Dear Seeker,

I want to tackle a bit on the subject of what people seem to believe about our current council’s level of transparency and accountability.

It is hard for people in general to come to terms with what transpired over the last four years because of all the secret meetings and the lack of complete information that was published for the community.

To hear statements about why “they” cannot be more specific, or that “things” are not yet all cleared up and, therefore, statements of more clarity cannot be given out publicly, just does not do it for most.

It is our tax money that was wasted on defending the wrong side of the situations. This wasted money could have been saved if those in charge would have only come clean at the start and had admitted a wrong doing and corrected it.

The wasted money could have been used, for example, to start a fund for an arts and culture center.

You can never have full transparency when the facts do not complete the whole picture.

I believe in honesty. If a mistake has been made, admit to it, correct it, apologize, and behave in such a way as to never do it again.

But come clean. I do not feel that anyone has come clean with what has transpired. It’s our money. We need that money to be spent wisely and not on cover-ups.

-Mary Ann Hug

Candidate for Cornwall City Council.