All's not well on deck

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 19, 2008

I've discovered that the classic story of the doomed passenger liner Titanic is being remade. Some members of Coldstream council will rearrange the deck chairs. Perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration but if the municipal office was floating around the North Atlantic, the iceberg would be firmly impaled in the floor by now. I can't remember a time when a municipal council has floundered as much as this one, and it appears like the end will only come in November when voters head to the polls. The district's troubles really began two years ago when it decided to extend the sewer line up Kalamalka Road at great expense. Rumours continue to abound that council did this to benefit development, and while the politicians have denied that, no logical reason for sewer extension has been given. If it was to benefit the environment, the plan is a failure because few properties have connected. If it was to jumpstart the municipality's town centre plan, it's also failed because the neighbourhood hasn't changed.

The sewer furor was followed in late 2007 with the sports complex debacle. Granted it was the Greater Vernon Services Committee that proposed the facility on agricultural land, but Coldstream is a member of GVSC and many council members advocated on behalf of the facility. But even as Mayor Gary Corner and others defended the concept, very little information was given to the public and the fear of the unknown took root. Honestly, how were residents supposed to vote yes when they didn't have some basic questions answered, such as the costs involved with building a facility, and the design. Of course Coun. Mary Malerby didn't help the situation when she flipped away from her original opposition to the sports complex and flopped towards the land use issue going to referendum. Ultimately, the 64 per cent vote against the complex clearly demonstrated that Malerby, Corner and Councillors Glen Taylor and Carol Williams were out of touch with their constituents.

Williams also found herself the target of negative publicity after she moved out of Coldstream but decided to serve out her term until this November. That didn't go over well with some residents because Williams was voting on matters she wasn't impacted by. There was nothing wrong with what Williams did under provincial law, but the optics were extremely poor. And while a new year eventually arrived, Coldstream wasn't granted a reprieve from controversy. There was the nine per cent property tax hike which was chopped back after residents rebelled; Taylor's annual expenses which outpaced those of Vernon's mayor; and a move to extend sewer up Aberdeen Road, reinforcing a perception that development is more important than preserving agricultural land.

But all of those pale compare to council's recent firing of Leo Lecavalier, Coldstream's longtime fire chief. Lecavalier had been elected to the position by the firefighters, but council decided it could supersede the force and can him. To date, no explanations for the dismissal have been given, and the politicians hide behind closed doors. It's a situation that's rocked the volunteer fire department to its very core, leaving some members wondering if they should continue to provide an inexpensive service to the community. Residents are also left wondering why a dedicated, tireless volunteer has been sent packing. Once again, many wonder if the bureaucracy is out of touch with reality.

November's civic election is still a ways off and there is time for council members to redeem themselves. And there is also the fact that voters' memory is often short. But if past trends continue, the SS Coldstream could keep sinking fast.