Dear Editor,
W.A.C. Bennett once said the NDP in B.C. couldn't run a peanut stand. The NDP certainly proved that in the 1990's when they ran B.C. into the economic ditch.
Now, despite all the resources and staff the NDP have at their disposal, they couldn't manage to file MLA Joe Trasolini's by-election campaign disclosure statement on time. Shame.
Trasolini and the NDP claim "extenuating circumstances." But what could possibly hold up the simple tallying and accounting of his by-election expenses and contributions? Trasolini and the NDP have had several months in which to complete this task (see reference to "peanut stand" above).
Trasolini's failure to file reminds me of the time a few years ago when he was on the TransLink board as the mayor of Port Moody and TransLink somehow didn't receive a copy of his 2006 financial disclosure statement, which Trasolini later claimed was lost in the mail.
When TransLink finally did receive Trasolini's 2006 disclosure statement it raised more than a few eyebrows because no one at TransLink knew that Trasolini owned a property very near to where an Evergreen Line SkyTrain station location on St. Johns Street was being considered.
Conflict of interest concerns were raised immediately and Trasolini eventually agreed to excuse himself from any further discussions involving the Evergreen Line at TransLink board meetings.
Given the NDP's failure to file financial information about Trasolini's election campaign on time it really makes me curious about what he may be trying to hide and what the NDP may have in store for us if they win the next election.
- Mike Taylor (Port Moody, B.C.)