New municipal advocacy group created in Lethbridge
By Letter to the Editor on February 12, 2021.
Ronnie DeGagne
Common Sense Lethbridge
Lethbridge can be the best place in the world to live, work, play, raise a family, and start a business.
And yes, we know that might sound like just another empty campaign promise or economic development slogan, but we truly believe that with the right ideas, policies, and people, that vision can become a reality.
The last few years have been very tough for Lethbridge.
A triple-hit of an ongoing economic downturn, an oil price crash, and a pandemic have increased unemployment, cut incomes, and slashed business revenue, all while ever-higher taxes — particularly at the municipal level Ð have increased everyone’s expenses.
Every Lethbridge citizen and business has had to make sacrifices, and it should be no different at City Hall.
While it is commendable that our local council took a pay cut during the pandemic, this is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the overall City budget.
Lethbridge now has one of the highest property taxes in Alberta, and constantly hiking taxes is simply no longer sustainable.
The need to get spending under control has seemingly become obvious to all but our representatives.
There has also been a growing frustration stemming from a demonstrated lack of common sense, transparency, and accountability from City Council.
The time has come to challenge the accepted narrative that has dominated the debate on these issues for years.
If we want Lethbridge to be the best place it can be, it is crucial for our City to have an organization dedicated to shining a light on all these important local issues.
That’s where Common Sense Lethbridge comes in.
Common Sense Lethbridge is a new, independent, non-profit, grassroots, municipal group dedicated to advocating on issues important to the citizens of Lethbridge in three key areas.
First, we aim to focus municipal spending on core priorities so we can keep taxes low.
We believe that Council spends too much time and too much money on things that are not the proper responsibility of municipal government and that all the time and money spent on these distractions have also jeopardized the quality and effectiveness of the services the City is actually responsible for delivering.
Second, we aim to increase accountability and transparency at City Hall.
We believe that Lethbridgians deserve to know what is happening at Council meetings, where their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent, how the City’s priorities are being determined, and whether the services they are receiving are providing good value for their money.
Third, we aim to maximize the freedom and choice of Lethbridge residents and businesses.
We believe that municipal government exists to serve the needs of residents, businesses, and the community, not the other way around, and that wherever possible government should take a step back and allow Lethbridge residents and businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive.
While the 2021 municipal election is rapidly approaching, Common Sense Lethbridge is not a partisan political organization.
Rather, we are a citizen-led organization that seeks to co\nnect members of the community, inform them about what’s happening at City Hall, and provide them with the tools to effect change.
Our focus will always be on our core mission of researching, analyzing, explaining, and promoting the best possible public policies that will make Lethbridge the best place in the world to live, work, play, raise a family, and start a business.
If you agree with that vision and want to help us achieve our three core goals of prioritizing spending to keep taxes low, increasing accountability and transparency, and maximizing freedom and choice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and get involved.
Ronnie DeGagne is the Executive Director of Common Sense Lethbridge (www.commonsenselethbridge.com), an independent non-profit municipal advocacy group.
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You guys do realize the the Mayor and Council is elected (i.e. democratic process) every four years? Like it or not, they represent what the majority of citizens want.
I think it was Shaw who said that a person who claims great common sense lacks originality and moral courage. I believe this letter illustrates that.
I look forward to seeing news on the geriatric rumble between the Transparency Council and the Common Sense gang.
Same old right wing/UCP/Wildrose/Reform nonsense. Cut govt spending for the common good, drive the economy into the ditch by reducing money circulating, drive up the govt debt as fast as possible, transfer wealth to people who are already wealthy, and blame the left.
That is, grinandbearit, perhaps the most succinct statement of the neoliberal paradigm proffered by the radical right ever!
i feel the city has consistently wasted a lot of money, has neglected infrastructure, has pandered to niche special interests at the expense of necessities being addressed, has a lot of dark corners that need light shed on them via much needed audits – why are every several years audits not mandatory? – and has filled the pockets of several privileged people in this town over an extended period of time. i further feel the salaries and benefits paid to our managers is way out of line given our size, and made ever less of value based on the quality of job returned to us. that off my chest, there is no denying the quality of thought on the matter provided here by fes and grin.
This is stupid. Probably some religious business owners trying to circumvent the rules and go against basic science.
Listen up idiots, you don’t get to choose to ‘believe in science’. You UNDERSTAND it or you DON’T. It’s not a belief.
If this is not religiously backed, then beat it, this is dumb and dangerous and they do not speak for everyone.
Apparently common sense isn’t for those that need to proclaim it so loudly.
I wonder if Mr. DeGagne ever heard about the Libertarian who walked into a bear?
https://newrepublic.com/article/159662/libertarian-walks-into-bear-book-review-free-town-project
great link, imo.
if one has some time, this is generally a thought provoking read, bordering on the surreal, and not without a couple laughs.
and yet……………your first agenda item is to try to change the lockdown rules/mask mandates within Lethbridge in a city with the largest Seniors Occupancy per capita in Alberta, when, we are lagging in immunizations? We now rank 40th in world standings on the numbers of people vaccinated and variants are appearing left, right and center. Your total number of signatures=2 on your website?
Perhaps you might want to think through a clear thought process that reflects the realities first and stop promoting your personal agenda under the guise of a representative organization, just a thought!
https://www.commonsenselethbridge.com/reopen_lethbridge
Ouch. “Common sense” means being anti-science and risking the health of your fellow citizens. Ronnie has a much different meaning for the term than the dictionary.