At the UCFV Plan A meeting it was very clear that Councilor John Smith, with his ties to UCFV, badly wants University status for UCFV and believes (as do many) that the entertainment complex is necessary part of UCFV’s bid for University status. The problem? As a city councilor Mr. Councilor Smith is in a position to have exerted undue influence on the entire process, from the “surveys” and “consultations” to the current slick high-pressure sales campaign.

Slanted survey questions and design; selected groups and persons to “consult”; influence and/or pressure to ensure the entertainment complex was chosen to build; a backroom deal to obtain the land from its owner; reasons found to build next to UCFV and nowhere else; pressure and promises to elicit support and backing.

Did all of this happen, some of this or none of this? We will never know, but we do know Councilor Smith was part of the process from beginning to end.

Ethical behaviour demands that someone with such a powerful Conflict of Interest, a position of influence and multiple opportunities to exert undue influence on the process and outcome declare that they are in a position of great conflict of interest, and then place wide distance between themselves and every aspect of the process use in arriving at the recommended projects.

They most certainly should not be acting as both booster of UCFV’s bid for University status, as one of the architects of Plan A and one of the slick, taxpayer funded, high-pressure salesmen for the very project(s) at the core of this Conflict of Interest.

Councilor Smith’s actions upon being in both a Conflict of Interest and a position to exert undue influence jeopardizes not only UCFV’s application for University status, but taints the entire Plan A process. The only way to cauterize this grievous wound to Abbotsford’s integrity is to start again at the beginning and carry out the entire process in a fully public and transparent way OR with a resounding and overwhelming NO vote on November 25, 2006.

Has Abbotsford become a community so lacking in character that we would choose to build a Coliseum were we will watch gladiators, or their modern equivalent, battle for our amusement while so many capital projects that would fill real, pressing and important community needs go unbuilt.

With all the desperate social needs, issues and problems facing Abbotsford; while so many in Abbotsford burn with poverty, hunger, homelessness, mental illness and hopelessness; why are council and senior city staff fiddling around with an extravagant, nonessential complex for entertainment. Lacking in leadership, ideas, principles and honesty they seem to have chosen to try to distract the citizens with entertainments as have self-serving tyrants from the Christians and lions of ancient Rome to our modern times.

Yes our City needs facilities, but we need a sense of priorities, we need to involve and engage the groups that will use the facilities, we need to listen to the ideas of the citizens – they are a pretty bright bunch with wide experience and then we need to tell and show people what will be built (NOT imaginary pictures and wish lists). We do not have to build in a mad rush or all at once. We should have a building program that is steady, consistent and well thought out. We do not need snake-oil sold to us as a plan, eh?

Soccer mom’s have spoken to me about an all weather soccer field and covered practice fields – take an idea from a farmer and just use some pole barns and voila a reasonably priced covered fields. We have a lot of young soccer players. We have many swim teams but no 50-meter competition pool, not to mention being able to attract events like the BC summer games in future. Do we need a better live theater/music venue? Encouraging local talent and participation seems far better for the community’s spirit. There are many such needs from small to large that would far better serve the community than Plan A.

I suggest we send the council and senior city staff a loud and blunt message of our displeasure with their performance on this matter via a resounding NO vote. And if, like spoiled children, they keep their petty threats to throw a tantrum and build nothing I suggest we come together as a community to set our priorities, decide what we need to build to meet those priorities and set out a consistent and long term building schedule to meet our current and future needs. Should egos and self-interest get in the way I am quite willing to bang heads together and hold feet to the fire to ensure we move forward, compromise and reach some form of consensus. Then we hand it to council and senior city staff and tell them ENOUGH – get your asses in gear or get out of the way.

Free speech on important issues? Not in Abbotsford with this staff and council. The right to disagree; to ask questions; to ask for real plans not just whish lists and pretty, but imaginary, pictures; to ask for hard numbers behind their claims and the methods used to arrive at these numbers; equal access to city owned facilities to present the opposing views and answer the publics questions on the No side? DENIED by senior city staff and council.
Only propaganda in support of Plan A is allowed in or on city property. Only those in support of Plan can use city facilities for public meetings on this important matter. If you put up any anything that raises any of the important questions or facts the city and council choose to ignore – down it comes and into the garbage. If you bring a display to the obviously misnamed “public information” session that asks questions they cannot or do not wish to answer – NO, not in “their” building, not in front of “their” building, not on the property of “their” building – you are directed to the nearest public sidewalk or roadway. While they get not only to spread vast amounts of taxpayers money on their sales campaign but also the free use of all city facilities to power sell their position, if you as an ordinary citizen disagree with their claims and wish to share your concerns with your fellow citizens, you must rent the same facilities they get to use for free.

While taking away and/or denying the rights of ordinary citizens to ask for explanations, just what special rights or favours are they selling to those who place ads in support of council and senior staff’s position? Just what will the returns on investment will all these special interest groups get or expect to get, on their investments in advertisements in favour of the “official city’s” position? I have no idea. What I do know is that other lower mainland municipalities faced with similar circumstances refused such support. Not just on the grounds that it was a situation with the potential for “special” favours or debts repayment, but because it could be seen as selling special favours to the supporting organizations or companies. I suppose it is naïve of me to expect ethical behaviour in a city widely noted for “business as usual” and its’ ‘old boy network.”

The behaviour and attitudes of Council and City Staff have turned what was a referendum on what facilities Abbotsford needs, into questions on a citizen’s right to disagree, to ask questions and expect answers; does Council and city Staff have any sense of ethics and what exactly is the City afraid of that it seeks to deny opposition and engage in a high-pressure sales campaign that one expects from telemarketers or hucksters but not your city government?

I will be voting NO to Plan A, not just for all the unanswered (and ignored) questions about the project but also NO for the behaviour, policies and practices of Council and City Staff. Abbotsford deserves better Plans, Council and Senior Staff.

YES! Now this is what I want, our communities need and deserve, from its local newspaper(s) on a major issue such as the proposed Capital Plan. An examination of the issue along with providing a forum for ALL sides, not just the side with unlimited amounts of taxpayer dollars to waste on a massive sales campaign, to be heard and have an opportunity to share their ideas with the communities.

Perhaps the Post can supply us with an answer to the question of just what are the benefits that the school board claimed were the reason they voted to support the Plan. In the Abby News story it was benefits, benefits, benefits – but no actual benefits were ever given to support their claims or their vote. Or perhaps an explanation of the difference between Mr. Archer’s “many Community groups are opposed to Plan A” and Mayor Ferguson, as quoted in the advertisements, “These three projects are the highest priorities as stated by you, the residents.” Is there some secret definition of “resident” that the city staff and politicians use that excludes those many Community groups opposed to Plan A, but includes all the special interests supporting the Plan?

With a need for internet access to manage all my communications e-mail, the www.homelessinabbotsford.com website, research and news I visit the library on a daily basis. Recently the librarians where hauling baskets of promotional materials for Plan A onto the counter. When I raised an eyebrow at this activity I was told “It is the only way we can get our basement back.” City employees at the recreation centers have been conscripted into the sales force. Apparently, although the city claims it has no manpower to spare to work on providing services and benefits to address the growing problems and issues such as homelessness and poverty in our city, there are thousands upon thousands of man hours available for promotion of Plan A and a seemingly bottomless bag of taxpayer’s dollars for promotion. How many other groups, like the homeless and the poor, have had the city cry they have no money to spare and that they are unable to provide either staff or financial resources?

Clearly the behaviour of the City staff, politicians and special interests on this question is unacceptable. Just as clear is the fact that there is a need for capital investments to be made (built) by the City of Abbotsford. It is also clear that if Plan A were to be built nothing else, no matter the need, can be built until we have paid off the debt for this boondoggle. What is far from clear is what the true needs and desires of the citizens are in regards to capital projects.

Just as bad is that we are being sold mirages, illusions. We are being sold “artists concepts” with no more substance that the ink used to pull them out of thin air. Well, as long as one ignores the substantial costs of paying for these nice visual effects so as to provide something to sell to the public. As any snake oil salesman could tell you: it is far easier to sell to sell dreams than it is to sell the nitty-gritty of reality. Which raises the question that if all we have is artwork as opposed to actual plans, just how much faith can one put in the cost estimates?

Given the importance of the decision and the unacceptable behaviour currently engaged in by City staff and politicians this truly should be an election issue. With the current overheated construction market and the city’s demonstrated ineptness with capital projects, the only effect waiting to the next municipal election to address the needs of our City – besides giving the citizens input into the decision – is a bigger bang for our construction dollars. Waiting will permit us to have a public debate and give citizens a chance to express their opinions and ideas guaranteeing they are ALL listened to – at the ballot box.

It would also allow a desperately needed examination and debate on how the City goes about the decision process on capital projects. In the real world, as opposed to the world of City government and Councillor Beck, you only save money by accepting the lowest bid if: the actual out of pocket cost for the project ends up being the same amount as the lowest bid figure you accepted and, more importantly, you get what you wanted built with high quality work. While working in construction during high school I once helped build a home pool and it is trickier than it would seem. In fact, in asking people I know in the concrete finishing business, these professionals all agreed that there is a certain art to building a pool tank well. So why would any rational city staff and council want to run the risk of vast cost over-runs or the need to repair/redo the entire project in a few years by hiring a company that they know has NEVER BUILT a pool tank? The city staff responsible for this dim-witted contract state the company comes highly recommended. As what? Well connected con-artists? Arborists? We do know they are NOT REDCOMMENDED as pool builders, since they have never built one. Ill-conceived, ill-planned, not what was needed, not the best built and way over the so-called lowest (bid) price. That is what the current city purchasing practices result in. As I said, we have a desperate need to examination how the City goes about the decision process on capital projects.

Blackmail, lack of community input and debate, a seemingly bottomless fund of taxpayer dollars to waste on a slick, snake-oil sales campaign, failure to consider actual community needs, a refusal to listen to community groups with differing ideas and a demonstrated incompetence in managing capital projects. Quite an indictment against this plan, council and city staff, is it not? Which is why I feel the only responsible way to deal with the question of capital investments of this scope is through the scrutiny and assessment provided by an election campaign. I feel no need to rush into an opportunity for city council and staff to once again display their ineptness and ability to waste the taxpayer’s money.

It is time for a city government that is open, rational, thoughtful, forward looking, resourceful and fiscally responsible. More than anything it is time for some leadership on the complex issues and problems facing Abbotsford coupled with consensus building to involve the entire community in Our Future.

We need to get some of those lock devices they put in drunk’s cars for council chambers. What else but enough booze to be having visions of pink elephants could explain voting for that White Elephant of a shrine to councils ego. And just about as useful since we could build several smaller ice surfaces so kids can get ice time for that kind of coin.

Must be some kind of politicians math. We are going to spend fifty-five million dollars plus multi-millions more in cost overruns and increases, chasing after some imaginary economic benefits in the range of multi-millions. Might as well invest all those millions then drive through the streets throwing the income to the residents to spend. Better, leave the taxes in the taxpayers pockets and they can add all those millions into the local economy any way they choose.

We cannot build a place for seniors but can waste money on a building for fossils and other old things? Instead of a fancy art gallery and museum use the money for MSA and Clearbrook libraries. Buildings all types of people use and that provides meeting space for all kinds of groups in the city. Build a swanky art palace and it catches fire and Ooopps! Guess we should have bought fire halls and engines.

The only part of the plan that makes sense is to expand ARC If council has taxpayer bucks burning a hole in their pockets then build a pool suitable for swimming competitions as part of the improvements. The rest of this foolish scheme should be filed in the big round file under Garbage.

Ken Hundt