The Editor,
Re. "Mayor either does some work or doesn’t get paid" (Letters, The Tri-City News, June 20).
Random thoughts of things I might do if I was a Mayor on a paid leave of absence (collecting my full salary of $111,833) while awaiting trial on a single sexual assault charge of which I am totally innocent:
• Show up at a shoreline cleanup event to help pull invasive plants.
• Volunteer several times a week at a soup kitchen for the homeless.
• Volunteer to help with a community event such as the erection of the event tent at the Port Museum Station Museum.
• Become a volunteer to walk dogs at the Coquitlam Animal shelter.
• Offer to help with serving meals to the seniors at Kyle Centre on lunch days.
• Study Robert's Rules of Order and parliamentary procedures until I could quote from them verbatim.
• Review the city council and museum archives to familiarize myself with the history of Port Moody to ensure I am fully versed in why decisions were made or not made, resulting in situations we have today. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
• Swallow my pride a bit and perhaps do some introspection on how my actions and words may have contributed to the angry, polarized community we have currently in Port Moody.
• Adopt a street and be responsible for the regular cleanup of debris on it.
• Help assemble and paint tables and chairs for a community plaza place-making event.
Any other suggestions?
Wilhelmina Martin, Port Moody
