- The Editor,
- Re: City of Coquitlam, council sued for not holding a byelection to replace Bonita Zarrillo (March 8, 2022)
- I, too, wonder why, as Neal Nicholson states, "I don't know why I, as a citizen, have to do this."
- From the article I read city council decided not to hold a byelection because of the proximity of a general election.
- The cost of a byelection is around $200,000.
- To me this seems like a logical and prudent decision and the rest of council agreed.
- This was not done behind closed doors or in secret, and council unanimously agreed to send a letter to the B.C.'s minister of municipal affairs to request that the byelection rule be waived.
- Seems to me that all the proper procedures were met.
- Why should taxpayers keep spending their tax dollars every time a councillor resigns for a byelection, especially when a general election is around the corner and election expenses are higher than normal, and turnout will be much lower because of a pandemic?
- This makes no sense.
- It is nice to see council recognize this and do something to change it. I applaud Coun. Dennis Marsden for bringing the motion forward.
- Suing the City of Coquitlam and every member of council is not done without cost.
- I see the legal action was filed by Neal Nicholson and "political activist" Wayne Taylor. There must be more of a reason for their decision to file this action than has been described.
- Now, the citizens of Coquitlam will be bearing the legal costs associated with this, and the fact that the councillors will be having to take a huge amount of time to address it and may require their own legal representation. This could balloon into massive costs.
- The reasons given for proceeding with this are poor and frankly hard to believe, at best.
- Unless there is something else out there — some hidden political or personal reason — and I feel there must be, the courts should throw this out and require the persons filing this claim to pay for all legal fees for both party's involved.
- Something stinks here.
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- Brian Slater, Coquitlam
