Dear Editor:
All is not well in Penticton. Back in 2011, Dan Ashton narrowly won a second term as Mayor of Penticton. After two years of controversial decisions since the election, our mayor is now hoping to jump ship and become an MLA.
Interestingly, some residents of Penticton and other parts of the riding feel that voting for this B.C. Liberal candidate to get rid of him would be a good idea.
That would be a mistake in my view because elevating Dan Ashton to the position of MLA would mean rewarding him with a fat salary and perks, including a gold plated pension.
And if we are not happy with Mr. Ashton’s performance as Mayor of Penticton and Regional District Chair, do we really want him representing our communities at the provincial level?
Really, he needs to stick around to deal with the messy issues he had a leading role in creating (i.e. the pending hockey dorm lawsuit costs and his ongoing inclination to use public reserve funds to help facilitate his so-called “zero tax increases.”)
Most importantly, Dan Ashton would have little or no influence as an opposition MLA in the realization of important local projects such as the urgent Penticton Regional Hospital expansion, especially when he spent taxpayer dollars and valuable time pursuing a regional prison, when our regional health care facility should have been his priority.
Do we really want an MLA with such a limited view of economic development and such obvious disregard for public preferences?
Benoit Robert
Penticton
