The rest of the story
MLA Bill Bennett’s tribute to Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak is terribly incomplete.
Manjak: “It has been my intention as Mayor of this great community to treat all with respect.” (Townsman, July 29, 2009, p. 7) Mayor Manjak’s actions belie his words. He appears incapable of being fair minded to, or receptive of, anyone or any idea that lacks his small club’s support. The current crop of councillors, with one exception, seem to prefer emotion over knowledge in their decision making. Not that it’s a docile council; it’s Amen, Halleluliah and praise the developers – even when the proposal falls outside the universe of reality.
Manjak and council took the politically unwise position of opposing a referendum that is provided for by law. Thus, Manjak pitted the city and its monies against the citizens, even using the city’s website for seven pages of devious, deceitful, disingenuous nonsense against honest taxpayers – all with five councillors’ support.
Having lost in the Alternative Approval Process, rather than letting the referendum question go to the people with the city on neutral, Manjak and council inserted the city’s money and effort into discrediting individuals and a group of stalwart citizens, outspending them 50 to 1. With a loss -actually two losses – Manjak decided to take the city council into pioneering territory. Cranbrook became the first city in the history of the B.C. Press Council to file a complaint of unfair news reporting. The Press Council rejected the charge against the Townsman, the reporter and the editor. The sore loser mayor then decided to jerk the city’s advertising from the Townsman and put the ads in another paper. What an example for Mr. Bennett’s tributes: Attack the free press, the underpinning of democracy.
And management? Our sewer system, a broken mess for years, was of no problem for our long serving councillors and Mayor Manjak. They hired a Vancouver law firm to fight and litigate for 10 years, 1999-2009. And who knew? The city’s five-year financial plan lasted 91 days before it had to be amended for the city to pay to get water up to Wildstone, as Wildstone wasn’t financially able.
What’s discussed at city council meetings when councillors come to the table to suppress discussion by not seconding a motion? Seconding a motion so that the issue can go to discussion is the common democratic procedure extended in legislative bodies such as our own regional district.
Cranbrook needs a mayor and council to conduct the people’s business in a new way.
William G. Hills,
Cranbrook

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