has to wonder.
Does this sound frighteningly familiar? It should; there appears to be a decided shift by some who are buoyed by media attention to step on soapboxes and write scathing diatribes in an attempt to inflame public opinion. And why not? People like "causes," and some want to get on the bandwagon early so that they don't get labelled as "one of them."
Some have suggested that the challenge "is a crisis that cannot be solved with admonishments by outsiders to quit fighting and just get along." Clearly some prefer conflict to conflict resolution and other demagoguery. Others of us, however, were brought up to believe that in a civil society, working things out amongst ourselves was a good thing (even children are taught this at a young age).
Rather than making concerted attempts at repairing problems and addressing issues, some prefer more of a "scorched-earth approach," where it appears easier to burn the house to the ground rather than repair its structure and appearance - and while they're at it, pillage the coffers and make off with the assets just for good measure!
It's disappointing to see such a one-sided lambasting of an organization that has spent over 42 years entertaining young and old alike. It is at best misleading and at worst shameful.
You see that the members of the New Westminster Hyack Festival Association attend parades and festivals locally in Vancouver, White Rock, Port Moody, Penticton - to name a few - all in the promotion of our fair city. Similarly, the association members that also attend these Northwest Festival hosting events (dressed in New Westminster Hyack Festival Association official uniform or dress-either in hunter green board of director jackets or the Royal Stewart plaid jackets), most of whom pay their own way, volunteer their time to meet other festival organizers and encourage them to come to New Westminster on an annual basis and participate in our own annual international parade - one of the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest - that directly stimulates the economy.
These locales include Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland (where hundreds of thousands of people attend or watch on TV), as well as other smaller communities - equally as thankful at the goodwill that they experience and who themselves bring their own contingents to New Westminster as part of a reciprocal agreement.
One needs only to walk in a parade to see the joy that is brought to children of all ages to recognize that the lives that we touch on both sides of the border are immeasurable, yet its impact is far reaching, with lifelong friends and community relationships being created and maintained for decades.
However, recent articles are not about the good work that the association has done and continues to do -they are about the insinuation of scandal and wrongdoing (see job security comment above). Clearly our former executive director has some friends who were upset about his sudden departure (the second time by his own accord) - so they appear to be reacting with vindictive zeal in an attempt to besmirch our association while personal agendas seem to run amok!
Much has been made of the fact that the exact reasons have not been revealed - and they won't. Why? Because it is unconscionable and unethical to discuss the reasons for terminating someone else's employment. So rather than accept a universally held labour relations practice, conspiracy theories abound and fuel unfair speculation and characterization.
For those open-minded individuals who still want to know the "inconvenient truths" surrounding the current state of affairs, please consider the following points. The supposed "dividing issue" around rebranding has never been brought forward to the Hyack membership - never! There has not, to my knowledge, been a proper "brand audit" to determine what (or why) Hyack needs to change its name (after 42 years we have actually changed our name once from the Royal City Society, so, you see, the association has actually been amenable to re-branding in the past so this red herring that's being held out as either a reason for dismissal or standing in the way of progress is highly misleading - see propaganda comment above).
The Uptown Live event used to be called the "Uptown Street Fair," which was started by your own New Westminster Hyack Festival Association nearly 10 years ago (that's right, folks, our former executive director merely took an existing concept and improved upon it - but the way that some talk about it you'd think that "only he" had the foresight and vision to put on such an event).
All attempts to resolve issues internally have been thwarted by some who appear to view reconciliation as a bad thing and prefer malice and mayhem to cooperation and collaboration. Finally, with the exception of the president and his/her spouse (acting as the official representatives of the association and who actively promote the City of New Westminster), the members who attend festivals in the U.S. do so at their own expense (including gas, food, hotels, and hospitality packages) which means that neither association nor city funds are used.
In closing, it is important to recognize that volunteer non-profit boards are made up of well-meaning citizens from all walks of life. Some may have little or no previous board or committee experience. As a friend of mine put it, "you can have five people in the room with seven different ideas." That said, many come to the table because they want to give back to the community and at the same time contribute to making our City a better place to live. In short, these volunteers do their best with the knowledge and experience that they have. Frankly, these volunteers have done amazing things for the City of New Westminster.
Members of an association become a family. Sooner or later families fight - that's normal. What's not normal is when outsiders get involved when they clearly do not know the history or all the nuances of what is or has taken place.
As a member of the association, I would like my "family" to be afforded the respect it has earned over its decades of service to the community while it continues to strive, and even struggle at times, to grow and improve.
Glen Richmond, past-president 2009, New Westminster Hyack Festival Association
