Negativity serves no purpose
The 2020 Civic Election is rapidly approaching and I want to say that it has been my distinct pleasure to serve my four year term as your Mayor of the Town of Outlook, SK.
I find it very disappointing that Mr. Justin Turton chooses to start off this campaign with such a negative attitude and so spiteful towards myself and the members of council in his recent letter to the editor. If you Mr.Turton have decided to run again for Mayor why are you trying constantly to make our town look bad by criticizing myself and council? Why discredit the members of council, they are all good people trying their best to do a very difficult job. We like the previous Mayors and councils have stepped up to serve the citizens with the help of capable Administration and office staff.
It makes it extremely difficult for anyone new who wants to put their name forward in an election. It is very intimidating for anyone that is interested in learning how a Mayor and council navigate their roles and all the laws, rules, regulations and protocols to operate an entire town for the good of all its people and actually get something done. Future candidates will say, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not worth the trouble if you just get slammed for your efforts鈥�. All that ends up is that you will get like minded Mayor and Council, no discussion, no forward thinking.
Your negativity serves no good purpose Mr. Turton. Basically all that your letter to the editor said to me was, 鈥渟ee if I had been Mayor none of this would happen鈥�. Really, Mr. Turton?
You have attacked me personally Mr. Turton relaying gossip and hear say in your letter to the editor. Really Mr. Turton, that 鈥淚 appeared angry鈥�. Really Mr. Turton?
The debacle you refer to is incorrect and the media reported it incorrectly. I did not refuse to answer the 8 questions that were emailed to me late on a Friday afternoon for my response for Monday morning 鈥渢o go to press鈥�. The citizens deserve correct and complete answers to questions posed by the Press. The questions went to Council and the CAO, and were answered. We did not know that The Outlook was closing for holidays and did not print the responses. We could never figure out why the newspaper was in such a rush?
Council has dealt with and is dealing with now major issues and projects. Town Council meets twice a month and meetings consistently last for four hours to get to the volume of business on the Agenda. I ask each councilor for their input on every issue, everyone gets their say and their time allotted but no one person is allowed to monopolize discussion and no one person is always right. The discussion has to end, the motion is made and voted on, and the decision is made. Done. Move on or nothing would get done resulting in a lot of frustration for everyone.
If the public have a question or a concern, please contact the Town Office for assistance. You may choose to have your issue put on the agenda and appear before council in person. It is just hear say if a councilor brings the concern.
Mr. Turton, if you do decide to run for mayor in this election and are successful, you also will be held to be accountable and transparent to the citizens of Outlook. You will also be asked to hold Town hall meetings as we have had. We could have had another but we are not able to because of COVID.
We have discussed many topics at Town Hall meetings. We have worked very hard and accomplished a lot in our 4 year term. Swimming Pool completed and open. Town signs taken out of storage and erected. Many fire hydrants 鈥渙ut of service鈥� replaced. East subdivision had to be registered with Government for development. Landfill issues with Government, mandatory changes and compliance is a huge ongoing cost. Old recycle depot closed saving $200,000 per year. Two year contract with Loraas for recycling. Old equipment sold. Updated utility rates. Old water intake, water treatment plant, water storage and the lagoon need replacing and updating. Outlook water usage is at maximum capacity so lawn watering restrictions were put in place. Furnaces in Civic Centre and Town Buildings needed replacing. New Fire Hall approved and site being prepared. Civic Centre redo roof, ceiling, walls, bathrooms, etc. Equinox Theatre group attended inspection.
The council and administration have worked very hard to update old bylaws, job descriptions, policies and procedures聽 manuals and many old contracts. Currently the Town of Outlook Administration office is operating very well with an Acting CAO, with a full staff of very hard working personnel. Outlook needs a CAO that is qualified, wants to work and will stay.
I campaigned 4 years ago saying I would work hard for my Town for 1 term. I will not run again. These are challenging times facing uncertainty with the virus and we have to rely on each other. So it goes with our Town. Negativity has no place in our great Town of Outlook, SK. We need good forward thinking people to lead this town into these changing times. Outlook will be the hub of this new irrigation project going forward with new growth potential for residential and industrial development.
We can grow, and will grow, if the future mayors and councils are capable and willing to work with Governments and develop and plan our future.
It is my personal wish going forward that the new mayor and council please follow through with plans in place to look after the water intake, water treatment plant, water storage and the lagoon projects and the new fire hall project. These are so essential for everybody in this area and for the growth that will come. Water, good potable water is life.
Thank You.
B. Ross Derdall
Outlook, SK
Focus on the positive
I am writing to address some of the concerns raised by Mr. Turton in his Letter to the Editor in the August 20th edition of The Outlook.
Let me begin by stating that at no point did I submit a letter of resignation to Council.聽 Nor did Mayor Derdall, Councillors Childerhose and Simonson vote to reject my letter of resignation.聽 Rather, Councillors Grotheim and Smith brought forward a motion to demand my resignation at the meeting on July 22nd, 2020.聽 As the vote affected me, I recused myself from the discussion and voting and had left the building.聽 Councillors Grotheim, Smith & McLeod voted in favor of the motion, while Mayor Derdall and Councillors Simonson and Childerhose voted against the motion.聽 How the Minutes were construed that I had submitted my resignation is beyond me.
Mr. Turton goes on to ask why we are having issues attracting an Administrator.聽 Well let me give you a few hints:
(1) 12 years of work piled up and unattended to, during which at least 3 of those, Mr. Turton was himself on Council.
(2) Not wanting to relocate to the community after accepting the job.
(3) the amount of work as a joint office referred to as 鈥渘ot a mountain of problems, but the whole __ __ mountain range鈥�.
And last but not least:
(4) 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen such a negative town鈥�.
Mr. Turton further makes vague assertions about the conduct, morals and ethics of Mayor and Council.聽 Might I remind Mr. Turton that Mayor Derdall聽 and I were elected largely to clean up the mess created by previous Councils, of which Mr. Turton was a part.聽 Projects were not Tendered out, they were given to friends and family.聽 No Buy-Local policies were in place.聽 A significant Contract was illegally signed by a former Council member and the legislation for major projects was ignored.聽聽 A Multi-Million dollar deal was done with a 鈥済reat鈥� professional firm on a handshake with no contract in place leaving the Town at the mercy of that firm.聽 Work was done in-house to 鈥渟ave money鈥� and when it fell apart there was no warranty and had to be completely re-done, and a previous employee managed to jeopardize the entire Town of Outlook water supply for over 10 years through a critical omission that was never dealt with.聽 Do you want me to go on?聽 The Code of Ethics Bylaw was one of the first Bylaws enacted by our current Mayor on November 23rd, 2016 as part of new Provincial legislation.
Yes this Council has been fractious, but at least the vast majority of the mess we inherited has been cleaned up, under protest by a few.聽 It has 鈥渘ot been fun鈥� to paraphrase another former Councillor.聽 If I鈥檓 mistaken, it wasn鈥檛 supposed to be fun 鈥� being a Councillor is a job where you are elected to provide the best leadership for the most citizens of this town.聽 It takes time, plenty of it, and you had better show up prepared.
The letter refers to transparency and accountability.聽 Never before has this Town had Public Meetings to outline what we鈥檝e been working on, never before has the newspaper attended every Council meeting,聽聽 Previous Councils could do whatever they wished and nobody was the wiser.聽 What about the some $90,000.00+ spent on Architects fees for a new performing arts centre and fire hall (which, if proceeded with would have tied the Town to using that architectural firm as the sole Construction Manager for both projects without Tender).聽 This item was never listed on an Agenda or Minutes, and shoved into the monthly 鈥淎ccounts To Be Paid鈥� so no-one would notice.聽 Never before have the Town Council Minutes been published in the newspaper.聽 Although there remains work to do, by any objective measure this is the most transparent and accountable Town Council in the history of our great community.
I realize that Mr. Turton is likely still upset after finishing a distant third in his previous run for Mayor.聽 If he wants to be successful this time round, perhaps he could begin by focusing on the positive things Outlook has going for it.聽
The Town of Outlook is in good shape and with the 4 Billion Dollar Lake Diefenbaker project recently announced we are on the cusp of the most significant opportunity in our and your children鈥檚 lifetimes to grow this Town and thrive and prosper while remaining affordable and safe; but to do that the need is absolutely critical for Big-Picture, forward-thinking LEADERSHIP, not whining and whining about the past. It is imperative that we continue to encourage growth and investment rather than funding pet projects for special interest groups.聽聽 For as long as I serve on Council, I will be committed to doing just that.
Outlook 鈥� the time is over for being 鈥淕ood Enough鈥� and accepting second best!聽 You deserve better!
Maureen Applin
Outlook, SK
