Volume 80 Issue No. 12 Rosko’s leadership style Council affirmation required To some, the distinction is slight. But to members of Town of Sidney council, a distinction between personal and council-supported statements must be made consistently. In a memo to council Ald. Don Amos requests that the content of the Town’s newsletter, Town Talk, be approved by council prior to publication. His concer is that opinions that are not necessarily supported by council could be included. Events in the past have made Amos, and other aldermen including Ald. John Calder, wary of Mayor Marie Rosko’s style of government. At the onset of her term, Rosko sent the Ministry of Transportation four options for alternative designs for the Pat Bay Highway as it effects Sidney. The alternatives were not the subject of public discussion. The majority of Sidney’s residents had no idea what was contained in the three alternatives. Yet the ministry was asked to consider them. More recently, residents opposed to the John Road flyover scheme signed a petition and submitted it to council in mid-November. It finally appeared at a council committee in January, Some members of council did not see the petition until six weeks after it was delivered to Town Hall. During the last municipal election, Rosko ran on a platform of open goverment. She made statements about the importance of teamwork and the wealth of experts she could draw from. The ideas put forth during and after the successful campaign left the impression that the new mayor would be a facilitator, bringing solid ideas from experts to council. Rosko said March 9 that the mayor, as civic head, is the Town’s spokesman, with the right to represent Sidney and speak on issues. Yes, the mayor is the Town’s spokesman. But the municipal council is a corporate body that makes decisions after reaching a consensus. Where no consensus is reached, council does not have an opinion and any opinion expressed by the mayor must include a clear statement of its personal ongin. : Monday it was revealed that Rosko sought a meeting with Ministry of Environment officials, apparently to discuss the affect on the sewage treatment plant of approving affordable housing projects on McDonald Park Road. Her action side-stepped the rest of council. Calder protested, wondering why Rosko and Town staff would “awaken a sleeping giant.” Rosko said the Town “was already in this position” before the meeting. Regardless, council is on record against the projects. Ironically, at the time it was Rosko who cast the deciding vote against allowing the projects to go ahead. Before such discussions, the mayor must have a clear direction from council. If the intention of the meeting was to seek approval for further connections, a motion approving the developments subject to Ministry approval would be in order. Consultant George Cuff said Rosko is “viewed as a hard-working and sincere person who is working on her skills to perform her duties well.” Cuff also said good leadership involves forcing council to establish clear corpor- ate objectives. With extensive experience in small business ventures, Rosko is accustomed to the old adage: “If you want it done right, sometimes. you have to do it yourself.” Unfortunately, when Town business is involved, that philosophy cannot apply. ! (ie “S ii, f a Ce, EEE ae 46 ES > = SATURDAY, MARCH 2 BOLSTERS GARAGE W.Saanich Rd 4 Wallace Drive TheReview Wednesday, March 18,1992 — A6 — Tue LIONS WANT To WASH YOUR CAR .. bj i Ut ci (by PROCEEDS TO | TUMY'S, IBLE THON =a gg } f ~ Tee Qa won Pai 9am -3emM The R. evi ew Serving the Saanich Peninsula Since 1912 9726 - First St. P.O. Box 2070 Sidney, B.C. V8L3C9 _ Sidney, B.C. V8L 399 656-1151 Publisher: Rory McGrath Editor: Glenn Werkman Reporters: Valorie Lennox Advertising: Brian Wyatt Girard Hengen Corrie Morozofi Production Manager: Tamie Sargeant Office Manager: Lori Fitzpatrick Circulation Manager: Wendy Denison BAITISH COLUMBIA AND YUKON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION CONTROLLED For equal access Editor: As a property owner in North Saanich and Central Saanich, I cannot help’ but wonder about the decisions of Central Saanich coun- cil. Unless I misread The Review, it states that Central Saanich won't pay to support the Panorama Lei- sure Centre but are going to spend $460,000 for a fieldhouse, wash- rooms and janitor storage at Cen- tennial Park. At present my main residence is in North Saanich but in future it may be in Central Saanich. I will definitely still use the Panorama over any other facility and I want equal access to it. I know this is the view of many young families in Central Saanich. Let’s get moving with financial support to the facility and not be swayed by a few loud voices who veto everything when it may cause a tax increase. All the activities at such a centre make for healthy and happy citi- Zens. Betty Fulton North Saanich Best friend barks back Editor: My name is “Lucky” and daily I go to Roberts Bay on a 20-foot retractable leash. My Mom and Dad are avid bird watchers, hence we head for Roberts Bay. Whilst on my daily journeys | love to sniff out the various rocks, shells, and grasses. What I do find on my explora- tions are old rusted tins, broken glass, rags, and other human waste. This makes me sad. However, I must admit to bodily functions when the need arises. This causes my parents very little alarm as my Mom scoops my droppings into her plastic bags. I’ve studied my ancestor’s lives and we were a busy lot. Keeping feet warm at the bottom of their beds, herding sheep and cattle, guarding their homes and property. We gave comfort, adoration, love and respect to our owners. Now it seems there’s a lot of “dog bash- ing” going on. Perhaps you all could spend some time deciding what to do with you human waste that pours into the ocean and henceforth into Roberts Bay. What happened to man’s best friend? “Woof” sincerity, Lucky de Bourbon Barbara de Bourbon Sidney Insensitive editing Editor: I think it’s a shame when a newspaper that purports to serve the community will print a short submitted article minus ONE sent- ence — the one containing the names of three local residents. (Prez steps down, The Review, March 11.) Careful editing demands sensit- ivity, if not expertise. If I may fill in the blank: Also joining the board as directors of Project Literacy Saanich Peninsula are Ruth Barron, Dean O’Connor and Joyce Rhodes. Penny Enever Co-ordinator Peninsula Upgrading Project Sidney : Smokers gamble with child’s fate ‘Editor: I received only one negative response to my letter that com- pared the sexual abuse of children to those forced to endure the same atmosphere as their smoking par- ent(s) (Smoking is also form of abuse, he Review, Jan. 15). That was in the letter you pub- lished from Mrs. Wendy McBude of Sidney (No comparision, The Review, Jan. 29). Several telephone callers supported my comments. I concede only one point to Mrs. McBride and that is in my choice of the word “constant.” Yes it was an exaggeration ... but then so was her statement that her children were exposed to the “odd cloud of second-hand smoke.” Clouds know no frontiers and the carcinogens they contain are still circulating in the environment — albeit diluted — long after they have dissipated. Undeniably horrible though their experiences are, most chil- dren do not have their lives shor- tened as a result of being sexually abused. People who contract the kind of diseases promoted by the irresponsible behavior of smokers, e.g. lung cancer, emphysema, etc. are not so fortunate. I sincerely hope that Mrs. McBride and her “three perfectly healthy’’ children continue to “survive.” However the British medical report I quoted from was the result of 20 years of research — five years longer than she has been married to a smoker. To brag about such good luck at this time seems not only naively premature, but the ultimate temptation of Providence. Peter J. Hedge Sidney Forestry question in perspective Editor: The troubles that we see in our forests are but examples of a larger, systemic problem. The story of the “Tragedy of the Commons” helps tO put it in perspective. “Tn a certain village 20 families live, and they share a common pasture for their household milk cows. The commons is just big enough to support exactly 20 cows. As long as each family puts just one cow out to pasture there, there will be plenty of grass for all of them, and all will have mild.” If, however, one family puts two cows there, none of the cows will get quite enough to eat. The differ- ence won't be large. Nene of the animals will starve, but their Continued on Page A8 | ! ——————————————————