Not only did council vote for raises while most people have wage freezes, they doubled their own wage to over $50,000 a year, plus a $10,000-plus expense account they can do what they want with.
The vote on a ward system is mostly just smoke and mirrors if this council is re-elected. As with other reports and studies that don’t have a direct benefit to them, they will just say that the citizens of Red Deer don’t really know what’s best for themselves and that only council knows what’s best for Red Deer.
A traffic study told them not to close lanes of traffic at 49th Avenue and Ross Street because that corner was at maximum traffic load at times of the day.
They closed them anyway for one of their pet projects, Veterans Park. You should see the number of times the cement sandbox they tried to grow traffic signs in has had the end knocked out of it by cars. Then there are that lights that shine into your eyes as you drive by.
Guess how many of them have been knocked out?
Then there is the use of tax dollars to upgrade privately-owned buildings and selling public assets to private companies after they have been renovated and upgraded.
And the worst part of it all is no one elected at any level of government will look into these problems because if they do they may in turn be investigated for the same reasons.
There is only one person on this council I know I can trust with my vote and not just because I know him, but because a lot of the rest of them call him a renegade because he uses his head and his heart, not his ego and pocket book to do what he feels is right for Red Deer.
I’ve had a council member in a council meeting say she would return my call to talk about concerns that are not just mine alone. That was months ago and still no returned call.
More businesses have moved out of downtown in the past little while, some planned some not.
Even some of the banks have been effected by the BS downtown in the last few years. But this council must keep the interest of themselves and their friends as the No. 1 priority.
Jerry Anderson
Downtown
businessman
Red Deer