A6

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If councillors need any direction on where they can scale back unnecessary expenses to invest more public priorities, they need only look at the latest polling results on the proposed police headquarters at Peel Plaza.

Among area residents, 44 per cent rated council's handling of the file as "fair" to "poor." This dwarfs the 16 per cent who described the project as "good" and the scant 1 per cent of respondents who ranked it as "excellent."

The remaining 40 per cent polled were ambivalent.

Compare these responses to the polling on harbour cleanup in May, 2006, which encouraged local politicians to take action: 98 per cent of those polled rated harbour cleanup important, and 80 per cent considered it "very important."

On harbour cleanup, water treatment, road repair and recreation, council has been given an unmistakable mandate to act. On Peel Plaza, its efforts have been greeted with responses that range from a yawn to active opposition and outrage.

The cost of proceeding with the police headquarters, underground tunnel and parking garage has been estimated at $45 million. Council should shelve this proposed project as its first cost-cutting measure.

Those councillors who continue to maintain that developing Peel Plaza is essential will argue that the city needs a purpose-built office for its police force, and that council has already spent or budgeted approximately $12 million on preliminary work.

Both claims are irrelevant.

Residents understand that Saint John needs to replace the police offices and lockup at City Hall. It does not need this particular architectural plan, which would place a costly, overbuilt structure in a poor location,

The financial commitments councillors make this year will have an impact on their ability to invest in subsequent years.

It's a simple choice: if the tax rate is to come down, Peel Plaza cannot go up.