Bravo, Cynthia Montgomery for her much-needed letter to The Courier (June 30 letters) and the Cowichan Valley Citizen regarding the shameful, blameful machinations of the retiring Mayor Al Siebring and certain members of his council – blameless Councillor Kate Marsh not included, who was hung out to dry by the mayor.
Montgomery’s letter ‘nailed it’ so no need for me to elaborate. Marsh is a highly respected, most effective Valley citizen, friend to many, and I called to congratulate Cynthia for stepping up on Marsh’s behalf.
Too bad Al Siebring wasn’t still around to read her words. I had assumed that his punitive vendetta against Marsh would be reviewed, at the very least, by council and hopefully rescinded. So I was shocked and disappointed to read otherwise.
Since the previous municipal election, this area has seen thousands of newly-arrived residents from all parts of B.C. and further, who will not know or even care what went down literally two days before the October 2018 vote. Perhaps many more thousands of Cowichan Valley taxpayers and regular voters at that time will recall how former Councillor Siebring took it upon himself to publicly trash his rival candidate for the mayoral throne: Joyce Behnsen. To our astonishment, Siebring had paid for a full page ‘advertisement’ explaining why people should not vote for her.
Siebring then won the mayoral seat from Jon Lefebure by 10 votes – a significant victory. The first item on the new mayor’s agenda, which also appeared in newsprint, was how he planned to bring “good order and discipline” among his new councillors. Why did he have it in for then-Councillor Behnsen, one may ask? Aside from the fact that he didn’t like her for non-compliancy on an internal municipal matter, and also refusing to be bullied in chambers?
My best wishes to Councillor Marsh. Stay strong and thank you for your excellent words on National Indigenous Day, with Acting Mayor Debra Toporowski standing ‘innocently’ beside you at the Waterwheel Park.
J.D. Rollinson,
Chemainus