Deceit: Concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading. Coward: One who shows disgraceful fear or timidity.
The recent ad published in the St. Albert Gazette and entitled 'Challenge to City Council' epitomizes both deceit and cowardliness. In it, the truth was distorted and the authors too timid to sign their names.
The conspicuously anonymous authors implied that the re-design ideas of downtown came entirely from consultants from Toronto when it is a well-known fact that 11 public focus groups based in St. Albert consisting of 115 people from St. Albert and facilitated by myself, a long resident of St. Albert, provided the foundation of the re-design work of our changing downtown.
If the writers want to participate in real decision-making, they will have to learn to live in the truth and summon the gumption to reveal their true identity especially when criticizing the work of others.
The baseness of the ad reveals through its stark contrast yet even more admirable characteristics of Mayor Nolan Crouse — who has the intelligence to effect change and the courage to sign his name to them.
Sharon Ryan, St. Albert
