The Editor,
If we hope to ensure democratic governance and an engaged electorate, we must consider limiting terms for our civic politicians.
It’s discouraging for anyone wanting to run for municipal office here in Richmond when they realize that the incumbents have tried and true political machines and a ton of money.
They don’t get reinstated by wide support of the public, but rather plenty of back room support and personal donations.
Voter turnout in Richmond is abysmal and favours the incumbent.
Yes we have fair and democratic elections in principle, but it’s a stretch to call it democratic governance if a large majority of people don’t vote.
And, in a lot of cases, they make legitimate arguments as to why they don’t.
When the electorate has become so turned off that they refuse to vote then something needs to change. There isn’t a hope in hell that mayor and council will look in the mirror and say “maybe it’s time to step down.”
If anyone thinks that mayor and council in Richmond represents everyone, including those who did not vote for them, then they need to think again.
This is a private club and developers rule.
So, there’s only one thing left to do — vote.
Dean Beauvais
Richmond
The Editor,
I have seen in the local papers that some residents of Richmond are calling for term limits for councillors and mayors.
We need a change, not just for the sake of change, but the opportunity to breathe new life into our city.
Most people would agree there has been a lot of development of new condos and apartment buildings throughout the city.
Before approving these new constructions, the city should have developed a 20-year master plan whereby the growth in housing and retail developments is matched with growth of infrastructure.
We are already seeing that the Canada Line cannot cope with the high volume of commuters at peak hours.
Traffic in the city is an absolute mess.
The River Road intersection at Gilbert Road has long line ups for the drivers entering and leaving the city.
This has added an extra 10 minutes for the people travelling downtown by Gilbert and the Dinsmore Bridge.
Who is in charge of planning for the city, councillors or the bureaucrats? Are they influenced by greedy developers?
At one time, it was refreshing to walk around the beautiful waterfalls and the garden in Minoru Park.
Now, you feel overwhelmed by the concrete high rises almost next to the fence of the park.
City hall claims to be making progress on protecting the environment.
If that’s the case, how is it that projects that overwhelm our parks and open areas get approved.
Come election, incumbents have strong machinery for election campaigns, maybe assisted by their developer friends.
Hence, we see them being elected over and over again, whilst newcomers do not stand a chance.
We will get an opportunity soon to see a change if we, the electorate, do our due diligence before voting.
S.Ramji
Richmond
