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~â€"Connolly‘s comments are not always constructive Which one is it Mike? If Mike Connolly wrote about other than city matters I don‘t think that 1 would feel as I do. gain, I read the June 27 edition Agf the Waterloo Chronicle nly to see where Mike Connolly, former city councilor is again playing politics. Guest columâ€" nist or a spring board for the next election? Having read his "opinions" for the past few months, it is obvious to me that his comments are not always constructive from my point of view or necessarily in the taxpayâ€" ers best interests. His reactionary lowed it. The Record keeps printing chair of finance committee beside my name without informing its readers that Waterloo does not have a finance committee. The actual posiâ€" tion is chair of finance. There is no committee. My only responsibilities were to chair the budget debate each year. The Record should know this, because its reporters have been covâ€" ering Waterloo City Hall for decades. urther to your article "Potters FWorkshnp member _ raises safety concerns," there are still outstanding safety â€" issues at Waterloo â€" Potters Workshop (WPW)]. The first discussions on the financing of RIM Park were in cauâ€" cus {under rules of procedure) and then in open council. Yet recently, almost every time anything conâ€" cerning RIM Park is printed, 1 am named and identified as the chair of finance committee inferring that I city matters I don‘t think that 1 Let us respect this and give them _ right as anyone else to express his would feel as I do. some time to try to iron out the difâ€" â€" opinions, for the Chronicle to feaâ€" Having read his "opinions" for _ ficulties thecity finds itself in. If they _ ture him as a "Guest Columnist" at the past few months, it is obvious to do not come clean in due course _ least monthly makes one wonder if me that his comments are not â€" then we as the electorate can turf the Chronicle is so desperate for always constructive from my point _ them out of office, just as what hapâ€" . news they will stoop to any level. of view or necessarily in the taxpayâ€" â€" pened to Mr. Connolly during the Bob Beausoleil, ers best interests. His reactionary â€" last election. Waterloo Stories weren‘t factually accurate Safety issues still outstanding at WPW You said it My report itemized 25 of them QUESTION WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A FAIR PRICE FOR GREEN FEES AT GREY SILO GOLF COURSE? fter the Friday, June 29 Record editorial, I am not surprised at the tone of the letters that folâ€" in it BBR an comments respecting the Rim Park deal, the mayor‘s brown bag meetâ€" ings, etc., however do make news and keep his name before the elecâ€" torate. The mayor and our elected offiâ€" cials tell us they cannot speak on the RIM Park issue at this time due to possible litigation. had more inflfence than other councillors did. Given that the Record continues to misinform its readers, it is not surprising that writers of letters to the editor, who receive their inforâ€" mation from the Record, continue to repeat the misinformation. 1 strongly object to being labeled more responsible for this problem than any other councillor is. At the time RIM Park financing approval was given, I was a member of council, nothing more and nothâ€" ing less. I had no more information about the project than any other councilâ€" lor did. All information sessions, where questions could be and were asked, were open to all councillors. At no time and in no way whatsoever were councillors informed that the interâ€" est rate on the financing was anyâ€" and only six have been addressed by the city‘s Fire Safety Inspection for which it has jurisdiction. â€" "The others can only be addressed by the Ministry of Labour (MOL) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE). "Up to $28 is a com petitive rate." "I think $20 is fair since you can go just about anywhere to hit a golf ball." ( t i 6 Colby Lemoine HE CHRONICL] COMMENT Do not forget who the councillor was chair of finance when the recommendation was made to supâ€" port the RIM Park financial arrangeâ€" ment. I could be just as critical of him as he is of the current council and mayor. j s While Mr. Connolly has the same right as anyone else to express his opinions, for the Chronicle to feaâ€" ture him as a "Guest Columnist" at least monthly makes one wonder if the Chronicle is so desperate for news they will stoop to any level. thing other than 4.73 per cent. We fully understand the deal as preâ€" sented to us. Council passed this motion in council and directed staff to carry out that motion. That is the authoâ€" rization for any contract made on city‘s behalf. I am pleased the Saturday July 7 record contained a small clarificaâ€" tion on page AZ. â€" When litigation or settlement over this agreement is resolved and the dust has finally settled, we will all know just how the RIM Park financing problem arose and how to prevent this from happening again. Until then, 1 hope the Record will exercise more care regarding my role in this situation and edit writâ€" ers‘ letters and reporters‘ columns to make them factually accurate. Mike Connolly, Waterloo Perhaps only after inspections and completion of any recommenâ€" dations of the MOL and MOE can the president of WPW declare it a safe working enivronment. "I think $45 is fine, if it‘s a good course." "I wouldn‘t pay more than $20. Though I‘m sure the old men in plaid pants who play golf can afford more than that." Jason Garramone Norm Robinson Phil Hennelly, WPW member am not surprised that Scott Piatkowski once again uses misinforâ€" Imation and distortions for another of his partisan attacks in his June 27 column. For your information Scott, I did not compare Canada to a Nazi regime, the Record did that. I deplore the sensational headline, along with the lead sentence in the Record on May 5, 2001. What I did say was that a liberal democratic government such as Canada should never remove citizenship lightly. Canada is a democratic government, definitely NOT totalitarian But sadly, citizenship rights of many innocent Ukrainian, German, and Japanese Canadians were abused during our wars, and many involved with organized labour were deported. Jews, Mennonites and others who the government deemed undesirable, were barred from Canada. These steps were taken by politicians making use of laws that allowed them to do so. On May 9, 2001, 1 explained my position in the House of Commons and promised to continue to fight to change the existing unjust citizenship revocation act. At the conclusion of my statement, I received a standing ovation from almost all members on both sides of the House. They understood that I opposed my own government on a matter of principle. They showed class, not partisanship. Scott, we know that principles and nonâ€"partisanship are not what your columns are about. e R::emly revealed information about the renaming of our illennium Park has created more questions. For example, why does one company donating a oneâ€"time finanâ€" cial gift get to name Waterloo‘s newest park? And, as Mike Connolly‘s letter to the editor (June 27) asks, why did the public not know a comâ€" mittee of citizens was formed to come up with ideas on how money for the park would be raised? What‘s also disturbing is that taxpayers were not told about the goals, the budget, and the authority given to this committee. How hard did this committee work to secure larger donations for the park? Did its members only go to their friends in the business community and stop looking after RIM offered $2 million? Why wasn‘t the public directly notified when the RIM offer would be discussed at a regular council meeting? The previous council flubbed the financial details. But it‘s the preâ€" sent council that changed our park‘s name without an appropriate public debate and or referendum. The present council decided for the rest of the 90,000 of us that only $2 million would be required to buy the chance to name the park â€" a park that already had a legal name, acceptable to the vast majority. Did not one member of counâ€" cil have the insight to suggest, for $2 million you can have one wall of the arena named, but for let‘s say $25 million, we‘ll ask the people of Waterloo what they think would be appropriate. While a few of your readers might not care what their park is named, the fact remains a majority of taxpayers have not yet agreed that anyone who pays two per cent of the overall cost of this park should get to name the park. Peter and Wavy Grainger, Thank God we have concerned citizens like Barry MacCormack who is not afraid to stand up for his belief that I‘m sure is shared by many other taxpayers in Waterloo. I myself have publicly stated my opinions on Millennium {RIM} Park and agree with Barry 100 per cent on the way the mayor and city council have handled this whole fiasco. Maybe the previous officials started the project but the preâ€" sent ones nailed the lid on the coffin. Mayor Woolstencroft even admitted that the contract documents concerning the park are using the "Millennium Park" title because it was started before the RIM donation. She firmly stated that this was only a "technicality" and council would not allow it to be opened to the public in Waterloo. To make matters worse, council later decided to name the golf course "Grey Silo" after a soâ€"called public competiâ€" tion. I haven‘t met anyone around here yet, golfer or not, who thinks that name even merits consideration. This is a flagrant misuse of authority. As Barry MacCormack stated in his articles, contact your mayor or councilior and dernand a public meeting as soon as possible so they can hear what the Waterloo citizens really want, if not, the costs will keep going up and so will our taxes. .. While you‘re at it, ask for a clarâ€" ification of the downtown redevelopment with First Gulf. NO MORE POSTPONEMENTS!! Either deliver or drop out and pay the piper! Rob Schummer, Piatkowski‘s column contains misinformation More questions are raised about the naming of RIM Park Thank God for concerned citizens HE CHRONICI Andrew Telegdi, Waterloo MP