Take us in the right direction

Kristine Brown
Concerned Citizen and business owner

Letter to the Editor,
It is nice to see that there is more than one person interested in taking on the position of Mayor of Rainy River. 
For the past few years, the Town has seen a definite decline in population and in the economy.  Infrastructure is frozen due to the sewer restrictions, businesses are closing and Service Clubs have seen a drastic drop in their memberships. 
During the past five years, we have faced a series of misfortunes that have affected our community. The war in Iraq, 9/11, SARS, Mad Cow, internet shopping, big-box stores opening nearby, loss of service from Grey Goose, rise and fall of the U.S./CDN dollar, fuel costs, aging population, declining school enrollment, unemployment, unable to attract new residents, decline in tourism and the tightening of the border as well as other concerns. 
The agenda of the Mayoral candidate must be to lead this Town in the right direction. The Mayor must be a fair and sensible leader, with the community as his/her best interest.
With this, I would like to stress the importance of these elected officials attending town council meetings and making every effort to sit on one or more committees. All of Northwestern Ontario is plagued with the closing of several paper mills and the thriving economy in Alberta which is causing residents to pack up and move west. 
It is crucial that the new Mayor can identify with what is ailing us, list every major concern of our community and determine ways and means to improve things. The residents of Rainy River have it in their best interest to contribute to the community in order to help it thrive. Too often, people are quick to criticize and complain yet do nothing to correct things.The community must support the Mayor and Council to the best of their ability in order for the Town to survive.
We must look at our community as having a handicap. Our handicap is that we cannot accomplish enough on our own but must work together to see prosperity. 
Under capable leadership and with the support of the community, we should be able to slowly improve our quality of life here in Rainy River. 
The negative atmosphere must change and it’s up to the residents to change it. We, as the people, must work in conjunction with the Town in order to make a difference. 
I truly believe that change will come.
–Kristine Brown
Concerned Citizen and business owner