Dear editor:

Having read the negative letters by Peter Rand and Liz McElheran regarding one of our most read and popular columnists, Garth Turner, perhaps these parties should step back and reflect that Mr. Turner is expressing the sentiments of the community as a whole.

If not, why has a well-supported NOTL Residents Association sprung up under the stewardship of ex-councillor Stuart McCormack to unseat the current lord mayor and council?

They have administered like a dictatorship, completely tone-deaf to their constituents, ignoring local professional proposals to correct many of their issues and concerns.

Is it the result of the past two councils gutting the character of our town?

Do Mr. Rand and Ms. McElheran feel that criticism of events and decisions not in the public’s interest are justification for their cynicism and silo mentality? Is criticising the following erosion of our infrastructure, in their view, out of bounds?

The hospital and school closings, no high school, loss of our X-ray facilities, closing of Upper Canada Lodge, bicycle rental and gelato shops on every corner — yes, we can witness the Tour de France on our roads and residential streets every weekend — or the hotelification of our neighbourhoods by short-term rentals (ghost hotels).

I can go on: the spread of tourist residential parking in Old Town, overtourism and crowding on Queen Street, akin to a contact sport or getting out of a Bills game, plus the town’s focus on attracting more tourists for tourist bucket list destination.

Why are housing prices selling, in numerous instances, below replacement costs? 2,000 square-foot and 3,000 square-foot homes selling for $1.2 to $1.3 million dollars when regular lots are selling at $800,000 to $ 1.2 million.

Is it supply and demand as residents are fleeing and getting out of dodge, plus our hungry commissioned realtors driving down prices? If they don’t sell, they don’t eat.

In summation, the residents could fill a book as thick as “War and Peace” with the past decade of poor administration decisions and their fiduciary duties to spend out taxes wisely.

Accordingly, I challenge Mr. Rand and Ms. McElheran to provide us with their detailed accounting of how our quality of life in NOTL has improved by the actions of our last two councils.

We have much to be negative about. I plan to look forward to Garth Turner keeping our elected officials accountable and representing the voice of the masses.

Samuel A. Young
NOTL