Editor, The News:
Re: District MR won’t let go of video (The News, June 28).
Finally, I feel like my vote was not wasted, an elected politician who asks questions, does not accept the status quo and does what they were elected to do. That is to stand up for what they think is in the best interest of the electorate.
It seems that if you don’t join the old boys club and go along with them you will be an outcast.
You go girl.
John O’Laughlin
Maple Ridge
Who’s running show?
Editor, The News:
Re: District MR won’t let go of video (The News, June 28).
I’d like to express my appreciation to Coun. Corisa Bell for her attempts to represent me at Maple Ridge municipal hall.
It’s become clear that the current funding formula for our hospital, whether it involves significant revenue from overpriced parking, wheelchair fees from patients in long-term care, or per diem charges from people admitted to hospice, has become problematic.
We know it takes real leadership for someone to question the received wisdom that these things are as they should be.
I applaud Coun. Bell for her courage to break ranks with her fellow councilors and ask the questions that many citizens in this district would like to see answered.
Far too often politicians go from being community activists who are tuned in to the wants and needs of voters to apologists for the impotence of their particular level of government to bring needed change.
Thankfully, Coun. Bell is not giving her power away to bureaucrats or other members of council because she is really trying to understand how these things work.
We know that hospital parking fees are banned in other municipalities, so there are clearly precedents which might show the way for our municipality to take a more aggressive stance.
Councilors who shut down discussion not only dishonour Coun. Bell’s attempt to get answers for herself, they also stop her from representing her constituents by getting answers for them.
While some municipalities are exploring democratic initiatives such as participatory budgeting, it worries me that Maple Ridge is doing more and more of its municipal business out of sight and out of mind of the people who live here.
This was made evident to me last year when our municipality decided to charge a significant pool user fee for our Special Olympics aquatics team for the first time ever.
When I phoned the mayor’s office to try to understand why things had changed so suddenly and drastically, I was immediately transferred to a high level bureaucrat.
This made me wonder who’s really running the show at our municipal hall.
It also demonstrates why the municipality might not be in a good position to question the parking fees being charged by Fraser Health.
I expect that Coun. Bell is setting herself up for some serious push back from the powers that be. I would like her to know that I respect her decision to ask pertinent questions on behalf of the citizens of this community, despite the fact that she faces the possibility of being marginalized and ostracized by her fellow councilors.
A politician who works to increase the transparency and accountability of our government institutions can count on my vote going forward.
Elizabeth Rosenau
Maple Ridge
Personal toll
Editor, The News:
Re: District MR won’t let go of video (The News, June 28).
During the last municipal election campaign, a newcomer to the always lengthy list of Maple Ridge candidates for council caught the interest of voters.
Corisa Bell didn’t have the advantage of incumbency, years on the school board, or membership in a political party or a large-ballot-box-supportive organization like a local church, nor did her last name place her in the preferential top or bottom position on the ballot.
What Coun. Bell did have was a track record of fighting for accountability and fair process around the HST, and a well-articulated vision of the role of a municipal councillor.
Her large purple campaign signs along Abernethy Way didn’t just work for name recognition, she tapped into the core of voter apathy and scorn for politicians: “Tired of politicians who say one thing and do another?”; “Want to know how much our city actually spends on things? Vote for me and find out.”
Corisa Bell outlined exactly how she’d behave if elected. She set a high bar and against the odds – there were 27 other names on the ballot – voters rewarded her with a seat and three years to prove herself.
Once elected, Coun. Bell could easily have followed the well-worn path of least resistance, and gone along to get along, formed strategic alliances, and played backroom politics.
The establishment may argue this is how things get done. Maybe, but that muted background roar is a public fed-up with traditional politicking and unsure how to affect change. Demands for new voting systems and other reforms are, at their heart, a cry for a more issue-focused (rather than person and personality focused), transparent, fair and equitable vision from our elected representatives.
Coun. Bell asks questions as they come up, including the difficult ones. She raises constituent issues, including the uncomfortable ones. She acts on behalf of the public in public, and this transparency sets her apart. It has also isolated her at the council table.
While many of us dream of quantum leap improvements to the political systems representing us, we realize that small, individual efforts to modernize our democracy add up. There is also a personal toll on politicians who challenge the status quo, and it appears that toll is being exacted on Coun. Bell.
Citizens have a duty to support the kind of representation they want, and not just at the ballot box.
Katherine Wagner
Maple Ridge
