I joined about 150 others at the all candidates forum hosted by the Parksville Residents Association on Nov. 2
I was not overly impressed by the format that was adopted, but the candidates provided some good entertainment on a cold night.
They ranged from 19 to near-90 in age; from very smooth to pretty abrasive; from boastful to humble; from well-informed to admitting a few times that they didn’t have an answer.
Of course, once elected, politicians rarely say they don’t have an answer; they simply make one up, as the legend goes.
I looked through the brochures that were offered, and incumbent Al Greir’s seemed the slickest by far. He listed nine items in his “Three Years Of Accomplishments,” and near the top was “Getting the fire hall completed for $3 million — when the previous Council wanted to spend $5.7 million.”
That sounds great, except there’s that little matter about the Councillor being excused from all future debate on the fire hall extension since September 21, 2009, when he was deemed to be in conflict of interest because he lived next door to the fire Chief.
Taking credit for something that he was unable to play any part in, casts doubt on his other claimed accomplishments; is he simply a legend in his own mind?
Bernie Smith
Parksville