To the editor;
Re: "A Political Trifecta for Surrey Voters?" (Letters, Oct. 23.)
If there's anything about Surrey First that I admire, it's how they win so much support in spite of their serious neglect for this city.
When Amarpreet Sivia was killed in an accident near Newton last year, it was because a proper crosswalk in the area was not built. The very lack of funding and investment that caused this issue and killed this person is something Linda Hepner and the Surrey First team are actually triumphing in this election.
There's a price we pay for not investing in our city; it doesn't take a repeat visit to realize that Newton has suffered under the leadership of Surrey First. I remember a more exciting time, before 2011, when Newton had a town centre revitalization plan. Now, under total Surrey First leadership, any and all talk of that has disappeared.
Earlier, Hepner suggested that making a new waterfront community with a Ferris Wheel is a great way to use dollars that need to be directed to communities neglected by her previous leadership. Anyone keeping track of her bad ideas should notice that there have been a lot of them. The Light Rail system that Hepner proposes doesn't improve travel times, has a poor business case, and restricts further transit improvements.
How many shortfalls do Surrey's families even know about? They'll never know if we don't tell them. They're not aware of the shortfalls in recreational facilities, job creation, and school size compared to the rest of the metro. Are they aware of the surprising amount of citizen advocacy needed in this city? When the City tried to approve a casino development at the city's edge, it took hundreds of citizens in a concentrated effort to overturn what was clearly a bad idea. Under good leadership, we wouldn't have to worry about these things. We could live our lives productively.
I have no doubt that Surrey would progress so much faster if it didn't re-elect a party that is out of touch with its citizens.
Daryl Dela Cruz
Guildford, Surrey
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