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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Peter gives Siegbert a history lesson
In last week's Crowsnest Promoter Councillor Siegbert Gail wrote a letter to the editor (not available on-line) justifying his and council's actions and performance to-date, while asking for the public's understanding.
Today, Peter Rosner (who many know here as a regular commentator on this blog) responded. Here's what Peter had to say, once again, in the Crowsnest Promoter by way of a Letter to the Editor (not available on-line).
Looking for a few good men
After reading the letter from Councilor Siegbert Gail, I feel I have to respond.
First of all I will thank him for putting himself forward and running for council as he is finding out he really has gotten himself between a rock and a hard place. This is not meant to be an attack on Siegbert as I realize he is in "search of the truth." To borrow a line from the movie, A Few Good Men, "Truth? You can't handle the truth". But here it is anyway.
I previously worked at the same mine as Gail for 10 years or more and was heavily involved with the local union that represented the workforce. Also I served on the 2005 negotiating committee and attended hundreds of meetings with management during this period. No Siegbert Gail there.
So when you make the claim that in 30 years of mining you tried to change the way people thought but everyone felt it was just easier to complain, I get a little confused. Some of us were actually fighting for the men, not you.
Perhaps you are overstating your contribution a little bit. I should have realized this when I congratulated you for becoming a councilor. At the time you had no idea who I was or that I worked at the same mine as you.
In your letter you seem to put a lot of weight on what politicians in Edmonton think of this community after having conversations with them. I could give a rat's ass what they think. I am sure they all have problems in their communities - just watch the evening news.
Ours issues are minor in comparison. Where would you rather live? Quit worrying about what other communities are doing and start listening to the people here.
A few messy yards are not deterring business from locating here. If a few new people don't like it, too bad. Most of them didn't like where they came from either and won't be staying long.
When our local government has the courage to take on the big boys and get the mess cleaned up along the river and out west, then I will support the Unsightly Premises Bylaw.
You have been told, "council has lost sight and is not listening to the people" and you say, you have lost friends for standing your ground. Now ask yourself - is it your friends and the public, or is it you? How many "friends" are you going to have from this council when the dust settles?
Siegbert, I respect your willingness to get on council and to try and make a difference, but really you got there on name recognition and that will not work next time around. I think you are rubbing shoulders with the wrong people and have forgotten your roots and that's the truth.
Peter Rosner
The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we have of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us.
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35 comments:
Unsightly premises bylaw is important in my mind. Who wants to have a nice house that they keep up and have their neighbors house look like a shack. I think they are right on with that bylaw. Most people want to take pride in their premises in most communities. Why should it be any different here.
Also, not too interested in the mining union. Unions are overrated in my mind.
unions protect workers from management teams that do not know how to treat people because of arrogance and lack of respect for basic human rights
Regardless, I do not know how the discussion of unions came up. It is not involved in any of the issues going on, in the least. You have to really be grasping to bring that up.
Unions protect a few lazy bums within the organization and do nothing for the bulk of the members. All they do is collect union dues so their fat executive can get richer.
Actually Siegbert raised the issue in his letter he didn't directly talk about unions more so worker representation. I will quote from his article. "This type of mentality i have experienced before in my 30 years of mining. I tried to change that but everyone else felt it was just easier to complain"
Ew... As is said in the Yaughting fraternity, "a good old fashioned pizzing match".
Sieg, You should actually read what you write. You speak of NOT belittling volunteers. When the fireman handed in their pagers, did council do 1 thing to try and make ammends.No you never, you let 90 volunteers and there wives and friends all decide to quit volunteering.Now you can not even get volunteers for many of your boards.
Then you speak of managing more effiecently. How does hiring 6 more administrators make us more effiecent?
You talk about the peace officers and cleaning up the community.I have not seen any clean up, the only thing I see is them writing speeding tickets.
You guys cancelled TITV, closed a library, cut other services and are running budgets greater than 5%.When and what will be the great payback for this plan?
peter rosner I never belive i would say this but on this one i am proud of you fred
Siegbert says: "Our information is available ... "
I have put in a FOIP request for some info they don't want us to have (including some items municipalities are legally required to have available to the public at their offices).
I asked for the "Watch List" to see if they will say whether it exists.
Regarding Councillor Gail's editorial, if a community means "unity" between the council, administration and volunteers, you are now missing the essential ingredient - the volunteers. Congratulations. You have only two of the three legs of the stool, and as you keep trying to sit on the stool -- it just doesn't work, does it? You just keep sliding off onto your butts.
If you do not recognize this by now, you and your compatriots are blowing smoke. There is simply NO WAY that a community of our size can survive without substantial volunteerism. To substitute this with dollars and more dollars that we do not have, and to continue the charade without realizing that there is no way that the community can support your desired changes in the timeline being followed, means that you all just DON'T GET IT.
First, there was Thunder In The Valley, then the RRD fiasco (Run Runner Days, for Councillor Gallant's benefit), then the Peace Officer revenue enhancing program to support your spending habits, then the Volunteer Fire Department gong show and its aftermath, and now the condescending attitude of the Mayor, Council and Administration. All of these are of YOUR making, yet you keep placing the blame on the good citizens of the Crowsnest Pass. Get real.
After reading and listening to the Mayor, the Councillors and the Administration, it is easy to see why the present conflict is escalating. You are on the road to self destruction, so all the citizens of the Pass really have to do is to wait you out. In the meantime, keep blaming others, and don't look into the mirror at the real culprits in this Soap Opera.
Jose
Awesome posts ... Peter Rosner, what a super job you did of deciphering his letter. All I could make of it was inuendoes of how close minded and stupid we are, while they are Gods. Jose, I love your spin on it too. Why can't they realize that no matter how much good they think they are doing for the Pass, we DON'T WANT the change. If only they'd LISTEN instead of getting defensive and throwing the blame back on us because we don't want these things, we could work together nicely. I hear over and over that us citizens aren't happy with any council. That's just not true. We've had lots to deal with in the last few years. Sometimes you can hire three or four times before you find the right person for the position. That seems to be what's happening here. We either have internal turmoil, or we have gestappo that insist we bend to their wishes. Myself, I am counting the days until the next election.
Are you running for council Judy?
This council got a pretty free ride from both newspapers compared to the last council. Defensive and insecure - then blame the media. Shame.
What will the next coucil have to do to make the 2500 happy?
Simple, don't raise the already high tax burden. Many mote would have signed given an opportunity. Is the message really so complicated?
Anonymous said...
What will the next council have to do to make the 2500 happy?
November 14, 2012 8:42 PM
You obviously have been missing the whole point of what is going on. First of all, the population of the Pass is approx 5500 people, the 2500 are simply those who spoke up.
All the next council has to do ask what the 5500 what, listen to what the 5500 say & implement what the 5500 ask for, & NOT go off on their own tangent. A council is elected for better or worse to act FOR the people, not to decide what they feel is best for the people.
2500 voters out of a total population of +/- 5500 in three short weeks? Unprecedented for any community. There was most likely a lot of "sucking" noise between here and Edmonton to explain all of this.
The Doomsayer said:
the population of the Pass is approx 5500 people, the 2500 are simply those who spoke up.
The voting age population is about 4400.
Brian is going to bulldoze the outdated structures with the coal cars at the east and west entrances (along with the perennial flower beds put in by Communities in Bloom volunteers) and replace them with flashy billboards depicting "what we're all about", as determined by "focus groups" conducted by an advertising agency (Brian's idea of "public input").
11:24
that's a great idea to update the entrances to our municipality.
have you looked at the map at the east entrance?
embarassing.
that's the kind of progress we need around here.
I agree, Anon. 11:24.
Signs are embarrassing. Need updating. Some people here like to stay in the 1920's though. But not pay any more money for anything.
I am ok with updating the signs (or not)but do not kid yourself that the result will be that the CNP will be better off.
CNP is MUCH better off, with everyone and their dog criticizing everything, everything, everything.
So people will drive by these shiny new signs and then 30 Km of the same old dumpiness.
Instead we should have a few signs that say:
"This is not an derelict industrial site.
It is a HISTORICAL RESOURCE".
Anon 9:34 please tell me how the CNP is much better off today than it was 2 years ago. I can give you a long list of negatives.Can you give me a list of positives changes this council has made.I will wait patiently for your reply.
Judy @ November 14, 2012 8:07 PM. "we DON'T WANT the change" Are you for real? The CNP NEEDS CHANGE!!!! We voted for CHANGE. CHANGE IS WHAT WE GOT AND WHAT WE NEED. This place is a backwards hillbilly town and it's time for change. Amen.
Hi John 9.34 don t forget the public is the elected opposition to a municipal gouvernement is this to conplicated for you stuck in first gear or what.Can t stand the heat get out of the kitchen and go to your room. fred
Anon @ 10:32 - Positive: community trail system connecting the communities together.
I agree that we need change.But what council is missing is that they have to PROVE the moves they make in order for the community to believe them.An example would be, For every new employee hired, tell us HOW this will make the CNP a better place.
When you cancel TITV explain to us how this makes us better.
When you totally snub the fireman, explain how we are better off.
When you increase budgets by 5%/year tell me how I am better off.
When you close a library that must make us better, just explain it to me.
When you cut services please show me how this is better for us all.
Council has 11 months to prove that this plan of theirs will work or the next council will come in and tear it apart.Council needs to learn how to work with the people. The CNP has a lot of potential but you need to have everybody on the same page.
Anon 12:00 Thats your whole list?
Mostly the previous council work anyway.
Yes, we must get the new signs, and hopefully clean things up. Is that not the intent of the bylaw.
People around here have just not cared for so long and gotten away with the dumps.
To Anon 12:00
Cam Mertz and the last council and volunteers got the community trails all but done. Cam is gone and the current batch of administrators and council get to bask in the glory. Would they have cancelled it if they could, just to punish us?
What was the list for the previous council?
I didn't mean we don't want change here, I meant we don't want the changes that are costing us so very much money (new firetruck) that we don't need right now. We need something to boost our tax base but instead we are developing a place IN CASE we get new businesses. We don't need the things we are getting jammed down our throats until we get some industry in this place that will attract more people. They are doing it backwards and we will pay the price bigtime.
Anon 3:02 The previous council was on track to make some good changes. They are the ones that got the CC closed so that it could be sold and start moving the CNP forward. They were also working on getting the community cleaned up by bringing in tougher bylaws.They were responable for the community walking trails.They were also working on ways to bring more industry in the area.They understood that change must happen slowly and that costs must be controlled.They did all of these things while keeping the budget in check.
Unfortunately, the Pass herald smeared 4 of these council members so badly and promoted our current council that is why we are stuck with what we have. It is kinda like the tortoise and the hare, just remember who won that race.
So at next election, just remember the following:
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
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