Editor:
Mayor Hutchins said that the town will be holding a town hall Meeting on June 27. A town hall meeting is a place where all our citizens can ask questions. Unfortunately, I feel that the last few were no more than a show and tell with limited opportunity to ask questions of our councillors. The Wikipedia definition of a town hall meeting is “an informal public meeting. Everybody in a community is invited to attend, voice their opinions and hear the responses from public figures and elected officials.”
This meeting offers you the opportunity to ask questions on any issue that may concern you. People have indicated to me that they have many concerns. They have told me that they either think the trolley is a waste of money or that they like it but it should be run more effectively. They want to know how much it really costs and how much are they paying for it to service so few.
If any of these issues or any others are a concern to you, then the town hall meeting is the ideal place to raise them. We have to move away from a show-and-tell format, and make it a truly democratic form with a exchange of thoughts and ideas for improving our community. Otherwise, it may end up being the start of the campaigning for the upcoming municipal elections just four and a bit months from now.
I hope that the citizens of Ladysmith will take this opportunity to come out and participate in this town hall meeting, because it is for you. It allows you to help shape our community, by making our elected officials more responsible to you the voter.
Rob Johnson
Ladysmith