Dear Editor:
Regarding your article "Keating to Halt Council Pay During Election," April 14, we have to say that it's about time. Coun. Keating opened his campaign office on Feb. 2 and has been very busy on Facebook, Twitter and door to door. On Feb. 23 he posted that he had knocked on more than 1,000 doors already. North Van City Voices wrote to the City of North Vancouver's mayor and council on March 18 with concerns about the Onni public hearing process. One of the comments we made in that letter was: "It has also been suggested that a councillor participating in an election campaign should take a leave of absence from his duties, because of the potential of a conflict of interest with competing loyalties between public duty and personal interests. We note that this week a councillor in Coquitlam has requested a leave of absence without pay during the campaign."
Mayor Darrell Mussatto's response was, "There is no law that states a member of council must take a leave of absence when running as a candidate for another level of elected office."
We were of course aware that "there is no law" but agree with Coun. Keating's statement "I don't think I can pay full attention to the job."
Toni Bolton for North Van City Voices North Vancouver
