Editor:
Differences between election candidates are not always obvious.
As a Kerry Cook supporter, I am extremely grateful that Scott Nelson has chosen not to take the safe route during this mayoralty campaign. Whether it be his instantaneous sound bites on social media sites or his negative personal attack ads in this newspaper, Mr. Nelson’s choices are drawing distinctive lines between the mayoralty candidates.
As he attempts to lure voters by telling them what he believes they want to hear, Mr. Nelson will continue to make promises over the coming weeks. True to his comments regarding the city’s alleged loss of Zellers, he will grossly oversimplify large and complex issues into a “two-minute phone call” and will ignore numerous other factors that play a part in any decision. (Do I even need to state the most obvious reason as to why Zellers may not survive in our community?)
Mr. Nelson has promised zero-zero-zero per cent in tax increases over the next three years, stating that tax increases will not be necessary because “we’ve already set out our targets in terms of growth that we are anticipating, and we believe we can exceed those targets.” I’m not sure who “we” are, but they definitely have a rosier crystal ball than most world economists do right now.
I believe the voters of Williams Lake are more discerning than Mr. Nelson gives us credit for. We understand that indicators such as a massive reduction in crime, a carefully thought-out infrastructure improvement plan, and a measured approach in economic development is what is really going to attract businesses, their employees, and those employees’ families.
Fifteen pages after Mr. Nelson’s blatantly negative ad towards Mayor Cook in last week’s Tribune, the irony was plain for all to see when Mr. Nelson asked us to elect him “for a positive change.”
The differences are clear this time around.
Mark Thiessen
Williams Lake