Many-a-times Sooke district council has been approached by players from both sides: the pushers and the pullers, by the many and the few.
But what seems to happen lately is that some come in with the intent to bully council and the mayor into making a decision in their favour; whether it is to throw a spear right through the heart of the roundabout project, stomp the multi-use bike trail or allow someone to plant hedges on municipal property.
As a result, council has often postponed a decision – not that there’s anything wrong with thinking something through, but taking too long to say yes or no risks the issue festering and mutating into something more convoluted and difficult to fathom.
Equally harmful to both council and the community would be making a decision under pressure – tilting in the wind if you will – from those few whose interest is not in the many, but really in themselves only. This would consequently impact progress to the point that nothing gets done — precisely what those too fearful of change want in the first place.
No one said it’s easy, after all, both sides want to win.
And while we applaud mayor and council for standing their ground on several issues of late, we hope they will continue to listen to the Sooke community’s voice as a whole, not just to those who are afraid of change.
It may not win more votes, or a bouquet of flowers, but let’s face it, no one wants to live in a cob-webbed community that is afraid of progressing forward.