Dear editor:

I was disheartened by the statement Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa released following the July 30 protest outside town hall.

He chose not to address the concerns that led more than 200 taxpayers to go there and demand a change of course.

Not once did he explain his reasons for going against the town’s official plan, and his election promises, by voting in favour of development projects that many of his constituents clearly do not support.

Not once did he express regret that recent development decisions made by council have angered many Niagara-on-the-Lake residents, or explain why he believes those decisions are in their best interests.

The apparent unwillingness of the lord mayor and several councillors to hear and consider the concerns of residents as an integral component of their decision-making process is also problematic: presentations by delegations have been limited to five minutes or less; the mayor and other councillors have made it clear they rely almost exclusively on staff reports when deciding how to vote on issues; the feedback offered by town’s advisory committees has been largely ignored in several instances; some of the experts on those committees have been suspended, apparently because they spoke out against council decisions; and little or no consideration is being given to the town’s official plan when development decisions are made.

In recent months, council has approved several development projects that will irrevocably change the nature of our town and set precedents that will make it difficult to stop similar projects from being built in the future.

The long-term impacts of those projects on the town’s infrastructure are unclear, as NOTL has not commissioned its own study to determine this, nor what the cost to taxpayers of addressing those impacts might be.

Instead, it is apparently relying on reports commissioned by the developers themselves, who clearly have a vested interest in the outcome of those studies. And as the old saying states, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”

In his statement, the lord mayor decries the lack of respect residents have shown to him and councillors. Yet that should come as no surprise, given the lack of respect that the lord mayor and several councillors have shown to residents.

Combined with the election promises that were made and subsequently broken, it’s easy to understand why many residents’ trust in the lord mayor and council has been eroded, and why so many felt compelled to protest outside town hall on July 30.

NOTL’s official plan was and is intended to guide future development in our town. It has been carefully thought through and researched, with the intent of ensuring that our town continues to thrive be a great place to live, work, play and do business.

Changing it willy-nilly at the whim of developers makes no sense and is simply wrong.

The current situation in NOTL reminds me of the film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” We need a George Bailey to stand up for what is right. I commend everyone who participated in the protest at town hall and particularly Karen Taylor-Jones for organizing it.

But one protest will not, I suspect, be enough to win the day. We need to continue to make our voices heard.

My message to the lord mayor and the councillors who have supported what I believe are bad development projects for our town remains the same: Reconsider or resign; respect our official plan.

Terry Davis
NOTL