One Wise Man

My annual Christmas phone call to a gentleman today led to a compelling revelation.

I won't name the local senior; suffice to say that I've respected his tenacity and work ethic for darn near forty years.

Following our usual catch-up chat, he turned the conversation toward our area's water situation when he said what this area lacks is the type of person--a person like former RDNO head and Coldstream Mayor Ross Postill--who had the courage to simply say "no" when he personally deemed it was warranted.

And why would Mr. Postill have rejected an idea?

"Because he knew it made no sense to spend that much money that only appears to fix things...that problems would remain even after the money had been spent.  His common sense convinced his colleagues to also withhold support.  And things got done.  Or not if it was a ridiculous idea."

My dear friend was talking about today's Master Water Plan that hasn't twinned agricultural and domestic water lines (with only minor exceptions).  "Putting treated water on forage and orchard crops is ludicrous."

He pointed to the culprit..."way too many committees, way too many large committees, way too many bureaucrats, way too many consultants, way too many elected officials who waffle and commit to a cumbersome and expensive scenario, way too many uninformed opinions all of which create dilution of any good idea that may have surfaced until that good idea is long gone...mostly because of a lack of common sense."

And the clincher:  "way too many bureaucrats and elected officials who falsely believe they're moving forward by protecting their earlier foibles.  With one exception:  Gyula Kiss!"

I agreed.
Completely.

"So there are two wise men," offers Kia.

Yes.
Unfortunately only two.

Merry Christmas, dear friend.