I have seen a copy of the consolation letter that was sent from the Mayor’s office to the unsuccessful candidates in the last Prince Rupert elections. I will share the words with you here as they bothered me and I want to see if I am over-reacting.
“Every member of City Council can sympathize with you on the stress, anxiety and disappointment you have undergone through the process of the Municipal Elections. If it is any consolation, I too have previously been unsuccessful at the polls.
Since finding myself in the Mayor’s chair I have become even more aware of the critical nature of the role Council plays. The commitment is huge and it is exciting and at the same time humbling to have so many of our citizens eager and willing to take on the enormous responsibility. Win or lose, the very act of running for office is a reason for congratulations.
The campaigns were clean, issues-based and presented the public with a good range of choices.
Congratulations on your courage and commitment. We look forward to watching you serve our community in the future.
Sincerely Mayor Herb Pond”
Aside from the fact that one should never use the words “stress, anxiety and disappointment” in a consolation letter - especially to open it…does anyone else see the paradigms hidden in the text?
For instance, “watching you serve our community”…I happen to know that most of the candidates were offering to “work with” Mayor and council - but all he wants to do is “watch”. Also, as the successful elected officials, is it not THEIR job to “serve” the community?
I am very concerned for our community - when the Mayor is offering to watch others serve the community. He sure doesn’t seem willing to work with others to serve the community.
Opinions? I know that there are either very strong Pond supporters or Pond himself on this forum…what do you all think?
I’m sure he really means well… but the way he puts it… sounds more like a “neener neener neener, I got in and you didn’t” kinda thing. The whole idea of a consolation letter is kind of strange, but I guess it might make someone feel good to get a letter thanking them for trying.
Well I met Mayor Pond shortly after his election sorry the election, while standing on third avenue in his I am in a hurry mode, now trying to bring his attention to what I thought and still think are serious community issues. Forget that idea, he is to busy making sure that he is being seen looking interested but he lacks an attention span. If its not a photo opt. or if it means his mandate must stretch further then his desk , he is not willing to listen with both ears. Why is he always running?Where is he going?
What paradigms do you see hidden in the text? I don’t see any. I also have never heard of this rule regarding the words “stress, anxiety, and disappointment” concerning consolation letters.
I think you’re deliberately misinterpreting the phrase “watching you serve our community”. You’re taking it much too literally, for reasons that I can only guess at. It is important to remember that one can watch and still be engaged in activity simultaneously. Watching people serve our community does not preclude that person’s ability to serve the community also.
I think it’s quite ridiculous to interpret that phrase as “I look forward to not doing work.” You are stretching that quite a bit. I can only hypothesize that you’re bitter about the recent elections.
Most people who are elected would not take the time to write a letter that is intended as encouragement for other citizens to become civically engaged. He does this in good effect by using his own experiences of political non-success and his current achievements as an inspirational story for future candidates, and it illustrates the adage of ‘never giving up’ and how persistence pays off.
I feel that an apology is in order here, while we are talking about the Mayor’s letter and how people are reading it. I have voiced my opinion on how I read the mayor and the issue. But I apologize to Poolboy for using your name in reference to Pond reading these Threads.
Okay, this could just be my paranoid self showing, but I think this topic is leading to nothing good, it could be bordering on liable or deformation of character. And Mig wouldn’t want that. Hence it is locked.
