HISTORY REPEATS

Here we go again!

History is repeating itself.

The last time Mr. (Brian) Taylor was the mayor we had a split council
and a split community.

Talk about deja vu, and it's only been a year. Previously, the mayor
put us on the map in a negative way. He stated that any publicity is
good publicity. That people would remember Grand Forks for its "pot
smoking, tequila sipping mayor" (not my words). He was right.

For years after he was voted out we were still the laughing stock of
the province.

I became the mayor six years after Brian, and the stigmatism was still
in everyone's mind. I cannot begin to count the times that I was asked
if I was the dope smoking mayor of Grand Forks. Not fun when you are
on your way into meet with a minister to request funding for our community.

It took a lot of hard work on behalf of the community to change
people's perceptions and to portray Grand Forks as a good, clean,
safe, desirable place to live. Again that work is gone in one hour. I
was also asked about the financial impact of grow ops on the local
economy. I told them that I believed if they disappeared tomorrow the
city of Grand Forks would not collapse as some suggest, and that the
majority of residents were hard working individuals that take pride in
their community.

I do not want to get into a debate about whether marijuana production
is good or not. Just keep in mind that whether they are legal medical
grow ops or not, along with them comes guns and crime.

Even the mayor shut down his operation when he was hit by
rippers.

Now that crop has entered the illegal stream and, if he had guns that
were stolen, the guns then would be in the hands of criminals.

Neil Krog,

Grand Forks