Dear Editor:
Summerlanders are faced with making an important decision this week, who to elect as councillors and school trustees.
I have had the honour of sitting on the District of Summerland Finance Committee for the past three years and a number of things are very clear with our finances. Two of the more important ones are the increasing demands for our tax dollars and the low levels of our reserve funds.
So what do we do? Well, we start by electing a pro-growth council. We need growth and a larger tax base. We make it easier for new businesses to start up or relocate here. We make it easier for job creation for our families and we create an independent Economic Commission. This is just a start.
Our young people and seniors are well looked after here in Summerland but we have to work harder to keep our young families here. They need jobs and affordable housing. With the right council, we can make that happen.
We have a great selection of candidates who are for reasonable growth in the right areas and have a demonstrated vision to that end.
However, Mr. Waterman still does not have that vision as his past voting record attests to when he was previously on council. He was against the Summerland Hills proposal and voted against the fruit leather plant to be built at Jones Flat and Bentley to name a few. That has turned out to be a huge job loss along with the packing house and PRT, so our new council has to work hard to reverse this outflow.
There are also good candidates for school trustee as well. They would be the ones who have the students at the top of their priority list and us taxpayers at number two. Remember, we are the employer, not the government. They have no money. Teachers would probably be number three and the teachers’ union wouldn’t be on the list.
So vote for the candidates who have our kids on top of their list and not the cheerleaders for the teachers’ union.
If in doubt, check their past record and remember the remarks they made at the all-candidates forum.
Summerland needs your help so make it count by voting on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Summerland Secondary School or Giant’s Head School.
Dick Knorr
Summerland