LETTER: Leave municipal operations where they are

Editor: I want to express my opposition to moving the Civic Centre, library and museum to the downtown mall.

This proposal reeks of an “already done deal.”

The questionnaire on the website is totally skewed to get the conclusion that some on council are looking for.

The figures given by administration will be skewed to appear that it is a good deal, although, at this time it appears to be a more expensive option.

Should council truly feel that the citizens, that is – the people who have to pay for this – are so totally for it, then put it on a ballot. This can be on the next municipal election or conduct a special plebiscite.

Council has shown that the judgment of what is best for Chatham-Kent is lacking.

I shouldn’t have to remind anyone about the expensive mistakes made downtown, on Richmond,  or the industrial park, etc.

They all lose money each and every year and are a drain on our finances.

There is only one pocket to pay for all these grandiose schemes.

The group that has shoved this project down the throat of the mayor have done a lot of good for Chatham and I am the first to applaud them, but this is an overreach on their part. Chatham-Kent should not be so quick to bail them out of a bad investment.

Nothing should be approved or voted on before all the facts have been presented to the taxpayers. We have a say in this.

Chatham-Kent seems to rush these large and expensive projects through and tells the taxpayers that they are the great unwashed and don’t understand how things work.  Well, sorry to inform council, but the citizens know how things work and many people I speak with are not in favour of this project.

The wealthy in Chatham-Kent have always thrown their weight around and had their way, forcing the taxpayers to pay the price. Let’s not make another mistake and force the future taxpayers to pay for it far into the future. Let us have our say. We are the ones that pay the bills.

Rick Williams

Chatham

Editor’s note:  Citizens do have a say…when they cast their ballot every four years. The people vote for whom they believe will have their best interests at heart. To have a referendum for every major issue would slow council’s decision making to a crawl.