Dear Sir,
You often comment on the difficult job of any member of council, but the furor over a recent comment by the mayor taking up most of a combined full page of the paper (letter, 3Rs, Rants, Raves & Rumours, mayor’s apology) was a pretty good example of same. As well, possibly, another good demonstration as to why many people decline to participate in active roles on council.
Regarding the tone of the municipality as being set at the top as stated in the letter by Ms. Beatty, I would suggest otherwise. There are many barometers of how our municipality is viewed. That particular edition (of the newspaper) had several positive and interesting stories, activities and local things happening in Meaford that present a very positive view e.g. the Godards’ many contributions, tree planting in Beautiful Joe Park, Dragons Den, and many more.
All that was drowned out by the focus on an unfortunate choice of words made by our mayor, for which he apologized. If this were a repetitive cycle of events, like those taking place at the provincial level, I would be alarmed and concerned.
To the best of my knowledge this is the first reported incident of this nature. People make mistakes period. To me, council seems to be working well together and establishing a productive track record and a lot remaining to be done.
I also experienced a lot of what Ms. Beatty described in her letter and which, in many areas, continues to this day. However that is no excuse for what I felt was an over the top reaction i.e. the suggestion of resignation and more.
My friends laughed when I mentioned the incident and so did I.
Now if you will excuse me, my husband is cooking dinner and doesn’t like to be kept waiting.
Regards,
Teressa Gibson, Meaford
