Dear Editor:
I was amazed and appalled to read your article quoting Roger Gillespie speaking negatively about the proposed prison in the South Okanagan. While Mr. Gillespie indicated that he was expressing his personal opinion, he gave up the privilege of having personal opinions when he accepted the position of president of the chamber. No matter what he says, it has a certain amount of influence in the community, simply by his position.
It is now obvious that as Mr. Gillespie’s personal opinion is out in the open, he will use his position to sway the members of the board to lobby against the prison.
I recognize and applaud the chamber’s efforts to encourage expanded tourism and other “soft” potential employers to come to Summerland. But there are those of us in the business community that strongly want us to expand the entire business community and replace the 200+ jobs we have lost. I cannot imagine an entrepreneur openly wishing to deny a community an opportunity to have some 200 new jobs. This is NIMBY.
Frank Belden
Summerland
