Editor: After reading with part horror and part amusement the letter of Don Tocher (The Times, Nov. 6), I felt compelled to write. Tocher’s letter illogically says that one shouldn’t vote for Blair Whitmarsh because he employs large campaign signs and then concludes that Whitmarsh has been “bought off” by large developers in Langley.
This is rubbish, does injustice to Whitmarsh’s integrity and my intelligence. Most of the independents he lists in his letter also have large campaign signs in my Brookswood neighbourhood, have sent targeted marketing to my home and are promoted by the Unelection Campaign group. I wonder who paid for all of that? I’m smart enough to not be swayed by the size of a candidate’s sign or how much marketing they send to my home. What matters is the quality of the campaigner.
I had the privilege of serving on the board of a charitable organization with Whitmarsh for five years. I have served on several other boards since and can honestly say that he is one of the best board members I have ever worked with. He always came to meetings prepared and asked intelligent questions to drill down to the core of every issue before arriving at a conclusion.
He made every decision with the best interests of the organization at heart and pushed the rest of us to think of perspectives we may not have considered before he raised them. He always fought for what he thought was right, but respectfully listened to other views prior to casting his vote on any issue. I’m sure he will bring the same qualities to Township council. When his term was up on our board, we were all genuinely sorry to see him go and the charity lost a great champion.
When I heard he was running for Township council, I was very excited because he is exactly the type of person who would make a great councillor and create positive change in the Township. I cannot think of anyone better for the job. If he gets only one vote in this election, you can be sure it was mine. I hope you will consider voting for him as well.
Chris Becker,
Brookswood
