Dear editor:
Think about this for a moment: less than three out of 10 eligible voters brought in a ticking time bomb through election interference, largely supported by the NOTLRA and SORE groups, at the expense of alienating most if not the entire rural farming community.
That was not democracy; that was strategic manipulation of the election process, the benefit for a few at the overall cost of many.
As a direct result, a high-profile member of the Old Town elites got the job without having any fundamental knowledge about effectively navigating governing land-use policies, the real estate development process, economic development and politics at the provincial level, where the real bosses reside.
Most people that truly care about NOTL did not vote for the shiny new mayor possessing zero in terms of qualifications, experience or applicable competency skills, other than pitching the anti-Benny rant ad nauseam, whereas the other folks voted with sober perspective, or did not vote at all.
In speaking with some of the farmers, it was readily evident that they were not pleased with the result and makeup of the “no” new council, and feel the divisiveness has become even greater than ever before, albeit a lot quieter.
They also question how an outsider can come in, take over the reigns and literally promise to change the world; just a bit too smug and confident, same as his close friends and most of the new council members.
Putting aside the stark differences between the Old Town elites and the much larger and more authentic resident groups of NOTL, there are several obvious questions that arise:
1. Will the lord mayor attend to the “dead horse” Parliament Oak ribbon-cutting ceremony? That will be awkward, one way or the other.
2. Will the province now walk in with its expansive authority by placing a Conservative chair to lead the region? Jim Diodati perhaps, definitely not some lefty wingnut proxy of the Wayne Gates breed, who is the enemy of whatever policies are good for the economy and the good of the people, especially if bad man Doug Ford is involved.
3. The recently announced proposal requests for the development of three new casinos — will one of those be at the new Ritz hotel site in Old Town? Hopefully that will be the case. Why not?
4. Did this rabid collective group of election interference dimwits effectively roll out the red carpet for amalgamation?
This new lord mayor may in fact not have to worry about the cutting of the ribbon at Parliament Oak hotel, because it may just be that another leader appointed by the province, a leader that may actually possess an appropriate CV fit for the single-vote council role (remember the new lord mayor promised not to use strong-mayor powers) that would be of more fulsome benefit to the other more than seven out of 10 eligible voters.
Somebody who is not beholden to the Old Town elites, and somebody who truly cares about the whole and not just a part of this complex and unique community.
That is what amalgamation is going to do, which may surprisingly work out in favour of the bona fide majority.
So, thanks at least for that, and also hoping all the Old Town elites get over their short-lived triumphant snickers to witness how the future of NOTL will start to evolve in mid-November.
Definitely another historical time of significance to remember for sure. The horror … the horror.
Peter Rusin
St. Davids
