Setting the Record Straight: Part Two
Election day is coming—fast and furiously. So, too, is the mudslinging, filled with mucky untruths, rumours, and lies that are way off the mark.
Unfortunately, even when the mud has no real substance, it manages to stick in places it shouldn’t.
I will not go into the back alley and sling mud back or make accusations using anonymity as my shield, but I will answer some claims against me that have been made publicly.
I repeat, Abbotsford is a great city and I aim to help it to grow into something even better for this generation and the ones that follow.
Yes, I am fiscally conservative: I don’t want us to spend money we don’t have. If we do that, we eventually have to borrow to pay for necessary things, which means your taxes will go up to service that loan debt. Sometimes we have to spend right away in order to save money in the long-term, but those occasions are rare.
Yes, I believe we have a social responsibility: While remaining fiscally conservative, I believe we have a social responsibility to help provide care and opportunities for the vulnerable and marginalized people of our community. There are lots of ways to do that, including calling on private and public corporations, social and spiritual organizations, and other levels of government to support initiatives.
No, I am not a land developer: Yes, in the past I have developed land, but that does not make me a land developer today. I am not in partnership with any developers in Abbotsford, or anywhere else. Nor have I received any contributions to my campaign for mayor of Abbotsford from developers that exceed $2,500.
>> Ken Friesen and Ron Funk, who are developers, are partners with me and two other people in the Hat Creek Land & Cattle Company. This is no secret and has been disclosed in my annual disclosure statements.
>> There have been two projects in which Funk and Friesen have been involved and in both cases I have declared a conflict and recused myself from discussions about them.
>> Decades ago (mostly in the 1980s), I developed property in Abbotsford; however, it was always as part of family corporations or joint ventures. The last development in any of those companies was 21 years ago (1993).
My real estate holdings are a matter of public record: They are part of my annual disclosure statement. The reference to dollar values is no more than rumour. Moreover, most of these real estate holdings were owned by a parent corporation that has seven shareholders, hence, my ownership interest is only a small portion of whatever value the real estate holds.
A company that my wife and I currently own (100%), developed a five-lot residential subdivision beginning in 2007, which was three years before any member of my family was employed by the City of Abbotsford.
I did not inherit a railway company: Those who say I did are ill informed or are choosing to lie. My brothers and I purchased a railway/transit construction company (not a railway) from my father and took it from 35 employees in 1979 to 350 employees across Canada during the ensuing 20 years. There was no inheritance involved.
If you have questions you want me to answer, please write to me directly or call me at 778-880-1144.
If you want Abbotsford to become an even better place to live, work, play, learn, and grow, please vote for proven leadership – Vote for Henry Braun as Mayor on November 15, 2014.