Delta council is about halfway through its current term.
I have been musing about the current state of affairs. We know that three of the current six councillors are so thrilled with their municipal jobs that they decided to run for MLA in the recent election.
Of these, Bruce McDonald and Sylvia Bishop were left in the minors, while Scott Hamilton moved up to the Bigs. We can expect McDonald and Bishop to be less than enthusiastic about having to spend another four years in the minors; but Hamilton is showing them that you really can have it all.
Most people would be delighted to move on to a new job that pays three times more, but Scott Hamilton just can't bear to give up his old one; so he is keeping them both. One might wonder why.
Is Hamilton concerned that a successor might not vote exactly as he would, thereby thwarting the true will of the people?
Is he concerned that his quest to turn South Delta into the new Coquitlam might be vanquished? It's just bizarre. It's hard to believe, but it does appear that Hamilton went into the provincial election with no strategy about what he would do if he won.
He certainly will fit in in Victoria; but he should resign his council seat forthwith.
The folks that invested their time and money into Bishop and McDonald's municipal campaigns are likely relieved that they lost in the provincial election, but they have to be wondering why they bothered and whether they will reinvest next fall.
Who would support candidates who don't want to be there?
The public in Ladner is riled up about a rezoning, as is the public in North Delta, and soon the circus will return to Tsawwassen.
So where is the mayor amid all this civic angst? Norway. It was reported in the July 14 Optimist that (1) the port has no intention or plan to put a crude oil or LNG capability in Deltaport, and (2) the mayor and CAO are going to Norway nevertheless on the public tab to inspect crude oil and LNG facilities, notwithstanding (3) there are such facilities in Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax as well as Cherry Point, Anacortes, Long Beach and so on.
Stuff like this makes the job of being an occasional Optimist columnist a pure delight. Simply put, the mayor and her entourage (she always travels with one) are off on a vacation to Europe at your expense.
It sure beats listening to people whine about mega-developments. It's not a precedent either.
Remember the trip to India to 'develop port business'?
Or maybe you missed the small item on page 4 of the May 20, 2011 Optimist: "The contact with royalty was not finished, however, as Mayor Lois Jackson and her administrative assistant attended a reception and dinner [in London], and later shared the Royal Box with Prince Andrew." That trip was otherwise unreported.
Time to clean house next November folks.
