The Editor,
I find it hard not to be impressed by Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West’s apparently sole uncompromising ethical/moral stance against his Union of BC Municipalities peers’ acceptance of Chinese government money in exchange for the civic politicians’ collective ear.
Thus, although he may later change his political tune, I hope Mr. West does as he says and always abstains from provincial and, especially, federal politics.
Over my 32 years of observation, I’ve found that the further up the scale of political office one holds (i.e., locally as opposed to provincially and federally), the more varied and numerous the values and interests an elected official represents, thus the greater the degree of dilution and, yes, compromise of one’s admirable moral values. There’s a basically consistent human political history filled with examples of such great disappointments.
A part of me even doesn’t want them to win the election so those moral qualities can remain untainted.
Frank Sterle Jr., White Rock
