A Letter to Municipalities NL

The following letter was sent to Municipalities NL recently:

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Dear Ms. Pomeroy, 

We, the concerned citizens of New-Wes-Valley, are reaching out to express our deep concerns regarding the ongoing lack of communication and transparency from our municipality. 

As a group of residents who care about the future of our town, we have tried to engage with the mayor and council to discuss the issues affecting our community.  However, our efforts to foster a productive and open dialogue have been met with resistance and dismissiveness. Our primary goal is not to create conflict, but to ensure that our voices as residents are heard and that the town leadership is accountable and transparent in its decision-making. In our efforts to meet with the mayor and council, we requested a sit-down meeting with them directly—since they are the elected representatives of the residents—but this request was declined, as it supposedly goes against their policies and procedures. 

The only avenue they have offered is an open public delegation, where there is no guarantee that our agenda will be approved or even considered. And if accepted, there is no open dialogue available to us as a group or the public in attendance. This process severely limits the possibility of having a meaningful and productive conversation with town representatives. All we wanted was a face-to-face meeting to openly discuss the issues that matter to us, including the Newtown water situation, the fairness of the RFP process, the lack of updates on the town website, and the general lack of responses to our many inquiries, etc. 

Unfortunately, our attempts to engage with the town have been met with disdain, and we are now being labeled as part of a smear campaign—when, in reality, our intention is simply to seek accountability, transparency, and solutions. We are trying to foster a healthy and collaborative relationship with the town, but instead, we feel as though we are being treated as adversaries. 

We have sent numerous emails to the town regarding various concerns, yet our questions often go unanswered or are met with vague and unsatisfactory responses. There have also been instances where members of our group and town residents have received personal messages and Facebook communications from a town council member because they don’t support the objectives of our group. Would this be contrary to Section 7 of the Municipal Council Handbook? 

The division this has caused in our community is deeply troubling and could have been avoided if the town leadership had simply taken the time to listen and engage in constructive dialogue. We want to emphasize that we are not fabricating issues or spreading misinformation. We have done our homework, and the concerns we raise are real. We simply want our concerns considered and answers provided. Therefore, we are turning to your office, as we believe that the concerns of the citizens of New-Wes-Valley should not be ignored. We sincerely hope that you can assist us in resolving these issues, as we want nothing more than to work together with the town to address the challenges facing our community. Thank you for your time and consideration. 

We look forward to your response. 

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizens of New-Wes-Valley