Dude, watch your response.
It seems Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran has raised the ire of many local Facebook folks by the way he responded to a resident wanting to know the status of John Hindle Drive and the widening of Highway 97 through part of the city.
In his request to Basran, who he referred to as 91裸聊视频渕y dude,91裸聊视频� Easton Doran said work on nearly every major road project in Kelowna is 91裸聊视频渄iminishing91裸聊视频� his quality of life.
And he said he91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渄isgusted91裸聊视频� by what he feels is the city putting Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 economy first, tourism second and residents last.
91裸聊视频淐olin Basran, want to weigh in, my dude?91裸聊视频� Doran asked.
So Basran did. But many didn91裸聊视频檛 like his response.
He told Doran the two road projects asked about are being managed by the province.
91裸聊视频淏ut if it makes you feel better to bag on the city, I91裸聊视频檓 happy to be your punching bag,91裸聊视频� wrote the mayor. 91裸聊视频淪orry I91裸聊视频檝e made your life so miserable over the years.91裸聊视频�
Basran signed off saying: 91裸聊视频淎nd I91裸聊视频檓 not your dude.91裸聊视频�
Well, when the response91裸聊视频攚ithout Doran91裸聊视频檚 original email attached for context91裸聊视频攈it Facebook, the you-know-what hit the fan.
91裸聊视频淲hat an a**hole response,91裸聊视频� fumed Kathy Charlesworth. 91裸聊视频�(Basran) definitely needs to be called out on this one.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲ow, that91裸聊视频檚 awful. Someone who is an elected official should know better,91裸聊视频� exclaimed Ashley Palmer.
Others called Basran 91裸聊视频渦nprofessional,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频渁rrogant91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渃ondescending.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淗ow rude and defensive, mixed with sarcasm,91裸聊视频� wrote Juanita Straub.
Another writer, Sam Nichol, called Basran 91裸聊视频渁n entitled moron,91裸聊视频� who delivered a 91裸聊视频渢ypical douche response.91裸聊视频�
And the criticism went on91裸聊视频nd on91裸聊视频nd on.
The mayor did find one defender however.
Pat Fountain liked the response.
91裸聊视频淚f I had to listen to/read comments from every whiny little b***h with their First World problems, I91裸聊视频檇 have a bad day or two also. Get a life,91裸聊视频� wrote Fountain.
The exchange between the mayor and Doran91裸聊视频攐r rather the response to it91裸聊视频攊llustrates the bind every elected official, and public sector employee for that matter, faces. Whether they like it or not, they are always 91裸聊视频渙n,91裸聊视频� always a representative of the organization they work for.
In this day and age of social media and immediate public shaming, flipping off a constituent is never a smart move by a politician, not matter how annoyed he or she may be by the question, accusation or inquiry.
But what Basran wrote was not that bad. It was a direct response to what he was asked. Could he have been a little more tactful? Sure.
I was once told by a former high-ranking city official one of the biggest constraints he faced, given his job, was not being able to swear in Safeway. It may seem like a little thing to most, but it points to a larger issue. The higher your level of public accountability, the higher standard you are held to.
Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 mayor may want to remember that next time he gets a snarky email and wants to respond with an equally snarky tone of his own.
In other words; take the high road, dude.
Alistair Waters is the assistant editor of the Capital News
