Open letter to Stu Kennedy

It was very disappointing, and somewhat alarming (for those of us concerned about how Iqaluit is being run), to hear of your resignation from council last week.

It seemed that you were the only one standing up for the vision that citizens have for this community, rather than acquiescing to the outdated model that the CAO was bullying us into having. It seemed that you were the only one challenging staff and demanding some accountability. Is it because you were the only one with a critical mind and eye? Is it because you were the only one who was willing to go on record with the hard questions?

If we no longer have someone scrutinizing our multi-million dollar heavy equipment purchases and maintenance contracts, will we not have anyone left to challenge the excuse that we don’t have enough heavy equipment, and what we have is not working, for snow removal in an Arctic community.

If we no longer have someone asking the question of why someone should be awarded a $15,000 bonus for taking the obvious and universally detrimental route of cutting services and raising homeowner taxes to meet a budget, will we not have anyone left demanding that the budget be met through improved efficiency and creative solutions?

And when environmentally responsible programs such as public transit and modern waste management practices are set up to fail as expensive targets for easy elimination, will no one challenge whether the problem is actually in program mismanagement and inefficient implementation?

Many members of the public appreciated your work on Council as a ray of hope for maintaining accountability and forcing some progressive thinking in how Iqaluit is managed. Thanks for your efforts. We’re sorry now that we didn’t tell you earlier that you are not without support, even if that’s how it felt, sitting at that council table.

(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit