Steve Rant: Politicians and Personal Time

In today's letter to the editor from Councillor Laurie Walters, responding to my Feb 24th, 2009 Letter to the Editor, she says , in part:

"The vacation is to attend a very special family member’s wedding which was planned and paid for 10 months ago, before I was elected and before the economic crisis"

Fair enough....however I know Councillor Rathor also takes a usual 2 week break to India at around this time of year, which he rightly deserves and he has done more for Williams Lake than she has for the Arts and Culture people in Williams Lake and he has decided not to join his wife in India this year. Could he have joined his wife in India while his workplace is experiencing some downtime - sure. Does he deserve it - yes. Did he do it - no and it is because he and I both believe that when you decide to enter public life, you give up certain sacrifices including personal time, whether at home or away (City business or otherwise) as well as showing that you don't run away when your own residents' don't know where the next paycheque will come from and how to pay for the mortgage or rent payment or get food on the table. Right now, our local civic officials need to show, and in my view Councillor Rathor has, that they understand the pain that City residents' are experiencing and that may include postponing personal vacation time to a more appropriate time when things are more steadier than they are right now

Also - and I've stated this on the Williams Lake Tribune website in response to Ms. Walters' letter, whether or not a letter has value or not is up to the readers' to make that determination. If readers' determine a letter to the editor has no value, then they can either choose not to read it or choose to write a rebuttal letter to the editor.

As well, on the subject on Councillor Walters and factual correct letters - if a letter-writer believes that his/her letter is factual correct (subject to a paper's Editor reading over a letter to the editor for content and legal issues) then it would be up to the individual who is referenced in a Letter to the Editor to correct the record, if he/she feels the letter contains inaccurate information. In the case of Councillor Walters, all my information came from the City's own website, in her report to the Feb 17/09 Committee of the Whole meeting on her Portfolio activities. Don't blame me for using her own report to criticize her leaving on vacation (family or not) during a economic upheaval in the City of Williams Lake