Members of city council rarely respond to Letters to the Editor that are openly critical, preferring instead to meet with individuals and focus on solving issues in a more proactive manner.
However, the Penticton Herald has publicly printed several statements by Wayne Llewellyn (Oct. 29) and Elvena Slump (Oct. 31) that need to be corrected in the same manner:
There was no error in procedure in the Oct. 21 city council meeting. The unfortunate interpretation is due to the narrow view of the camera which could not record the actions of Councillors Hopkin and Jakubeit.
The initial motion, made by the author of the report, was ignored by the mayor who instead followed correct procedure. Coun. Hopkin moved and Coun. Jakubeit seconded receipt of the report, the question was called and the report was received unanimously by council.
Allegations of improper procedure from Mr. Llewellyn which are reinforced by Ms. Slump and printed by the Penticton Herald are erroneous.
The FOI request, which Ms Slump states she is still waiting for, was, in fact, responded to via letter on July 9.
Penticton City Council, like all other municipalities in the province, is bound by law to follow Section 90 of Community Charter.
Although the common vernacular distills these rules down to “land, legal and labour,” there are actually 20 reasons certain meetings should legally be closed to the public.
Mayor and council take their responsibility to be open and transparent very seriously and take every step to ensure that decisions are made in the public realm as much as legally possible.
The CAO does not sit on the board of Tourism Penticton, and only sits on the board of Challenge Penticton at the direct request of council and due to her successful experience with organizing similar events.
We, the mayor and council for the City of Penticton, whole-heartedly welcome debate and discussion of the issues.
We have the common goal of making our city the best it can be and can only do so with community input and support. Mayor, council and staff work very hard to make your ideas become reality.
Discussion is best when based on accurate facts.
Mayor Garry Litke and council