Dear Andru,

I know you are trying your best to promote public awareness and that you strive to report on the political scene here in our beautiful valley. I fear that in your zest to enlighten perhaps you were a bit too hard on the mayors. We must never forget, they were elected as the candidates who would do the least damage.

Personally I have no use for mayors. Don’t get me wrong, its not that I dislike them its just that I truly have no use for them. I live outside the municipality, life is good here: no reliance on village services, no compliance with village bylaws, fewer representatives to be embarrassed by.

It is the citizens of McBride, Valemount and Prince George who must take responsibility. Very often mayors are poorly trained. At the risk of sounding like I know it all please let me offer a few suggestions.

What I recommend is that when you get a new mayor you should take them for a walk as soon as possible. This is very effective to help alleviate nervous energy. The best place to walk them is around the village boundary, this serves the purpose of familiarizing them with their jurisdiction. Usually a new mayor will begin to grasp the concept of what is in their territory and what is not. Be prepared though, some mayors are slow to understand and will even act in a menacing manner towards innocent bystanders outside the boundary. At this time a restraint is in order. Be as firm as necessary until they appear to accept the lesson. This may seem to be such a simple exercise as to be hardly worth the bother but I assure you that it is the foundation on which good mayor training is built.

I cannot stress this too much, if at any time your mayor acts aggressively towards people outside their jurisdiction you must repeat this exercise. You will be rewarded by a good relationship with your neighbours and a well trained mayor who will not go on to cultivate more dangerous vices.

I recall past instances of mayors (and council) getting out of hand. Remember when a previous mayor and council in McBride worked diligently to establish a toxic waste dumping ground for the lower mainland? Wasn’t that proposed site also out near Crescent Spur? One could almost surmise that there was a culture of disrespect for outlying communities. Of course that is not the case but it does illustrate the value of keeping your mayor in check and hence avoiding misunderstandings with your neighbours.

Regarding the location of an explosives plant, that should be quite simple. It is abundantly clear that the people of Crescent Spur do not want it. It also appears that the people of Valemount, McBride and Prince George do want it. (I’m assuming that the mayors are representing their villages in good faith here). What I propose is that the three mayors research the best sites for a plant within their own community. Having done that (and of course proving that any accidents would be contained within the village boundary) they could enter into a competition to see who could make the sweetest offer to the explosives manufacturer.

What an awesome opportunity. More business and more tax base, there is no downside. Supposing an accident did happen sometime in the distant future? What a boon it would be! A brand new village could be built, completely modern, an influx of new money and tradesmen to build it. Now that would be a legacy!

Keep up the good work Andru, I appreciate all your efforts.

Brian McKirdy, Valemount