Dear Editor,

Some wiseacre social commentator once said, “History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme.”

Here’s an ironic historical rhyme. About 10 years ago, Thorne Council saw fit to sue its volunteer community recreation association. Both sides, being the taxpayers and residents of Thorne, had to engage lawyers. It didn’t go well for either party. That’s what caused me to decide to run for council, to put an end to the lawsuit.

The week that I had to submit my nomination papers, we learned that our offer on a neglected fixer-upper of a house in Shawville had been accepted, and my partner was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She insisted I go ahead and run. An almost entirely new council was elected, and the lawsuit was dropped. But the community spirit of Thorne was greatly diminished and impoverished, from the bitter irony of suing themselves.

Currently, MRC Pontiac has moved to sue one of its constituent municipalities. At issue is Alleyn and Cawood’s reluctance to pay “shares” based upon an imaginary number called the comparative factor. The warden chided the Alleyn and Cawood contingent for taking a principled stance, at the risk of having to pay more to lawyers, judges and bankers.

Sometimes, one has the opportunity to put a dollar figure on principles, and make a choice. I hope this turns out to be less expensive and destructive than the Thorne vs Thorne lawsuit, but the rhyme is fairly strong, and it won’t look good in the history books.

Robert Wills, Shawville and Thorne