Dear Editor:
Re: Mayor should quit complaining, Letters, Burnaby NOW, April 17.
I know Derek Corrigan and his wife, Kathy. We are not close friends, however, they are very well known by my parents, who have resided in Burnaby since the early 1950s (I have since 1963).
My dad, Don Brown, was previously an alderman for the City of Burnaby, chair of Burnaby's centennial committee and, along with my mom, was selected as a Burnaby Citizen of the Year. Derek and my dad spoke on many occasions and formed a deep respect for one another's opinions.
Does W. Phelps know Derek is a lawyer? Derek is a well-educated man and works very hard to keep Burnaby efficiently maintained, in the black, pristine, and effectively growing with optimum continuity from what he garnered from the legacies of the council members from past decades.
Derek would never ridicule anyone and should be commended for holding the mayor's position for so long. This longevity allows him the knowledge in understanding the past, Burnaby's need for the present, and foreseeing Burnaby's needs for the future. Arrogant in his position? Certainly not! A visionary, perhaps.
Kathy Corrigan is, in my opinion, an excellent MLA who consistently goes out of her way for her constituents, attending to multiple situations and partaking in multitudes of meetings. Most recently, she managed to fit into her agenda a function to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Burnaby Community College for the Retired, where so many appreciated her attendance.
The comment W. Phelps made about Derek and Kathy living off the taxpayers is truly and plainly ignorant. Thousands of individuals across Canada make a living off of taxpayers: city planners, garbage collectors, people who require welfare and people on disability, some elderly, some children - we all pay for what surrounds us - even those living off of taxpayers are paying taxes.
C'mon. In my opinion, Derek and Kathy earn their salaries - so what if they are both politicians?
My husband and I both worked at a lumber mill - should one of us have quit because we were both living off the forest industry and taxpayers?
My dad is unfortunately no longer with us, but I am positive he would've been elated seeing Derek walking up his driveway delivering a bouquet of flowers to my mom for her 90th birthday. Sorry, W. Phelps, that is not known as arrogance - just good politics. Keep up the good work, Derek and Kathy!
Patricia Tochkin (née Brown), Burnaby
