This fall I wrote a letter to council to express my support for the proposed expansion to the Picton Branch of the library after I read various contradictory articles and letters to the editor. I heard from several councilors and from library staff.

It seems everyone has a different version of the controversy swirling around the cost of, and need for, the expansion.  When you follow an issue in the media with contrary viewpoints, who should you believe?

After a bit of research, I choose to believe the professionals and volunteers who have put years of planning, preparation, and fundraising into this project – the people who spend their days fully involved in the library system. These dedicated people have a well-thought out plan that they have already invested time and money into and they are ready to finally break ground on this project instead of wasting money by stalling.

Politicians, whether they be municipal, provincial, or federal, frankly don’t have the time to fully understand all the aspects of an issue before they have to vote on it.  That’s why they too need to trust the professional civil servants and board members who put their time into projects like the library expansion.  The role of council is to represent the needs of all of their constituents and to be accountable for expenditures by asking thoughtful questions and listening to the answers. We don’t need to follow the Trump/Ford example of treating the unelected people who actually make government work like they are incompetent or untrustworthy.

Help your local councilor out by letting them know directly how much you love our library system.  The library expansion project will benefit all users across the system for many decades to come and I am looking forward to its completion.

Corina Brdar

Ameliasburgh Ward