Coun. Skip Martin’s announcement that he is quitting municipal politics after a single term is not surprising, but it is disappointing.
For nearly four years, Martin has reliably, sometimes audaciously, gone against the grain of a Flin Flon city council that all too often walks in lockstep.
In fact, Reminder readers have grown quite accustomed to seeing Martin’s name and the phrase “lone voice of opposition” appear together in the same sentence.
When council proposed (and ultimately procured) a new fee to boost taxes on low-end homes, Martin spoke for many when he equated the scheme to a levy on those who can least afford it.
When council spurned health officials and pulled supplemental fluoride from the drinking water, only Martin wondered how elected officials in Flin Flon could possibly know better than the likes of the World Health Organization.
And when a financially stressed council was forced by the province to study the state of the Flin Flon landfill, Coun. Martin alone favoured the lowest bidder, a move that would have saved taxpayers $22,000, at least on paper.
But Martin is no contrarian, opposing things for the sake of doing so. Rather, he is someone who puts ample research and deliberation into his positions. You might disagree with him, but you are not going to pull the wool over his eyes.
Martin has brought a unique, methodical perspective to council. He has asked questions other councillors haven’t. He has challenged ideas others seem to take for granted. And he hasn’t appeared to care about building personal popularity.
None of this is to say that Martin is always right, or that he is the most politically savvy figure in Flin Flon politics. Neither of those statements would be true.
But he does represent often-popular viewpoints that are otherwise (and sometimes inexplicably) absent from council chambers.
Voters can consider themselves lucky if the next city council includes a member like Martin. The views of Flin Flonners are too diverse to see controversial policies adopted unanimously.
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