Montgomery’s letter nailed it
Bravo! Cynthia Montgomery for her much-needed letter to The Courier and the The Citizen regarding the shameful, blameful machinations of the recently retired Mayor Siebring and certain members of his council. Not included, blameless Councillor Kate Marsh, whose photograph was most unkindly published twice by the Citizen while she was being hung out to dry by the mayor. [Montgomery’s] letter ‘nailed it’; so no need for me to elaborate. She is a highly respected, most effective Valley citizen, friend to many, and I called to congratulate Cynthia for stepping up on Ms. Marsh’s behalf.
Too bad Al Siebring wasn’t still around to read her words before he took off — likely in high dudgeon (his favourite pastime) — to join Alberta’s ‘machismo’. I had assumed that his punitive vendetta against Kate Marsh would be reviewed, at the very least, by council and hopefully rescinded. So I was shocked and disappointed to read otherwise.
Since the previous municipal election this area has seen thousands of newly arrived residents from all parts of B.C. and further, who will not know or even care what went down literally two days before the October 2018 vote. Though perhaps many more thousands of Cowichan Valley tax payers and regular voters at that time, will recall how former Councillor Siebring took it upon himself to publicly trash his rival candidate for the mayoral throne: Mrs. Joyce Behnsen. To our astonishment, Siebring had paid easily a $1,000 for a full page “advertisement” explaining in near-libellous detail why voters should not vote for her. Why the Citizen paper even printed this outrageous document is beyond us.
Coun. Siebring then won the mayoral seat from Jon Lefebure by 10 votes — a significant victory. The first item on the new mayor’s agenda, which also appeared in newsprint, was how he planned to bring “good order and discipline” among his new councillors. “Do not defy me, fee, fie, foe, fum!” Why did he have it in for then-Councillor Behnsen? One may ask. Aside from the fact that he didn’t like her for non-compliancy on an internal municipal matter, and also refusing to be bullied in chambers? So thus the pattern emerged — whack-a-mole, unprofessional control issues.
My best wishes to Councillor Kate Marsh; stay strong, and thank you for your excellent words on National Indigenous Day.
J.D. Rollinson
Chemainus