Former Springwater councillor comments on wasting / spending

Letter to the  Springwater News from Rick Webster

In a previous edition of this newspaper I stated that the existing Springwater Council should take careful note of the Township’s lawyer, Barnet Kussner advice to council in 2014. He was clear in saying that while he could not think of a way to stop the Midhurst Secondary Plan, he would be willing to take the taxpayer’s money to try.

This striking statement clearly was not heard by Mayor French. Previously, he has assured the ratepayers of Springwater that “Council will not waste taxpayer’s money on futile legal maneuvering”. Well, the truth does not support French’s position, not even remotely. Even though he talks the talk, his legal bills tell another story. I filed a Freedom of Information request and received the information below:

see Dec. 15 edition of Springwater News, page 11

The fact is, Mayor Bill French has spent $569,584 of Springwater taxpayer money, our money, on legal fees in his term of office. Much of this spending is on feeble attempts to stymie growth already approved by the county and the province. Whether you agree with growth or not, what is approved cannot be stopped.

Not only has the allocated population for Midhurst not stopped, it was recently increased by 3,000.

Pre-election 2014, the premier stated that the province would not stop plans for Midhurst nor were there any legal arguments that could stop it.

Thus the current Council has now wasted hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars on an unwinnable cause.

An endless stream of motions at meetings by Deputy Mayor Don Allen and other Council members continue to gobble up legal fees.

The is simply carless and wasteful of your tax dollars by a mayor and council that just doesn’t care.

Submitted by Rick Webster

aka; The Local Old Crony