What communication?

Dear editor:
After reading last week’s article about the municipal election debate, I came away wondering what the mayor’s definitions of public consultation and communication are.
A year-and-a-half ago, there was no communication or public consultation when the mayor refused to take a motion, passed by town council, to the Rainycrest board of management.
That motion stated that Fort Frances was in favour of approving a merger between Rainycrest Home for the Aged and Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc.
Why did this message not get passed on to the Rainycrest board? Where was the community representation there?
Can a mayor act contrarily on a motion, passed by a majority of council, just because he doesn’t like it?
Furthermore, who was the mayor communicating with when he, as the chairman of the Rainycrest board, contacted a private “for-profit” company to manage the facility? What backroom did that deal come from?
The residents of Rainycrest and their families were kept totally in the dark about those plans for Rainycrest until it was almost too late.
It finally took direct intervention and a take-over by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to straighten out that mess, and address all the other serious problems Rainycrest had fallen into.
I am concerned that as our town heads into some troubling times, we may not have the leadership we need to work with council in order to see our town progress through the next four years.
The management style and the finger-pointing, shown during the past three years, cannot continue.
Signed,
Mark Kowalchuk
Fort Frances, Ont.