By Ralph Banni

In my opinion, municipal politicians need to remember that they are working for you. You have hired them to do the job of taking care of your city—a place you can enjoy, relax in, perhaps work in, shop in, and where you can feel safe and comfortable living. Your council is supposed to have your best interests at heart. They aren’t working for another level of government, or a union. They are working for you, the taxpayers of the city. Your representatives are your voice when your tax dollars are being spent.

Should a council be allowed to increase your taxes because of their mismanagement of your money? Not in my book. We need people on council who will ask the tough questions and make tough decisions. We need leadership and people who understand that our tax dollars are not disposable income.

Coquitlam needs more members of council who do not rely on those who support their campaigns or organizations such as special interest groups or other levels of government to get them elected. Council also needs more people with a business background who can see what questions need asking, ask those tough questions, and not be afraid of having difficult discussions with employee groups and contractors. We need people who stand up for the rights of the average citizen in our community. We need people on council who know that tax increases of five percent and utility increases of 17 percent won’t be tolerated by the voters in Coquitlam, and we need those people on council now!

The city has spent millions of dollars on cost overruns for projects such as the Poirier Street Leisure Complex and Spirit Square across from City Hall. Neither project has come in on-time or on-budget. And we, the citizens of this fine city, are paying for this mismanagement. It’s not just good enough to adjust the budget upwards and then say you’re within budget—that’s what is happening in Coquitlam right now.

Do you believe we should pay more than once for the exact same thing? Well that’s what is happening in Coquitlam. We paid for the Poirier ice arena to be upgraded. During construction the machinery sat idle. Now that the arena is completed, the machinery needs servicing. We are paying to have ice time at Planet Ice while our brand new arena sits idle waiting for maintenance to be done on equipment that should have been ready to use when the arena was re-opened.

And then there’s the money that has been spent on the Poirier library roof. The roof continues to leak. It’s never been properly fixed although it has cost us lots to have it mended, only to find that it still leaks the next time it rains.

These are just a few examples of why your taxes have been increasing.

It’s time for you to take control of excesses by electing people who will manage your money and keep your taxes down. Other cities can do it and Coquitlam should be able to do it too.

Ralph Banni is running for Coquitlam city council in the May 15 by-election.