Dear editor:

Not often do I get to respond to a twofer, but the letter from Peter Rusin of St. Davids (“Goettler’s approach preferred to mayor’s combative style,” Oct. 6), a former failed mayoral candidate in Burlington, brings a fresh new perspective to Niagara-on-the-Lake politics.

As he stated in his own previous mayoral campaign, “I bring a skill set that is superior to anybody in Burlington and most of the GTA or Ontario to take this city from a stagnant position to one that’s going to grow and evolve.”

Yup, after years and years of real estate consultation he sure knows how to foster commercial and residential development (Burlington Post, Oct. 14, 2014).

Begin by supporting someone totally unfamiliar with municipal governance for lord mayor and then suggest that the two developers who have sued the town (and lost) because the current administration stood up to them (Rainer Hummel and Benny Marotta) are just misunderstood good guys who only want what’s good for Niagara-on-the-Lake.

And when he goes on to suggest we should all just play nice with them, he is being either totally naive, or worse.

No, Mr. Rusin, look around at the town you have moved to and you might recognize this is not Oakville or Burlington, but rather a historic village where values mean more than dollars and people count more than “business.”

And, wow! Fear-mongering that the province is going to disband Niagara-on the Lake?

Bob Bader
NOTL