Black sheep of the Family

Some people have been asking what the shouting match was about at the end of the Town Hall Meeting the other night, when the Mayor and a Councillor ganged up on my wife for challenging the Mayor as to his absence last week-end in the Bellecrest Parade.

Here are the facts my wife wants me to present to you, my reader, on her behalf:

1. Despite spending over $7,000 on our newest municipal float just a few years back in which our former municipal building inspector John Orleni over the years drove this vehicle in municipal parades both here locally and in neighbouring communities, and having a full-year in-between Bellecrest parades the Mayor gave as an excuse that the municipal float was suddenly a "death-trap", as to why there was no municipal float in this year's Bellecrest parade? No mention was made as to why then was our backup float not used instead? Just no municipal float for the Bellecrest parade. Sorry, tough luck! ... But hey, the Mayor says there will be one for sure in the upcoming Coleman and Blairmore parades.
2. It is an annual tradition/ritual that the Mayor appears in our parade here in Bellevue/Hillcrest during Bellecrest Days. But this Mayor chose to break with tradition and not participate... and then to lie about it by saying he was in it, when he wasn't...  But hey, the Mayor says he'll be in the upcoming Coleman and Blairmore parades.
   
   Between no municipal float and no Mayor some in this community took this as a slap in the face to those of us living east of the slide, who pay taxes too. Especially, when one factors in the recent reactivation of the Ratepayer's Association starting from this end of our municipality might have played a role in our suddenly becoming the black sheep of the family, so to speak.
3. Add to the above that this Mayor and Council are threatening to close the Bellecrest Seniors Hall, as we speak, and it is surprizing to her that more people did not speak out about these matters.

For all intents and purposes and for reasons he alone is aware of the Mayor chose to turn his back on the residents living east of the Frank Slide by ensuring there was no municipal float in our parade, and by him personally boycotting the parade itself. In addition, he is threatening us with the closure of the Bellecrest Seniors Hall, only a few short years from having seen both our Maplevue Hall and Bellevue Arena closed by dubious means by the former Mayor. There is even talk that we are to be sacrificed as bedroom communities while Coleman and Blairmore are to reap the whirlwind of economic activity, once things start turning around here again.

It's becoming glaringly obvious what council's plans are for us and what they think of us. They're recent actions are spelling it out very clearly and my wife sitting directly in front of this Mayor wasn't about to take the crap he was dishing out. Mayor, or no Mayor, didn't matter to her. With unscrupulous lying politicians habitually in our pockets making life harder and more difficult with each passing day, here was one right in her face that she could do something about. And that she did. Calling a spade a spade and not backing down in the process, despite being ganged up on in a cowardly fashion. 

Now, at this point, I would like to tell you a story about an event that took place shortly after WWII, after the Japanese surrender. A motorcade taking General MacArthur to his temporary headquarters was lined with both Japanese soldiers and civilians along the route who upon his approach turn their backs facing the motorcade -- a gesture of respect.

I like the symbolism of this act and would like to see it repeated in our upcoming Coleman and Blairmore parades. Not, however, as a sign of respect but as recognition that when you insult one part of our community, you insult us all... and we don't take kindly to being bullied and treated like second-class citizens deserving of no respect. You sent us a message, now here is our message to you... our backs!

They are all masters at pissing on our leg, and then while smiling, tell us "it must be raining!"