Editor:
Scott Nelson criticizes Mayor Kerry Cook for dropping the ball on fiscal responsibility in Williams Lake in the past three years.
The truth is Mayor Cook has faced an uphill battle throughout her entire mayoral leadership.
According to MoneySense magazine (April 5, 2011) Cook inherited the third worst city to live in Canada. The question is who allowed the creation of that city?
The data MoneySense used for creating its “Worst 10 Cities in Canada” list came from stats collected during 2007. Cook took office in 2008. Who was mayor in 2007?
The article states that Cook’s work between 2008 and 2010 has yielded a 71 per cent drop in city-wide auto theft, a 40 per cent drop in B&Es, and a 56 per cent drop in robberies. If that’s not working to create a powerfully supportive environment for investment and future job growth, then what is?
The bottom line is that investors want safe environments to invest in. Companies want employees that feel safe and comfortable in the community they live in because happy employees are productive. Under the previous direction of Scott Nelson, there is strong evidence supporting a claim that crime in Williams Lake thrived.
So what evidence do we have that a future under his leadership will not yield a similar environment?
Michael A. Jones
Williams Lake