Re: Just in it for the money? (Dec. 11 Letter to the Editor)

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Sunny South News

Dear Martha Careful,

I was dismayed to see your letter in the Sunny South News regarding the Picture Butte Town Council.

Countless hours are spent reading information packages prepared by Town staff along with information from every board/committee/organization out there. This all has to be reviewed before every meeting.

Many daytime meetings take away time from work. Being reimbursed for lost work hours is completely fair. It is hard to list all the activities that councillors must do either in or out of the public eye but it is far more than most people realize.

The only events/meetings listed in the minutes are public ones. Councillors sit on several committees county-wide that also have regular meetings over and above their meetings here. This means kilometres driven, time taken off work, and time away from loved ones.

In addition, the Code of Conduct regarding accepting “gifts” is a provincially mandated one that our council has to pass. And if you have such an aversion to cow poop, why are you living in Feedlot Alley?

That said, the next election is October 2021 and I invite you to run. And to do it for free. We’ll see how long you can keep that up while losing hours at work.

And if your employer doesn’t like you missing days then you can ask to make up the hours by coming in at 4 a.m. or working Saturdays to make up for lost time.

I’d also like to apologize on your behalf to our mayor, Cathy Moore, as I’m sure you were frustrated when you wrote your letter and didn’t really mean to slander her publicly, much less misspell her name. She works hard for our town – giving up her job for this endeavour – and there is no reason to publicly slander her or anyone else.

If you have questions for councillors, feel free to call them and ask. They have nothing to hide. Unlike you, hiding behind a pseudonym to give you some extra courage.

Sincerely, a Picture Butte Town Council supporter.

MARTHA MORE CAREFUL