Council made the correct call to move ahead with the Chatham-Kent Community Hub at its most recent meeting. However, the 14 councillors who voted in favour of the project have to be tired of hearing the same complaints from the same councillors in opposition.
As the in-favour councillors stated repeatedly, and administration has shown again and again in its reports, the cost of this project has been covered ad nauseum.
Yet there are elected officials who either have memory issues, are too passionately connected to the project – possibly for reasons other than those given – or are getting too much “advice” via social media.
We will restate our position on the Hub. It would not be an issue at all had previous versions of council – in 2017 or in 2020 – done their job instead of ignoring much-needed renovations of the Civic Centre.
We are all in favour of fiscal responsibility. But with the Civic Centre, that ship limped out of port in 2017. And then ran aground three years later.
Chatham’s Michael Bondy voted against the renovations in 2017 and again in 2020, and has also been opposed to the Hub project. He seems not to want to repair or build anything to house municipal services.
East Kent Coun. John Wright was against the Civic Centre repairs in 2020 during his first term on council, and has also voted against the Hub.
Chatham’s Alysson Storey has been the most vocal opponent to the Hub project. She’s also been investigated by the integrity commissioner on the matter, and reprimanded by council on it.
Suzanne Craig, the integrity commissioner, also investigated a complaint against North Kent’s Rhonda Jubenville – who is also against the Hub – earlier this year, but said she did not contravene council’s code of conduct. Craig did, however, caution her for her actions.
Watching what unfolded at the Oct. 20 council meeting, and spilled over onto social media before and after the meeting, and in a letter that is published on this very page, one can see reasons the integrity commissioner could again be contacted.
The dollars involved in the Hub project are large – but the disparity between creating the Hub versus renovating the Civic Centre and leaving the museum and library at their current locations, with their current limitations, is so small that it was readily obvious to many that the Hub was the right call.
Again, had previous versions of council taken action in 2017 or 2020, the expense would have been a pittance compared to what is involved today.
Short-sightedness has cost us all dearly.
