I’ve tried to stay out of this but after reading Don Ball’s letter to the editor, I can no longer keep quiet.
(Trail Times May 19 letter, “You are making Trail council a joke …”)
Mr. Ball warns Trailites not to vote for the four “trouble makers” on council. I think he should give his head a shake if he thinks they are the problem.
I’ve been following Trail council for decades. As a reporter in the 90s and 2000s, I attended more council meetings than all of them put together, I’m sure. And as a volunteer, I’ve worked with pretty much every councillor over the years on various committees and I can tell you, the “four trouble makers” are the only ones currently doing most of the work.
Robert has worked on a number of committees I’ve been involved in through the years and has always been quick to act, quick to help, quick to get back to you if you call or need anything. The man gives his all to the city and has saved taxpayers more than $1 million dollars over the past couple of years.
Eleanor is probably the most prolific volunteer Trail has ever seen. She is everywhere, giving a hand, flipping a burger, manning a booth, attending meetings. She’s never had a bad word to say about anyone. Hence, I wonder what is really going on if she is included in the “fearsome four.”
Ditto for Colleen who has been a dedicated participant on the library board, and serves on a number of important boards in the city as well as being the current RDKB rep. That’s a lot of meetings. She even came out and helped with Community in Bloom projects when it wasn’t her portfolio.
And as for Carol — I can’t say enough for the woman who shows up for every meeting and answers every call. She worked tirelessly to get the Skatepark built, which we likely wouldn’t have today without her. And she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty — always right in there with flower planting, clean-up crews or whatever was needed, and is currently pushing to find a solution for the homeless people downtown.
I’ve never laid eyes on Paul Butler at any meeting or any public event since he was elected. I have no idea what he even does on council.
Sandy is, well, Sandy.
I can’t say anything about our mayor except that I’d expect her to be the leader.
So what have we gotten out of this council and its leadership?
While other cities in B.C. were opening up at the close of the pandemic, our mayor continued with restrictions. This led to the loss of Silver City Days. When every other city in B.C. has gone ahead with their festival, Trail’s was cancelled. The last two times it ran, it was managed by Councillors Dobie and Jones, who allegedly were not even consulted before the decision to cancel was made. Midways (like markets) run on a circuit. And now Castlegar has picked up our spot. This means Trail kids may never see a Midway again. Hope I’m wrong.
This council has done nothing to repair the rift with the Chamber of Commerce, which means Trail is probably the only city in B.C. which runs its Visitor’s Centre without using the Chamber. I’m sure this confuses visitors.
Living up here in the wilds of West Trail, I felt sorry for people on Green Avenue whose street was closed for the better part of a year due to what seemed to be a mismanaged contract and a gas break. A gas break in a populated residential area FGS.
The foulest, in my estimation, was the loss of David Perehudoff — the best fiscal city manager this city ever had. Love him or hate him, he kept our city out of the red for decades.
I won’t even go into the mess downtown with all the street people, homelessness and crime in the city.
While taxes go up and potholes go down, ratepayers have to suck up hundreds of thousands of dollars to legal fees and hissy fits. God help us if we get the same leadership back again.
The four troublemakers have been on council for a combined total of nearly 30 years. No, they haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but this latest conflict is the worst in decades. For four out of six people to make a non-confidence vote against the mayor must tell you something.
Now, likely these hardworking dedicated people won’t run again. And with David gone, I dread to think about the future of our town. So again, ask yourself, what is the common denominator?
I’m also a bit disappointed in the Trail Times for not delving into this story but instead just printing a manifesto from the mayor. I’ve heard many people making this complaint, but in defence of the Times, they are strapped. In my day, we had four reporters, an editor and freelancers. Today they have two people doing all of it. They cannot put the time into hard journalism with the cutbacks and restricted hours. So our once proud paper is now an advertiser, depositor of press releases and obituaries. Sad.
Yes, I think Mr. Ball is right when he tells Trailites to rethink who should be on council. We could use those trouble makers but if the town continues to lack leadership, then buckle your seatbelts, folks. We’re in for a wild ride.
by Lana Rodlie
Trail