Editor: So, Mr. Corcoran would like us all to jump on that old Positivity Train with the suggestion that the purchase of the old Navistar property could lead to factories with 1,000 well-paid jobs. I’m getting a little old to make that jump and a little tired of empty promises.
We were told that forced amalgamation from the PC government of Mike Harris would lower our taxes and streamline our services. The trickle down economics loved by Conservatives everywhere has brought us 22 tax hikes in 23 years and services almost streamlined out of existence. Of course, we have created a new administrative class of one-per-centers!
We were told we had to pay outrageous Sunshine Club salaries to get the best people to lead our municipality into that bright new future. Now we pay for their graduate degrees, their luxury SUVs and who knows what else and our future has not improved one iota. Perhaps we should have just hired some merely adequate civil servants from the middle of the pack.
We were told that a very expensive overhaul of what was once C-K’s best hospital would lure Chinese businesses here and the industrial park of Mayor Diane would soon be filled with booming factories with well-paid jobs. Sound familiar? Much like the tens of thousands of dollars for useless trips to India and China?
We sat by as a group of well-connected elites planned a miracle theatre, which was going to draw new doctors to our area and also bring hundreds of patrons to this “world-class” venue from as far away as Toronto. When it became clear that this white elephant was just a gigantic money loser, all those elites jumped off the sinking ship and disappeared to avoid any financial obligations. But taxpayers were left to pay the bills, like always.
Should we review the pledge by Mayor Randy that the money and building expertise of Victor Boutin would revitalize the entire municipality or that the million-dollar purchase of a dilapidated railway was absolutely necessary for the fertilizer plant just waiting to appear in Wallaceburg?
The list just goes on and on with the $40 to $60 million for a sports complex and arena(s) and this latest forecast. As far as I can tell, the people Mr. Corcoran calls “naysayers” have been correct about the outcome of all of these projects.
Maybe C-K should shrink our bloated administration and hire these smarter citizens to consult for the municipality.
Linda Hind
Chatham
