Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook Society provides grassroots leadership and an inclusive process, with a voice for all community members, to ensure that our community grows and develops in a way that incorporates an environmental ethic, offers a range of housing and transportation choices, encourages a vibrant and cultural life and supports sustainable, meaningful employment and business opportunities.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Councillor Warner responds to Alex Jensen and his letter to the Townsman

Regarding letter from Alex Jensen in Townsman, Monday November 10th 

Ah, Alex. Norma Blissett hasn’t been elected a councillor yet as your Nov. 10 letter alleges, but I’m sure she would make a fine councillor and thanks for doing your best to promote her. As for me, a self-proclaimed independent running for re-election, I’ve never belonged to a political party which is why I call myself an “independent.” Mind you, I’ve volunteered for political parties, the last one being the Reform Party that gave birth to the federal conservatives, about as far from “tax and spend” as you can get. As for the slate bogeyman, the closest thing I’ve seen to a municipal slate in Cranbrook was the last election when four former Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce presidents ran and lost. This year, the chamber wisely decided to live up to its non-partisan mandate and declined to get directly involved in the election. I commend them for that which is more than I can say Alex for your attempts to sling mud in the current campaign.
Ciao . . .


Councillor Gerry Warner

Further:

Time to set the record straight on an underhanded attempt to smear four of the candidates running for Mayor and Council.  Speaking only for myself, I was not interviewed by anyone from CUPE during this campaign nor have I knowingly spoke to any CUPE member though I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to do so the same as I’d speak to any Cranbrook citizen. I did fill out a CUPE questionnaire that I received in the mail and my good wife Sandra dropped it off at the CUPE office. That’s the total extent of my CUPE involvement and I certainly don’t apologize for it as I filled out a questionnaire from the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce too. That’s what candidates do in elections. So what’s going on here? Alex Jensen, who made the original slate allegation in the Cranbrook Townsman, ran in the 2002 civic election as an unabashed member of a slate along with lawyers Ron Miles and John Zimmer and local businessman Percy Davis. Except they weren’t honest enough to call it a slate.  They called it a “team” and at an all candidates meeting Nov. 14, 2002 Miles defended the team approach saying the team was just a group of friends and “friendship helps the decision-making process.”
No kidding! And how did the team fare in the 2002 election? Miles came in third out of three in the mayoralty contest and Jensen finished 10th out of 13 running for Council.
The people of Cranbrook saw very clearly through that “team” and I believe they will see  just as clear-eyed through Jensen’s baseless allegation in the current campaign.
Sincerely,

Councillor Gerry Warner

Nov. 13, 2014

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