Letter: Petitioners upset with advance vote location

The following is an open letter to Mayor and Council

Who decides where the advance voting polls are set up – Council or Administration or both?

How convenient to have the 2nd advance voting poll at the Rendez-Vous open on Saturday April 12th from 10:00 until 4:00 right during the heavier traffic times for people going through the Trade Show. How convenient that the Town of Morinville will have a booth open promoting the Town. However, I’m sure that our Director of Corporate Operations will spend a lot of time handing out his stats and giving his personal opinion on the benefits of photo radar. I always thought that on topics going to vote our town employees were to be impartial?

In our opinion, two things come to mind – undue influence and what a ‘tacky’ approach!

However, I believe that the residents of the Town of Morinville are smart enough to make up their own minds and will vote appropriately.

Linda Lyons and Cliff Haryett

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

12 Comments

  1. I am a little stunned that you both felt that the location of the advance vote warranted a letter to the editor. Is there some sort of proof that the town employees have been instructed to “sell the benefits of photo radar”? Please provide proof and not speculation.

    If you are so sure the the Director of corporate operations will give “his personal opinion” on the matter instead of “the facts” (assuming his opinion is not the same as yours) I recommend filing a complaint with municipal affairs, collecting witness statements and the documentation with misinformation and taking town administration to task. A letter of speculation to the general public is of little value.

    I absolutely respect that you guys have been so successful in getting an issue your passionate about in the public forefront. That takes skill, timing and fortitude. This letter looks like a slide away from healty debate.

    Respectfully
    Paul Smith

  2. The very next letter in tonight’s lineup is titled: “Ask the experts”. Read it and tell us if you think that both sides of this terribly emotional issue will be presented. Remember the Town’s Open House on this subject held last month? If I’m not mistaken, the only people NOT invited to attend were those who instigated (or supported) the petition.

    Fair? Not in my estimation.

    Thank goodness this will all be history come Monday night, eh?

  3. Linda & Cliff, I laughed out loud when I read your article. Thanks, I really needed that after my hectic week! You say “how convenient to have the 2nd advance voting poll at the Rendez-Vous open on Saturday April 12th from 10:00 until 4:00 right during the heavier traffic times for people going through the Trade Show.” Remind us again where you set up your petition to capitalize on large volumes of traffic in order to obtain more signatures… oh right… it was outside the building that housed the municipal ELECTION last fall. Surely YOU see the irony in that!! You say tacky, I say timely!

  4. Do not fear my friends, most people have had their minds made up a long time ago. You did get 900 signatures on the petition, and I have faith in a quote from Abraham Lincoln ” You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.” This being said, the argument the town has put forth supporting photo enforcement has been so full of holes that I’m sure more people will see it for what it is worth. To me having an advanced poll set up where a lot of Morinville residence can vote is great. Recent polls in BC have said that more people prefer photo radar than increasing the speed limits, 38% in favor of Photo Radar, 36 against raising speed limits, the figure that counts is that 60% of the population were still against photo Radar. As James said Read “Ask the experts”, as I read it, they now have “QUOTAS” in place

  5. Thank-you for your comment this morning Trent. It appears Linda and Cliff hold different standards for the town as opposed to themselves…

  6. Seriously? The location of the advance poll is a concern? Wow. Some people need a hobby.

  7. Well I guess some people just rant happy unless they are complaining about something.

  8. I thought the location of the advance poll very convenient, as I was able to vote on my way into the tradeshow. I would see this as an excellent way to increase the number of residents voting, no matter your views on the subject.

  9. It has been written, he who has no sin may cast the first stone, for me, that means I will stand at the back of the pack, for I am a sinner, that, I will freely admit. In the past few weeks, I have shared my opinion with you through comments on letters and articles people have submitted to this paper. My statements have been researched, and no one has tried to question my conclusions. I have seen flaws in arguments from people who I support with all my heart, and if you ask them, I have pointed them out. We live in a democracy, we have the privilege to tell our leaders how we want to be led. With this being said, we also have the responsibility not to waste this special gift bestowed upon us. I will take my stand now, and in defence of Linda and Cliff remind you of the fundamental freedoms we all enjoy. Freedom is tolerance, the less tolerance we as a society are willing to give, the less freedom as a society we will enjoy. I have already made my choice, I have shared my opinion, and I vote the way I will vote. You have been given the same freedom, don’t waste it. Linda and Cliff made a decision to petition the town to remove Photo Radar enforcement from this town. I signed the petition and did so of my own free will, my reasons have been shared, some people have read them. I have personally talked to Linda and Cliff since they submitted this letter. As much as I support their efforts, and wish the letter they wrote had not been submitted, I still remain loyal to their cause. A true democracy allows both sides of an argument to have equal representation, were supporters of the Bylaw invited to the trade show, answer no. When I went to the trade show, anti bylaw supporters had a booth set up much the same as they had at the open house. By the election act, and votes on bylaws fall under the same act, no party shall conduct campaigning on an election while voting is taking place. This is the point Linda and Cliff were trying to make, however badly worded. Remember, you can click on dislike to this comment because you are free and have freedom of thought, for this I am grateful.. I am also grateful for the fact that for the first time since Photo Traffic Enforcement has been introduced I now have a chance to say yes or no, Isn’t democracy wonderful. No mater what the cost, every vote counts, and for this, I have the chance to vote, for that I thank Linda and Cliff.

    • The trade show is run by the Chamber Rick. If Linda and Cliff wanted a booth, they could have paid for one and campaigned their side. Apparently they chose to not do this.

      • You are absolutely right Richard and I apologize for my comment about Cliff and Linda not being invited to the trade show. I am not perfect and sometimes may say the wrong thing. The point I should have made, and will now is that neither side should have been there. A trade show selling Morinville should not be the battle grounds for this issue. Again I will send an apology from all of us on both sides of the fence that this issue was brought forward to put a black mark on such an important event for this town. But I will add, when Linda and Cliff petitioned at the Municipal election site, they were well within their rights as they we petitioning for a cause, and not campaigning for a vote.

  10. As a resident who reads the articles on this site regularly, I’ll be glad when this whole mess was over. It’s almost as polarising as the school mess just a few years ago. To me, this debate has not changed my mind. For the record, I’ll be voting to keep photo radar because it is better than nothing or the hope that our Peace Officers will catch people. I saw at least two people pulled over on Saturday – Peace Officer practice? I don’t want my taxes to increase to pay yet another town salary. But I will admit that it has made me want to ask the town to change how photo radar is currently being run.

Comments are closed.