Herb Pond is making his final walk as the pageant contestants would say, taking that final lap as the Mayor of Prince Rupert, reflective of his time as the CEO of Prince Rupert Inc.
Having decided that two terms was enough, thankful that there are two strong candidates set to seek out the mayoralty and if Frank Visentin’s cat out of the bag commentary is correct, destined for a run at Gary Coon’s provincial seat on the North Coast.
With the days of the Pond era drawing to their conclusion on the Municipal scene we are starting to see those legacy pieces appearing in the local media, the October 21 edition of the Northern View features a review by the mayor of his six years of service for us.
Having decided that two terms was enough, thankful that there are two strong candidates set to seek out the mayoralty and if Frank Visentin’s cat out of the bag commentary is correct, destined for a run at Gary Coon’s provincial seat on the North Coast.
With the days of the Pond era drawing to their conclusion on the Municipal scene we are starting to see those legacy pieces appearing in the local media, the October 21 edition of the Northern View features a review by the mayor of his six years of service for us.
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While over at the Daily News they provides us with a tribute by way of Gene Storey’s contribution to the Letter to the Editor page of Tuesday’s paper.
Though we’re still not sure if the “tribute” provided for the paper, is a helpful review of events or just a plain reminder of some of the controversial aspects of Mayor Pond’s days as the centre piece chair of the council chamber seating plan.
Letter to the Editor
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Page four
Mayor did so much for city
To the editor,
After reading the articles and comments published in the Daily news for the past several weeks, I am truly disappointed with the lack of respect and appreciation of the accomplishments and good works of our elected mayor and council.
How soon we forget that the previous administrations left the city with a staggering municipal debt of twenty three million dollars, drained bank accounts and a community infrastructure in disrepair, i. e. water works, bridges, roads, etc. Chasing pipe dreams like bridges to nowhere and expensive economic surveys in desperation drove city finances to exhaustion.. and we know who did tat, too, Don’t we.
Considering the collapse of our fishing and forest industries, resulting in the closure of the pulp mill, saw mill and several processing plants, the mixture of politicians from left wing, right wing and of course the pope’s nose have accomplished the formidable task of keeping the community running, and reducing the municipal debt to approximately $7.5 million.
Of course, there were hard decisions to make, including downsizing services, cutting staff levels, and hiring, when qualified people were not available, the services of short-term expensive contract employees. That is called running a business efficiently. The cloak and dagger mentality that has been a spectacle of late relating to a disgruntled former city employee does all of us a disservice.
As a resident of Prince Rupert since 1968, I have, along with many others, consistently volunteered thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars annually to the betterment of out community. And yes, I have been partly instrumental in the development of our port infrastructure, including bringing noisy planes, trains, cranes and of course those ugly floating hotels to our waterfront.
With the above in mind I need to ask the question: Where the hell would we be today if those vocals who hug the barstools and who volunteer and donate nothing to our community were running the show.
As a cranky old fart I would like to make the suggestion, Oh, wise ladies and gentlemen, that you have another drink and offer up a little less of your chronic complaining.
Gene Storey
Though we’re still not sure if the “tribute” provided for the paper, is a helpful review of events or just a plain reminder of some of the controversial aspects of Mayor Pond’s days as the centre piece chair of the council chamber seating plan.
Letter to the Editor
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Page four
Mayor did so much for city
To the editor,
After reading the articles and comments published in the Daily news for the past several weeks, I am truly disappointed with the lack of respect and appreciation of the accomplishments and good works of our elected mayor and council.
How soon we forget that the previous administrations left the city with a staggering municipal debt of twenty three million dollars, drained bank accounts and a community infrastructure in disrepair, i. e. water works, bridges, roads, etc. Chasing pipe dreams like bridges to nowhere and expensive economic surveys in desperation drove city finances to exhaustion.. and we know who did tat, too, Don’t we.
Considering the collapse of our fishing and forest industries, resulting in the closure of the pulp mill, saw mill and several processing plants, the mixture of politicians from left wing, right wing and of course the pope’s nose have accomplished the formidable task of keeping the community running, and reducing the municipal debt to approximately $7.5 million.
Of course, there were hard decisions to make, including downsizing services, cutting staff levels, and hiring, when qualified people were not available, the services of short-term expensive contract employees. That is called running a business efficiently. The cloak and dagger mentality that has been a spectacle of late relating to a disgruntled former city employee does all of us a disservice.
As a resident of Prince Rupert since 1968, I have, along with many others, consistently volunteered thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars annually to the betterment of out community. And yes, I have been partly instrumental in the development of our port infrastructure, including bringing noisy planes, trains, cranes and of course those ugly floating hotels to our waterfront.
With the above in mind I need to ask the question: Where the hell would we be today if those vocals who hug the barstools and who volunteer and donate nothing to our community were running the show.
As a cranky old fart I would like to make the suggestion, Oh, wise ladies and gentlemen, that you have another drink and offer up a little less of your chronic complaining.
Gene Storey
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Pond looks back on six years as Mayor
By Shaun Thomas -
The Northern View
Published: October 21, 2008 11:00 PM
After six years as the head of the City of Prince Rupert, Mayor Herb Pond will not be seeking a third term as Mayor. And although it was a difficult decision to make, Pond said it was also the right one.
“I entered this office six years ago with a clear understanding of what I wanted to accomplish, and for the most part that has been done or is currently underway. I never had a sense that I would be a life-long mayor,” he said.
“It has been one of the best experiences I will ever have and it’s not something I let go of easily or lightly. But I knew in my heart of hearts that it was time to go.”
During his time in office Prince Rupert has gone through some significant changes, with the arrival of the cruise industry and the opening of the container port. And seeing where the community is compared to where it came from is something Mayor Pond says really stands out to him.
“When I go back to when I became mayor, people were losing their homes, work was hard to come by and there was no hope. I had grown men crying in my office and asking what they should do for themselves and their families. To go back and look at that time of incredible agony and see the response to that, with the cruise industry and the container port, is impressive,” he said, also highlighting the way that the community came together during tragedies like the fire at the Elizabeth apartments and the fire at J.S. McMillan.
“Through a broad community effort, we have been successful in bringing new high paying jobs to Prince Rupert.”
And whether it is Don Scott or Jack Mussallem who returns to the mayor’s office, Pond said he is confident that the city is in good hands.
“Now is not the time for inexperience…I held off making the announcement that I would be leaving the Mayor’s office until I was sure that a candidate stepped forward who offered a credible choice. So I think the community has a good decision in front of them and am quite content to find new ways to serve the community,” he said.
While he is currently pursuing opportunities outside of City Hall, which he said he was unable to comment on at the moment, Pond said the only thing that is certain is that “as of December 1 [swearing in ceremony] I am unemployed.”
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