Here is a letter printed today. It is time for the public (voters) to listen to Father Maroun’s advice. The government so far does not have our best interest at heart. We need a mayor that will stand up and challenge the corruption we face in this municipality. Here is the letter: Missed opportunity for outgoing mayor. When Amanda MacDougall-Merrill was interviewed by Todd Battis on CTV Atlantic News the other evening, she missed out on another opportunity. I feel that she chose to speak about herself and why she is not re-offering to run for mayor. I was sorry to hear that people posted pictures of her at MacDonald’s with her kids just after the big snowstorm, but thicker skin is needed to run this municipality. Is looking after her future job prospects more important than speaking the truth to Todd Battis about her term as Mayor of the CBRM? Why didn’t Amanda MacDougall-Merrill not take the opportunity to discuss the severe underfunding to the CBRM by the provincial government? Why didn’t she discuss the struggles she faced during the negotiations of Bill 340? Why didn’t she discuss the high taxation rates in the CBRM (double that of the HRM)? I believe Amanda MacDougall-Merrill missed a great opportunity to speak the truth to all Nova Scotians, especially those in rural Nova Scotia who are all plagued by a lack of funding from equalization. And to add insult to injury, now we see Cecil Clarke lurking around deciding if he will run for mayor again. The same Cecil Clarke that stated we get our fair share several years ago. The same Cecil Clarke that took off from the CBRM days after he lost the last election and has been living in the HRM ever since. 8 years of Cecil Clarke was not good for the CBRM except for a few businesspeople. Perhaps Cecil should run for mayor of the HRM. He was always more supportive of them anyway. Politics on the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are a mess in this country. No one is ever held accountable for anything anymore and the courts are used as a pawn in that game as well. Isn’t it time that we deserve a non-partisan mayor who will lead the CBRM to fairness and equality in this province? A mayor who will have the resident’s best interests at heart and who is not afraid to stand up to corrupt politics. Mayor MacDougall-Merrill, you answered a question at a Golden K meeting that they did not want me to ask. You stated to me that you were the president of the NSFM (Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities) and that a fellow Cape Bretoner, Brenda Beaton Chisholm, was the vice president. You said that you were going to get this looked after for Cape Breton, but you did not. We will receive less in equalization soon so to me that is a failure. You should have organized mass protests during Bill 340, but you instead looked after yourself and your future. We need someone who will put our concerns first and, in my opinion, it was not Amanda MacDougall-Merrill and it will not be Cecil Clarke so who will it be? Who will step forward and stand up for the CBRM? Rev. Dr. Albert Maroun