Dear Editor,
The present administration of Thorne Municipality has, over the past three and a half years, spent about $100,000 on legal expenses to bring lawsuits against Thorne citizens. This is taxpayers’ money, which has now left Thorne without benefit, never to return.
The main object of this litigation parade is the Thorne Community Recreation Association, a volunteer organization which maintains and operates the TCRA building and grounds.
It seems that a cadre of Thorne council think that TCRA should belong to them. As a show of ill will, council has refused to chip in for maintenance and expenses of the building, partially occupied by the council office and the meeting room. Meanwhile, those expenses are born by the volunteer community. So, when you attend the bean supper, you’re helping poor little Municipal Council to pay for heat and lights. The Municipality prefers to spend money on outside lawyers, architectural consultants and distant conventions.
When these policies have been questioned, the answers are trite talking points about Thorne being poor and over-taxed, and not owning its own building and therefore not being eligible for vaporous grants. All untrue points, by the way. Thorne is rich in natural beauty and a gracious population showing pride in their community. That’s why people visit here, move here, live here. It’s a good place to be – perhaps the best place in the world.
For decades, council got along with the RA and maintenance and expansion were undertaken, while living within the means of the municipality. The present administration chants the great alt-right mantra of zero per cent tax increase, but that can only last so long. Taxpayers or residents, it’s the same bunch of people who will eventually have to pay for the current misguided spending spree. I ask you to contemplate these imbalances, between now and the next elections; can a regime that doesn’t pay for its own place of business handle the responsibilities of new buildings to house firefighting equipment, road maintenance equipment, and eventually a municipal office?
Robert Wills
Thorne, Que.
