Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
His defence of this imposition on citizens is misguided fanaticism
Dear Editor,
Rickford Burke’s treatise on the goodness of parking meter revenue for development and the need for civic education is an excursion into obscurity and misguided fanaticism for bad public policy.
The Mayor’s and City Clerk’s rambles were just as misguided. What they, all three, fail to recognize is that in society bad public policy only results in worse outcomes. Not that good public policy always guarantees excellent outcomes. But, good public policy takes the society down the right road and sets the climate and atmosphere in which public feedback improves the results.
The Mayor and Town Clerk seem to believe that they have the authority to set fines and impose taxes without input from citizens and other stakeholders. So, they must take responsibility for the confrontational attitude and climate this parking meters fiasco has engendered.
Of course, the responsibility also extends to the national government for allowing this bad policy to be introduced without ensuring suitable public and stakeholders input. For now, let’s stay with the First Responders – Mayor and City Clerk.
The Town Clerk refers to and talks about progress and development and a modernized world in a global society to justify the parking meters. What key words are missing from his occasional rants are Collaboration and Consultation. Without practicing these two elements, forget progress and development and being in the modernized world. In other words, in the absence of the two elements, bad public policies are developed and serve to drive the society backwards. The one two dance; one step forward two steps backwards.
What justification has been put forward is that the City is supposed to generate revenue. Okay, that’s a laudable objective as additional revenue could allow for more and better services. Now, show the public the analysis of the options that were considered in choosing to go with Smart City – if it exists.
Clearly, it is a just case that users of public space should pay for that privilege. And it appears that citizens would be prepared pay a fair price. Obviously, Smart City’s option is not it. Do the Mayor, Town Clerk and others have character to do the right thing?
Phil Williams
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