Mayor Nolan Crouse the St. Albert mayor has had a vision. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing for a mayor to have as long as it is done with input from the taxpayer base of St. Albert and some idea of the cost and availability of funds.
It would appear from all that is written that there has been no consultation, except with the very vocal and money hungry special interest groups of St. Albert. These groups seem to be somewhat myopic and driven to make St. Albert into a haven for the very wealthy and the very elite.
It would appear that city hall is prepared to ram this DARP vision through no matter what the cost, even if it goes against common sense and the views of St. Albert taxpayers. They are riding roughshod over small inconsequential groups such as the community league and the seniors’ club to further their vision. City administration seems to take a particular delight in attacking those groups, which are primarily made up of the seniors of St. Albert.
Perhaps it is time for the major portion of St. Albert to stand up and be counted. I attended a meeting with a small group of St. Albertans who are very concerned about the direction city council is taking and the effect that it is having on the silent majority of St. Albert. After listening to the concerns of the group, I made a statement to them that I believe is true. I told them that based on the letters in the papers and general discussion with people in town that there is only about 10 per cent of residents who actually care about what city council does and how these changes affect the residents as a whole. I believe that a large percentage of St. Albert residents have become detached from the involvement in the running this city. This is borne out by the low percentage of voters at election time.
So many of us are heavily involved in our own lives to the point that we don't take the time to become involved in how our city is run. We leave it to a small group of very vocal special interest groups that seem to only see the grandiose plans put forward by city hall without the slightest idea of the cost to the taxpayer. These groups have forgotten who has to pay for these projects. The city is still burdened with Servus Credit Union Place and, according to the announcements in the local papers, a rising number of commitments to projects that run into the tens of millions of dollars.
I would encourage people on both sides of the argument to speak out. If you are in favour of the direction city hall is taking then by all means speak out. If you are not then take the time to call, write or email the newspapers, council members and the mayor that you do not support these unbudgeted projects and that you are tired of the heavy handed approach of city hall.
The only way to stop this Nightmare on Perron Street is to speak out loudly at election time. If we don't speak out, then we will get exactly what we deserve.
Ted Sackett, St Albert
