6 - Wednesday, May 29, 1985 - North Shore News Editorial Page a a D : Bargain price © taxpayers get value for money from their mayors and aldermen? The ques- tion always arises when the latter get a pay hike, as with West Van Council which recently voted itself a 4% increase similar to that approved for its staff. Last year the mayor’s stipend was $27,906, while aldermen received $8,460. One third of these sums is a tax-free allowance out of which council members meet the many calls on their pocketbooks arising in the course of their duties. The mayor’s job is fuil-time. But ihe part-time aldermen are also involved in municipal matters --. inquiries, research, meetings, etc. -- for some period virtauity every day. In West Van, at a conservative estimate, the mayor earns less than $10 an hour, the aldermen about $14 an hour. They get no health insurance or any of the other fringe benefits enjoyed by municipal staff, which add some 22% to the value of the lat- ter’s salaries. For senior employees in North Shore municipalities ¢hose salaries come in the $40,000-$60,000 range or more. Taking West Van again, the total annual salary bill fer department : heads and - their - deputies amounts to $1.5.million.. . , The 1984’ bill for. tie wiayor “and six aldermen was just under $80,000. Their 4% raise. this- year will cost each West Van « household an extra 21 cents. ' Proportionate to population, the picture is imilar’ in -botk:: other: North Shore ‘municipatities, It’s hardly’ a picture of greedy council ‘members shortchanging their com- i. mmunity.. Considering ‘their working contribu- tion to the: community, . “the picture might almost be the ottier way. round!. ‘ he Defence Dept: proposes ‘to bar 5 Te in the forces from combat units. it says: ‘they aren't physically strong enough, might-impair discipline through sex- ual-involvements and could take the men’s : minds off destroying the enemy. In a poll of seven. by a Vancouver daily. the ladies were ” furious - they wanted to be right in there " fighting with the men. We thought ladies like . Display Advertising 980-0511 | * Classified Advertising 906-5222 = Newsroom - 985-2131 Circulation 986-1337 Subscriptions 985-2131 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 Publisher Peter Speck General Manager Roger McAice Operations Manager Berni Hilliard Marketing Director _ Advertising Director - Sales Bob Graham Dave Jenneson Circulation Director Advertising Director - Admin. Bill McGown Mike Goodsel! Production Director Editor-in-Chiet ~ Chris Johnson - Noel Wright | Photography Manager Classified Manager Terry Peters ° Val Stephenson North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule I, Part tl, Paragraph Hl af the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday aad Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. anu distributed to every door on the Norih Shore. Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885. Entire contents & 1985 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Subscriptions. North and West Vancouver, $25. per year. Mailing tates “ available on request. No responsibility accepted for unsolicited matesial including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by 2 stamped, addressed envelope. Memhear of the B.C. Press Council D 55,770 (average, Wednesday SDA DIVISION Friday & Sunday) SR" ote rman e sone ‘ THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE HOW A TORY MINISTRY 15 SET UP. SISTER MONA mom MINISTER DEPUTY TRINISTER ib SBE GREAT AUNT VI © C. Spirit alive and weli resourcefulness, and ETERMINATION, : spirit are but a few words to describe many -British. Columbians who ‘refused to deny their own ability and desire to contribute-to the . economic renewal and growth of their communities and this province during the past few years of this international recession. I recently had the pleasure of speaking ‘about the B.C. spirit in legislature. While there are many communities in our province that. ex- emplify that spirit I believe the community of. Che- mainus and its 3,000 people is perhaps the prime example of what can be accomplished when a community pulls together. In recent years, Che- mainus, as has all. B.C. communities; experienced great changes as the interna- tional economy continues to evolve. MacMiilan Bloedel’s sawmill had to be closed in February of 1983, despite the efforts by management and workers to find some way to keep the mill going. Many predicted the mill closure would spell doom for the little com- munity, but the pessimists forgot the spirit and tenacity of the townspeople. Chemainus embarked ona forward looking revitaliza- tion of the downtown core. The downtown. merchants, with assistance‘ from the provincial downtown revitalization Program and the North Cowichan municipality, began devoting their time, energy and money. A total of $409,000 in improvements were carried out. By early 1983, it. became the first B.C. communtiy to complete a downtown revitalization program. ° But it wasn’t your average revitalization. The new downtown also featured a novel idea — large murals which were inspired by Kart Schutz, There were detractors at first but soon the dozen murals became the focal point of community interest in the revitalization project. It was not only local people who were interested — tourists also came to see the government’s | inurals — close to 60,090 in 1984. OLD: MLA West Van-Howe Sound After a 1983 festival of murals, local merchants discovered that the murals 30%, and even 40%. in the little town that did had been paid for in increas- ed sales. Some reported that business. increased .- 25%, “Two art galleries have now open- ed. Recent reports are. that new restaurants and businesses are springing up, including another art’ gallery and an art supply store. Past Chamber of Commerce President Bill Jamieson, is . building a new mall with ‘space for seven shops which ‘have all’ been booked. Plans continue apace to give tourists even more reason to visit Chemainus. The citizens of Chemainus are proud of their communi- ty, its way of life and its heritage as a pioneer in the logging industry. As usual, if there is some- thing you would like me to write about, please drop me a line: John Reynolds, ~M.L.A., Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C., V8Vv 1X4, or phone my parliamentary secretary, Mrs. Ingrid Shillington at 387-5615. - NOEL WRIGHT on vacation A POEM FOR STEVE Dear Editor My name is Natashya Doyle, and I’m a grade 8 stu- dent at Handsworth Secondary School. 1 wrote a poem about Steve Fonyo because J felt in- spired by his ‘Journey for Lives’’. Yours sincerely Natashya Doyle. Journey For Lives Argan of great courage! Aman full of dreams! Aman who's triumphant! A man with prestige! He runs tor the thousands, The thousands who weep. The thousands who cry, Every night in their sleep! He follows another Another with pride. He follaws this man, So fewer will die! He runs on one fez Through all the East Coast! He made up his mind He'll give it his most! He runs through Toronto, Montreal and Quebee Then reaches the Lake Head Where Terry had lefr! He runs through the praicies, Through the dead of it all, Nothing will stop him! Nothing at all! It is cold! tt is hard! He hopes soon it will end, But faith in himself, Leads him straight to the end!! Soon we will see him, Like legends of old. Conquering these mountains, These hills and white snaw! This man we can see Moving on with his dream. This man -~ do you know? This man — Steve Fonyo!!