Re: Ruth Altendorf, Harrison Happenings, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
To date, Ruth’s Altendorf’s articles, “Harrison Happenings”, have primarily outlined events that she has attended with family and friends or her views on the beauty and fun available in Harrison Hot Springs. As such, they are often entertaining.
However, her latest article has entered the political arena, giving much personal praise to the present council, in spite of the fact that, as far as I know, she has not attended any of its monthly public meetings during its current term.
This appears unfair to all the candidates who will run in the next municipal election. Will they be afforded the same opportunity for free political campaigning in the Observer?
My great concern is that not all the content of this article is factual, since not all information on processes surrounding the outcomes or decisions made in council is given, causing the public to be misled.
As one example, the concept of renovating Memorial Hall was decided upon before obtaining real input from the public. The article neglected to mention that a petition with 360 registered signatures, which were not in favour of this expenditure, was presented to Council. Some members of Council promptly dismissed this notice, end of discussion. This is only one of many circumstances that surrounded this controversial project, including the budget overrun, and not everyone was happy with the action taken
I agree with the writer’s plea to all to find out the facts. Get to know the issues of the Village by attending council meetings where decisions are discussed and voted upon. This is your opportunity to become informed and to register input that will ultimately shape the future of Harrison Hot Springs. As one can gather, it is most important to hear both sides of any story.
All residents should plan to attend the all-candidates meeting before our local election to gather such information. Only this way can one make an educated decision before casting a vote in our November election.
Marg Doman