The City is spending citizens’ tax dollars advertising against citizen taxpayers who dare question the Mayor’s push to have a second city. Great way to bring a community together.

The Mayor at Council meetings pontificates about democracy, as if all there is to it is marching out to vote every so often. Democracy requires a lot more: A free press, fair and unfettered elections including the Alternative Approval Process and referendum. The Mayor bucked and offered to intervene in the Alternative Approval Process that he chose in the summer, a process that leads to a referendum when citizens are fed up and gather signatures.

The Mayor now condemns the referendum he fathered. Speaking to the Chamber of Commerce on September 16, he said: “The Alternative Approval Process was democratic.” In the middle of the summer? The Mayor concluded: “We cannot govern by referendum. There is a proper place for referendum. This is not it.”

On September 25 the Yes campaign held its first rally, and co-chair Brian Sims said a ”referendum is not needed.” (Advertiser, p. 2) Numerous letters to the editor by the Yessers repeat the refrain of wasting money on a referendum. Wasting money on direct democracy where real estate developers have to convince more than six people.

A referendum is a legislative proposition referred to the voting population for approval or rejection. Even Premier Campbell on the STV referendum in May kept the government out of the people’s business. For fairness, Campbell’s government gave $500,000 to each side, the yes and the no, for information and education. To fund one side as the City is doing speaks volumes about Mayor Manjak’s “democracy.”

The City can’t even put out an intelligent ad. One ad states: “If East Hill expansion comes in, our library is likely to see more people. And our schools are likely to see more children, and it is our hope . . .” (Townsman, Oct. 28, p. 5). Two “likelies” and a “hope,” and this is our opportunity of a lifetime? This is a medieval speculative philosophy that aims to turn land into gold.

Citizens need to step up and assert their power. Citizens can see the realities more clearly and honestly than do our governing elites or the developers.

William G. Hills

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