Delta city council candidate and activist Mike Smith’s ‘common sense’ platform includes city council getting out of its adversarial mindset to strengthen its relationship with the Delta Board of Education.
Smith says while parents were successful in convincing Delta to participate in the adult crossing guard program, but have a haphazard agreement on school field use, the two sides need to work more collaboratively on many issues which benefit kids and residents in general.
He believes rather than attacking the school board as one of the big slates now appears to be doing, in response to the school board’s public pressure for a new multi-million dollar track in North Delta, both sides need to take a different approach and consider school board and city owned lands as one, paid for by the same taxpayer.
“There’s a lot of things that intersect, but this city council as usual is bogged down in politics, rhetoric and posturing and that has to go,” said Smith in a news release. “We have to start looking at the Delta school board and the City of Delta’s properties as community assets and community amenities. There’s lots of innovative, outside-the-box ways the two sides can better collaborate rather than each side having a ‘this is my property and that is your land’ approach. And no, it doesn’t mean the city paying for everything. We need new thinking rather than the same, tired lack of leadership and spin.”
Smith says despite statements to the contrary, the school board/liaison committee, despite meeting regularly and communicating, has resulted in very little useful new benefits for the community.
Smith also says both sides should also be focusing together on a series of neglected safety issues including the loss of school bussing and more consistent traffic and speed enforcement, rather than an occasional blitz, around schools.
“Some schools in North and South Delta are like war zones in the morning. Homeowners living in these areas aren’t too happy either,” says Smith.
Smith adds it would be a good idea televising online Delta advisory committee meetings including the school board/liaison committee.
During the election campaign Smith will talk about several other much needed changes in the way the City of Delta conducts its business including staff and each councillor getting back in touch with residents by having conversations with individual neighbourhoods throughout Delta.
“It’s amazing how many issues you can solve and work out by giving residents their voices back and including them in the discussion,” he said.
