Re: The impassable chasm widens (News, July 20)
It is my opinion that the primary responsibility for the current state of affairs in North Saanich lies with the new Team North Saanich, councillors Dunstan Browne, Craig Mearns and Conny McBride, as well as Ted Daly.
I served three terms as an elected councillor and am a regular attendee at council meetings. I cannot recall such a lack of respect for established rules of procedure and conduct, as well as for the statutory rules of the mayor, council and chief administrative officer.
Much of the confrontation arises from the desire of the majority to fast-track high density development. For example, they wanted council to approve in principle the East Saanich Road development before a formal application had been submitted, let alone any public consultation.
When Mayor Alice Finall and councillors Elsie McMurphy and Celia Stock attempt to inject a rational process, they and staff are met with accusations of stonewalling and obstructionism.
The majority press for immediate action on these developments, however I find it ironic that when it came to the Sandown proposal, they required months of further investigation and reports, then abandoned the initiative for reasons that remain unclear to me.
The impassable chasm is compounded by the fact the majority refuse to support the mayor in upholding and enforcing points of order and the code of conduct.
Dee Bailin
North Saanich