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Look at Events Centre, not Brownshak

With regard to the Brownshak issue, does the time line, dates or how the mayor received the information really matter, or is it the real underlying issues that the Township taxpayers should be concerned about?

Editor: Much is being written in the local newspaper editorials and letters to editors, and statements are being put forward by council members to discredit Mayor Rick Green. By bringing forward information that could possibly show a conflict of interest or wrongdoing within the Township administration, council or between independent parties, it indicates that the mayor had a major concern and was doing the duties of the job that he was elected for.

It appears that some people would have been happier if he had looked the other way.  With regard to the Brownshak issue, does the time line, dates or how the mayor received the information really matter, or is it the real underlying issues that the Township taxpayers should be concerned about?

For the last three years, the mayor has received little or no co-operation, support or help from this council.  They have blocked his efforts in every way they could — especially with the Lidstone Report costing approximately $100,000 and proving nothing, wasting time and resolving nothing.

Now with an election looming, Councillor Grant Ward, who isn’t satisfied with the initial results of the report, wants yet another inquiry (witch hunt) at the taxpayers' expense to muzzle and further discredit Green. The question is why? What does this council and its circle of good old boys have to hide? Please fill in the blanks.

I suggest that the hidden issues are mainly about the Langley Events Centre. I surmise that hastily drawn up contracts and agreements between the Township and its legal representatives, legal consultants to developers and other consultants were initiated and passed without the proper scrutiny. Was this an oversight, incompetence or inexperience? Was this an open opportunity?

Unfortunately for the taxpayers of Langley Township, loopholes in the agreements were big enough to haul armoured truckloads of cash through on the way to the bank.  Were millions of dollars of easy money siphoned off from the private/public agreements? Were other consultants involved? How much money was paid out to resolve the problems? Was money paid out unnecessarily?

Who were the lawyers representing the developers?  Who were the lawyers representing the Township?  Is there a conflict of interest?  Who banked the money?  Who knows the answers?

Don’t ask the current council for insight — you will get stonewalled much like Mayor Green has been.  Perhaps the election of all new candidates for council and re-election of Mayor Green will bring some much needed honest answers. It is time for a major change of councillors in the Township election.

John Eckland,

Langley