To the Editor:
Don Armstrong claims that I have never been to a regional district board meeting. Not only was I just at a regional district board meeting, I saw you there as a member of the press.
I was also priveleged to see for myself what I had believed were outrageous and untrue claims. I had been told that Elef Christensen, our current Area “G” director, was falling asleep at meetings. I was astounded to see that not only did Elef fall asleep during the meeting, he slept for well over half of the meeting. I timed it. Two hour meeting. Elef asleep for more than one hour. Solid sleep.
I was so surprised that what I had heard (and thought was a vicious rumour) was true, that I finally took a picture of it with my phone. Just to verify it later for myself. A picture really is worth a thousand words. There he is. Fast asleep.
If the regional district board meeting were a larger group, this behaviour might not seem so bad, but the truth is that the group is made up of only 18 board members, remember these are all the mayors and most influential leaders of the entire Okanagan- Similkameen- and there is our Area “G” representative, literally asleep at the table. At the front! Brightly lit room, important people, lots of coffee supplied...
I remember fellow classmates at university sleeping the way Elef was sleeping at that meeting - elbows in the “tripod” position on the table - head tipped forward, as if reading something on the desk... only - head now and then drops heavily and then snaps back up, eyes pop open momentarily, then head drops again.
If we taxpayers weren’t on the line for $140 dollars (and up to a $40 lunch allowance!) for this behaviour, things might not seem so sad. As it was, I had to wonder how this tired man was supposed to represent any of us from this vast region? He is exhausted - and it will take a far more energetic and vigourous person to cover all the ground necessary to represent our Area “G”. Voters wanting someone with energy should vote Angelique Wood for Area “G.”
Angelique Wood, Hedley