email to Merrick requesting his resignation

I sent this email to Merrick earlier today:

Hello Merrick,

I have a huge amount of respect for your long history of service to our community over the last 42+ years I've been here. We have a long and friendly relationship, which I hope continues for many more years together here.

I had thought that I would not do this again, but I am asking you to resign your position as our Area E PRRD director. Over the last few years it has been abundantly and repeatedly clear that you are not doing the work in a way that we need.

First, it was the parking lot, which came as a complete surprise to most people, as the community was working (under the Island Trust's APC, as you had asked it to) to come up with community solutions to the parking near False Bay problems. You had not consulted with the community, and we were surprised and alarmed with the "solution" you imposed.

Then Powell River, under your guidance I assume but at least your knowledge, tried to impose, and convince us that we needed, NI911. The community was again surprised by this, and after listening to the PRRD presentation, was not favourably impressed or convinced. We had to spend a good deal of energy and time and considerable money to convince the board that we could come up with other and better options to NI911, and they finally appointed an advisory committee that did huge amounts of work, and spent huge amounts of time and energy again, and considerable out-of-pocket money too, devising and refining options and costing them out, and presenting a report and unanimous recommendation from the community to the board.

This, especially the surprise near-imposition of NI911, should not have happened. You, as our regional director, had a responsibility to let the community know what was being considered, and should have asked for our responses and thoughts, and communicated them to the staff and other board members. This would have helped avoid a huge amount of animosity and bad feeling, but you didn't do it. You didn't ask us what we thought. Even when we told you, you either didn't listen, didn't understand, or didn't care. Whichever it was, you did not represent our views to PRRD. If you had, there would have been far less controversy, and far more productive and cooperative relationships between us and Powell River.

This most recent conflict about the huge budget increase that was proposed is inexcusable. A regional director, like any locally elected official, has a huge responsibility with budget and financial planning and taxation issues. There is a constant need to balance needs and money, taxes and services. Whatever happens, our representative needs to let us know what is planned, and seek the community's agreement. You did not let us know that this huge increase in fire department budget and regional district taxes was even a possibility. When we found out, you were away on vacation, for the time when the regional district has to decide on its budget for next year. We had to deal with your alternate director, who was not particularly familiar with the budget items, or with board and committee procedures.

Laurence did his best, and responded to community questions and concerns. He told us about meetings and what was discussed, and asked us to contact him about issues. The increase of Lasqueti property taxes for PRRD services would have been an astounding 24.55%. This is unheard of and outrageous, and Laurence agreed to have the fire department budget, which was scheduled to have increased by 32.1%, reduced significantly, with the agreement of our fire chief. The department could keep on improving, and PRRD taxes would still go up, but not so much.

You came home on the day of the last Committee of the Whole meeting, and met with Laurence, who told you of what had been happening. You apparently changed your mind about Laurence carrying on for us at that meeting,  and you "represented" us yourself at the meeting, insisting that the proposed budget was necessary, and that the increases in it had to stay, and that we taxpayers would simply have to bite the bullet and pay the hugely increased PRRD taxes for 2017.

Subsequently, when discussing the budget, you told me that you didn't bother with nitpicky details of budgets, and seemed not to understand budget amounts from recent years, what increases or decreases there had been, or what various budget categories meant and were used for. Budget and taxation and spending and finances is the most important responsibility of our representative. You have failed to carry it out. You persisted in what  you wanted, knowing that the community opposed it massively, until the blizzard of opposition overran you, and made your position untenable.

Your repeated and continuing failure to inform our community, to listen to us, to understand us, and to even acknowledge and recognize what we would like, want and demand are not acceptable. It is impossible to believe that you will change your ways, after these three major issues. Our community needs to have a new start, and build a new relationship with our regional district, based on open and honest communication between the community and our representative, and between our representative and the regional district. There has been far too little communication, and far too much animosity. It's time for a major housecleaning, and for a new representative.

The cost of a by-election, as you now know, will be approximately $5,000.  This is not an unreasonable amount to pay for the community to have a new and trustworthy representative, who will begin to forge open and cooperative relationships between our community and our regional district.

As you are aware, there is no way to recall you or force you to resign as our regional director. I ask you to resign, quietly and sensibly. It is not reasonable for the community to have to keep track of RD events and discussions, and monitor what's happening, but this will be necessary for as long as your are our director. We can't trust that you will tell us, or ask us, or listen to us. We need a new representative, who can serve us with a new level of trust, beginning very soon, not in October 2018.

I think you will find early retirement simpler and more pleasant than carrying on with the level of stress and distrust that now exists.

Respectfully,  your neighbour and friend,   Peter