The Editor,
I have received a slick, glossy flyer from New Westminster-Coquitlam NDP MP Fin Donnelly in which he endorses a slate of candidates for the mayor and council of Port Moody.
I am disturbed by this flyer for a number of reasons. First, MP Donnelly, although well known, is not a citizen of Port Moody, nor is he the member of Parliament for most of its citizens. Second, it appears that I am being encouraged to vote along party lines and to support a slate of NDP-backed candidates rather than to choose candidates who will govern according to community needs on an issue-by-issue basis rather than in accordance to party policy.
Slate politics at the municipal level often lead to a divisive community. We are not well-served by councils that operate on party lines rather than by candidates who will represent all citizens and who will seek consensus on issues based on the evidence most relevant to the issues.
We are best served by open-minded, reflective, collaborative councils, councils that keep in touch with the community and are not tied to a provincial or federal party. MP Donnelly obviously thinks differently, as must the slate of candidates he endorses.
What's next? After the municipal election, will city councils now endorse candidates seeking office at the federal level in 2015? I hope not.
MP Donnelly's endorsement has convinced me to not vote for any member of his slate.
Tarry Grieve, Port Moody
