AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YE FREE!

BACKGROUND

A quick check of the Coast Guard ... over the past few years will show that Mr. Anderson has long maintained that costs associated with the former Shelburne Naval Station were a burden assumed by SWSDA on behalf of the Municipality of the District of Shelburne. Indeed, it appears that he did such a convincing job that his Board recently voted to consider suing the Municipality for any maintenance and operational costs incurred by SWSDA that exceeded the revenues derived by SWSDA from the acquisition, operation and disposal of the base and its assets...... (Millions of dollars we and Mr. Anderson's Board were told repeatedly, as a way to squeeze additional funds and guarantees from municipalities, we believe.....)

You will also recall dear reader the recommendations .... prepared two years ago by the former Acting CAO of the Municipality of the District of Shelburne, Reg Ridgely, recommending the purchase of the former naval base from SWSDA and the public outcry that ensued some two years ago..... I believe that mis-guided initiative supported by the former Warden Paulette Scott and others on Council at the time was in part motivated by the belief that the Municipality did have an obligation to support SWSDA's operation of the base.


FIRST PROBLEM .... Mr. Anderson's claims of costs exceeding revenues in the base's operations were never documented by Mr. Anderson or anyone else from SWSDA...... Who knows what monies and revenues were generated and collected by Mr. Anderson over the years at the base? Certainly not the SWSDA Board of Directors! Moreover, who knows if the costs attributed by Mr. Anderson to the operation of the Base are the result of poor management by the erstwhile manager of "All Things South West Nova"..... or really attributable to SWSDA's other operational activities and priorities, e.g. - its self-serving ventures in film-making and boat-building or other initiatives?

SECOND PROBLEM.... I have listened to Councilors and others ask repeatedly whether there was any agreement between the Municipality and SWSDA respecting ownership of the Base. Former Wardens Paulette Scott and Pat Nickerson's carefully worded responses were that there were "... no written agreements...".


Sooo..... a couple months ago I went to the Municipality with a Freedom of Information request seeking any documentation describing, alluding to or suggesting any contract or agreement between SWSDA and the Municipality respecting the base. Our new CAO not only searched the municipality's files but also wrote to Mr. Anderson seeking his input if he could provide any such documents. To my knowledge, Mr. Anderson never provided any evidence of contractual arrangements between SWSDA and the municipality respecting ownership of the base or agreements for the municipality to absorb cost overruns incurred by SWSDA related to the Base.

Following is a copy of the two page covering letter received from Mr. Cox in mid-July after his careful search of the Municipality's files.


CONCLUSION..... taxpayers of the Municipality of Shelburne have no contractual arrangements with SWSDA respecting ownership of the base, nor..... do they have an obligation to compensate Mr. Anderson or SWSDA for their reported MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN cost overuns incurred in the operation of the base.


IN FACT THIS WAS ALL A FABRICATION FOUND ONLY IN THE MIND OF MR. ANDERSON AS FAR AS ANYONE CAN TELL!

ANOTHER SELF-SERVING URBAN LEGEND BITES THE DUST !!!!