Opponents not necessarily misinformed

I think that Saint John has been fortunate to have a number of construction projects going on over the last years when many places have seen economic down turns. The Keynesian-tinged stimulus argument for the Peel Plaza project has been a bit of a saving grace in my mind.  I’m sure the workers who have been employed putting this building up are good for the economy (awarding the contract to a local general contractor might have made for an even better spin off scenario, but oh well).

And I wouldn’t be so bold as to suggest that our mayor’s opinions are not shared by anyone in the area.  There is a host on a FM radio talk show that seems to be a big admirer of the Chair of City Council when they chat on a weekly basis.

These two caveats aside, I take umbrage with the idea attributed to the mayor by CHSJ news that citizen opposition to to Peel Plaza is based on supposed media driven misinformation.

I can get caught up in the emotional back and forth that can make politics seem crazy and pointless to outsiders. I try to moderate myself though, and feel that I have been thorough in my research into certain projects that use tax dollars derived from my living in this city. I know there are plenty of other minds that have considered Peel Plaza without letting the mainstream media dictate to them what they think. 

It is insulting to imply that citizens are ignorant of the facts of an issue just because they disagree with the official position.

I think Mayor Court has been able to review a lot of information on Peel Plaza and make a decision to support the project.  Just because he came to a conclusion that I wouldn’t necessarily have arrived at, does not mean he was bamboozled by some “big bad.”  It could be that he and I have different values and beliefs about how economies and cities should work. 

That’s fine.

What I’m not cool with is the implication that I (and others who have misgivings about spending a lot of money on a capital project when finances are tight, or concerns about committing, for several decades, a site of land in the city centre to a low rise building) have based any opposition to the way this project has gone forward on misinformation.

Just because we disagree doesn’t mean we’ve been fooled.  We can all look at similar facts and form different opinions.

I want a mayor to respect this.

I think understanding this is required in a leader.