Open letter to Penticton council

Dear editor: To Penticton mayor and council, it has been nearly four years since your bids for office were finalized. You were brought in on several promises. Among them were the following: fiscal responsibility; accountability, and openness. For some reason, most of these now seem like token lip service to garner vote support and ultimately election.

Over this period, it would seem that these were just empty promises. Openness was almost non-existent; accountability was just a buzz word and fiscal responsibility seems to be a figment of someone’s imagination. It appears that you think that we taxpayers (a.k.a. your employers) are blind, dumb and stupid. I can assure that we are not!

From the casino debacle to the downtown beautification gamble, to the Trio boondoggle, you have given us a pretty clear picture of what your words were worth. Nothing.

Honesty and openness should be a married couple from a political standpoint. This is particularly true with advent of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan committee. It seems that you stacked the deck when you selected (hand picked) those that would be on this committee. Even to the point of sanctioning a member that would definitely be at a conflict of interest because of business ties. This, in and of itself, blew your whole premise of openness and accountability. Objectivity went out of the window.

There were three or four really park-focussed, dedicated individuals on the committee that had the best interests of parks and park use, first and foremost. The other individuals who tried hard to get the job done, were often frustrated by the slow progress made and concrete solutions arrived at.

At the final committee meeting and the presentation of the findings, there was still no iron clad, concrete clear-cut definition as to parkland use acknowledged by you. The word “lease” is still there and the term “unencumbered” — as put forth by the committee — was not fully acknowledged. It begs the question as to why you chose people to pursue and develop “park language” if you knew that these hard working people weren’t going to be acknowledged for the mandate that you had them believe they were filling?

The last meeting and presentation was in May. Thus far, there has been little information as to outcome put forth by council. Why is that? We have a right to know. We are your employers and even though you don’t seem to understand it, we own the parks in this city.

Perhaps you are thinking that if there needs to be public input, the 10 per cent public feedback required would not be so easily attained through the summer months when many people are vacationing and voter turnout might be marginal at best. Maybe you think that you can schmooze something else over on us.

It would behoove you to do the right thing and avoid another Casinogate or Triogate. To make parks free from commercialism and leases is the right thing to do. Ron Barillaro Penticton