Dear Editor:
Re: Cook's remarks hypocritical, Letters to the Editor, The Record, Aug.8, 2012.
I feel it necessary to comment on New Westminster city councillor Chuck Puchmayr's political rant regarding my comments to reporter Niki Hope.
Puchmayr asserts that I am being hypocritical because I voted against the destination casino in 1998 and now am commenting on the delaying of projects that were using development assistance compensation (DAC) casino monies.
While I have grown accustomed to Puchmayr's method of presenting half-truths, mis-characterizations and outright whoppers, I need to set the record straight on what I actually did say.
But first, a little history. I did vote against the destination casino in 1998, and I will credit Puchmayr for getting at least that part correct. I voted against the casino because of the tremendous social and financial damage that it inflicts on individuals and families.
Also, because casinos suck significant dollars out of local communities, dollars badly needed to sustain and enhance economies in those communities. Finally, and I stated this at the time, of all of the entities that get addicted to gaming, government is the worst. History will bear that out. My views on that have not changed.
On the delay of DAC projects, what I actually said was, that to sustain the ill-advised city funded foray into the development of the multi-use civic facility and office tower, some DAC projects had already been discontinued.
Further, I warned that other capital initiatives such as the Massey Theatre Replacement Project
could be at risk. I did so in my capacity as a school trustee. I stand by my statement.
Civic government has neither the mandate nor the capacity to engage in the development industry, to speculate and to take on risk associated with it.
That is best left to those with the necessary expertise.
Minimal research will show that office space development is indeed risky business, given that there are other massive projects that have either been started or have been committed to.
In a few momentary lapses of lucid thinking, Puchmayr himself recognized the danger of the city playing developer using public money.
The Record, April 30, 2012, New Westminster to take over $94-million civic centre and office tower project, Puchmayr: "It's a risk that I am personally not prepared to take as a member of council. I feel it's not something I have a degree of comfort with."
The Record, May 2, 2012, City takes on 94-million project alone, Puchmayr: "With respect to going forward and taking the risk of building the office tower using city reserves and also using financing, it's a risk I'm personally not prepared to take as a member of council."
What is remarkable in all of this is the political game being played by Puchmayr.
He voted against the city's taking on the office tower development because as he stated, the risk was too great. Yet he has gone to considerable length to thwart the counter petition process, one that is required by law. He voted against the project, with the full comfort of knowing that it would go through. I will leave it to readers to determine as to who the hypocrite in this piece really is.
Casey Cook, New Westminster
