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WATERLOO CHRONICLE The Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group, a division of Southern Ontario Community Newspapers Inc., a division of Southam Publications, a CanWest Company. The views of our columists are their own and do not necessarily represent those of the newspaper. Ken Bosveld Deborah Crandall Associate Publisher . Editor, Ex1. 215 Dwayne Weidendort . Gerry Mattice 75 King St. South, Suite 201 Waterioo, Ontario N2J IP2 Publisher: Cal Bosveld 886â€"2830 Fax: 886â€"9383 Eâ€"mail: wchronicle@sentex.net Andrea Bailey Bob Vrbanac Reporter, Ext. 227. Sports Editor, Ext. 229 The Waterloo Chromicle welcomes letters to the Editor They should be signed with name, address and phone number and will be verified for accuracy. No unsigned letters will be published Submissions may be rdired for length. so please be brief Copyright in letters and other mate nals submitted tn the Publisher and iccepted far publcation remains with the authar but the publisher and its hcensees may freely repo dtuce them in print. electromic or other torms Our mailing address is 57 King St 8. Suite 201 Waterinar NMH IT2 oure mail address is wohrorue lesrsentex net. and cur lax number is A86 4181 Regional Classified _ Classified Manager Sales, 623â€"6617 Deb Duffield Karen Dwver Circulation Circulation Manager, Ext. 225 Assistant Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 136379 International Standard Serial Number ISSN 0832â€"3410 _ Audited v‘. circulation: 26,056 _ «znamam Advertising Sales, hxt. 223 Norma Cyca Letters Policy Lynn Bartol roup Sales Retail Sales Director Manager, Ext. 230 Cal Bosveld Melissa Hounslow Advertising Laune Ridgway While many citizens are breathing easier since the terms of the settlement saved the City of Waterloo $82 million in payments for the recreation facility, there are some crying for more. That mentality that heads should roll at city hall has been voiced on more than one occasion, seemingly more so by some members of the local media. â€" In describing his mission as a peacekeeper in the Golan Heights, Gerry Hartman said the philosophy in the Middle East, when at war, seemed to be shoot first, ask questions later. Mayor Lynne Woolstencroft said, in recommendâ€" ing the settlement to her council last week, that disâ€" cussions on these matters have commenced; and she assured there will be no "quickâ€"fix" solution. n the last week, it‘s been difficult not to observe Ievery impression, perception and opinion on the outcome of the litigation over the RIM Park financâ€" ing debacle. A barbaric stance to say the least, but one I fear will come into play when personnel matters at Waterloo headquarters are decided. _ â€" â€" I only hope she‘s right, and the city doesn‘t bow to the pressures, suggestions and coaxing measures of certain media sources. But with an error of this magnitude, which could have smacked the city with a $227â€"million bill for a park believed to only cost $112 million, a thorough investigation has to be included. And l mean thorough. Sure, it‘s easy to point fingers from a holierâ€"thanâ€" thou position; but it‘s naive and unconscionable to make snap decisions withâ€" out knowing the facts. The thought has brought to mind a quote 1 used recently in a story. â€" ‘Accountability‘ seemâ€"ed to be the word of the week, and yes, when a mistake is made, ownership and responsibility must follOw. . on The reality is the City of Waterloo was duped by a smoothâ€"talking salesman. An@@P can assure, as a witâ€" ness at the press table, the sale was slick. Picture this: September 2000, Waterloo City Hall. City officials have just presented the RIM Park financing deal to council â€" with one of MFP Financial Services‘ viceâ€"presidents in the audience â€" and explained what they believed to be the terms of the deal. * Council members asked a variety of questions to ensure understanding of the financial agreement. And by the end of the meeting everyone felt they were on the same page. He sat there in silence, likely picturing city officials for what they now appear to be. sitting ducks But I have to believe these city officials, like city offiâ€" cials in Toronto and Windsor who are also on the hot seat for one of MFP‘s now infamous deals, didn‘t earn their positions by making simpleâ€"minded errors. I don‘t think anyone‘s livelihood should be made an example based on an obvious act of dishonesty, and immorality, just because those looking for a splashy headline call for ‘accountability‘ So, just what are the facts? Yes, maybe a closer look at the documents should have been taken Did someone just snag a cod? Because something definitely smells fishy. And no, despite the thoughts of others. I‘m not on a crusade to save jobs, or heads. And just because I‘m a woman doesn‘t mean 1 think with my heart and not my head The truth is. the onus of this ordeal doesn‘t lie with only one or two people. There is a fair solution, and the city must take the time to find it If that was the public‘s belief, those council chamâ€" bers on Regina Street would have been packed with people calling for action since the start of this issue fast spring. It hasn‘t been Not once did that viceâ€"president stand up and say ‘Excuse me. Your figures are about $115 million off." Let‘s ask questions then shoot VIEWPOINT Where was Tanya Harding when we needed her? And the Russkies have again emerged as slipperier than a sardine sandwich. It‘s too bad we can‘t load up our skating teams the way we do with our hockey squads. Let‘s not forget in working up a solution to the RIM Park fiasco they‘ve been dealing with number more appropriate to Bill Gates, George Dubya and Lord Conrad _ s What‘s Hisâ€"Name. ell, you can‘t say the Olympics aren‘t Wentenajning The heyrube over how Canadian skaters were jobbed has provided drama without end. High Octane: The Harris government has long since had a committee investigating gasoline prices. What a chuckle! After the gas probe, the government should try a hard one: Like detecting the smell of onions around a hamburger stand. And, say, you have to give the councillors credit for saving a few bucks. The compromise deal will save the city $82 million, reducâ€" ing the total cost of the park to a paltry $145.7 million from $227.7 million. Still, that‘s a hefty $33 million more that the city expectâ€" ed to pay when it signed the financing deal on Sept. 25, 2000. But Mayor Lynne Woolstencroft said the mediatorâ€" aided agreement is a good deal that avoids the uncertainty of a legal battle that could go on for years For the record, the new structure will lower the interest rate to below 7.5 per cent from 9.25 per cent, but it‘ll still be higher than the 4.73 per cent the city thought it was getting under the original deal Or, in a phrase, where was Tanya Harding when we needed her? watching fas prices go up. Daund the Dark: if .. Round the Park: If you‘re having a conâ€" versation with Waterloo councillors, try to toss in some boxcarâ€"sized figures, just so they feel at home. But a note of caution: Don‘t believe all the talk of council discipline for bureaucrats arisâ€" ing from mistakes in the RIM fiasco. There‘ll be some talk and that‘s about all. Particularly since there‘s plenty of blame to go around. including some fragments of councillors lzgaf Eagle: Incidentally, the RIM Park lawsuit has cost Waterloo $750,000 in legal fees so far. fees so far. â€" A reader wrote the London Free Press conâ€" And you can bet that amount will bring _ demning them as "visual pollution," but that‘s snide remarks aplenty about the amounts the _ eyewash. After all, they‘re not billboards legal eagles earn for a modicum of effort. Stifl, _ They‘re neat little signs Incidentally, the biggest problem facing motorists today is whiplash. You get it from iA | @Al :{ «~~<@ 2 m o \eughn *\ A \\ i9 \ .; {.- such comments are unfair, tremendously unfair. For example, the amount billed is not the amount earned. There are expenses everyâ€" where, For example, there‘s the expense of having your gowns pressed, the outlay of fax copies of your correspondence, the cost of having your Mercedes polished, the tab for heavyâ€"duty cookies and Timbits, And so on and so on. 1 think lawyers are worth every penny they‘re paid. As a matter of fact, every memâ€" ber of our family thinks so, too. That includes sonâ€"inâ€"law Steve, who happens to be a lawyer, and daughter Judy who is one, too. Thug on Trial: Slobodan Milosovec is on trial in The Hague for orchestrating the murâ€" ders of thousands of people, but in Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo there‘s naught but silence. E4 Minor Flaw: | suppose it‘s f heresy to sav anything bad about J Lennox Lewis, let alone Wayne Gretzky. They have one habit DY which sets the teeth on edge D That the habit of referring to ' themselves in the third person Lennox does it often and Gretzky often enough. It‘s not conceap, it‘s just a bad habit. Unlike the chap who‘s slightly conceitâ€" ed. He believes if he had never been born, people would want to know why. __ Asphalt Alley: Say, one thing that seems not to have been mentioned locally is the rash of signs that now bedeck Ontario highways. They‘re great. Besides indicating the place you may want to go, the signs give you the feeling that you‘re somewhere near civilizaâ€" tion. And 1 especially like the signs that tell you what fastâ€"food spots and gas stations you‘re approaching And of course, there‘s grandson Ben who‘ll be an attorney when he‘s all finished with school. Of course, he‘ll be playing hockey and baseball, too. It‘s surprising really, given that this comâ€" munity daily echoed to the war cries of Milosovec‘s hordes as they stomped King ooz . Street. You‘ll recall that they were BEsAA) rooting for the Serbs who were DUONL | busy at the time raping, looting. A N MMAMM| torturing, expelling and killing. Now there‘s no one on King Street in support of Fat Slobo. No sir not even the yahoo who vowed to go home and join up with him. Let‘s hope he‘s there and he‘s staving there.