Don’t dismiss Cobble Hill residents for being interested
Re: “CVRD cannot move funds from one pot to another”, (Aug. 29, Citizen)
I wish to respond to additional comments Kate Marsh made in the discussion following the online version of her letter. She indicated that those who participated in the springtime Placespeak housing discussion and attended meetings were not representative of the public, and specifically mentioned Cobble Hill residents. I find this baffling as both of those avenues for feedback were open to the general public, just as other local government proposals have been in the past. I cannot remember any other elected person ever publicly saying such a thing before about public feedback.
Perhaps she is unaware of the following information.
The groundswell of interest in taxation and other CVRD matters shown over the past year and a half by Cobble Hill taxpayers is largely as a result of the 11 per cent tax increase which appeared on the Cobble Hill portion of their 2017 tax bill. People generally are content to let other people do their own jobs. However, when their attention is unpleasantly grabbed as a result of being blindsided by a whopping tax increase, they can start to look more closely at what has been going on. That is what happened in Area C and now it appears that Ms. Marsh would like to discount our residents for being interested, inquisitive and pro-active about CVRD matters. All that digging has apparently stirred things up.
I am so impressed by the Cobble Hill residents, and in fact any residents, who have been spending a lot of personal time researching and questioning, responding to letters and opinion pieces, attending meetings, monitoring CVRD meetings on Youtube and sharing their knowledge. Why would anyone think they would not nor should not take every opportunity afforded to them to provide feedback on matters that will directly affect their lives through additional taxation?
I suspect that denigrating the electorate anytime, but especially in an election year, is not really a wise thing for a politician to do.
Jackie Barker
Cobble Hill