BY BRODIE CAMPBELL
GUEST OPINION
In response to the article, "New MLA not ashamed of financial woes," I would like to say how disheartened I am by the way this article was written - making it seem like it is acceptable for our now-elected MLA Hannah Bell to hide information from her constituents.
Bell says in the article, "I am sad that my financial issues had to come to light in this way. The timing of this coming out now, obviously the timing of it is very political. And I’m sad about that on behalf of the message it sends."
No, she should not be the one who should be sad about the timing of this information. Her constituents, whom she did not disclose this information with, should be the ones that she should feel sorry for.
Why was this story hidden when the byelection was taking place? There were other articles presented during the byelection about other candidates, however, nothing was ever released about Hannah Bell. I feel that her response to this information being released is truly disrespectful to her constituents. They deserve the truth, not some fictional character that she demonstrated during the byelection.
As a constituent who lives in her district, I feel that I was manipulated and swindled by her campaign. If she cannot have enough respect to share her financial issues with her constituents during the time where she is seeking their support, why should I have any respect for you now?
All she wanted is to win the game, which, congratulations, she did. However, I feel that I am unable to put my trust into someone who is not truthful to his or her constituents. I think that everyone deserves the truth, everyone goes through difficult situations, and however the law is the law. The rule of law implies that every person is subject to the law. Regardless of the situation, every person needs to be accountable.
Perhaps, if she had decided to disclose this information during the byelection, then one would be able to sympathize with her. But when you sign up to be put in the eye of the public, be aware that you are signing up to disclose yourself to the public - not just disclosing yourself as an iceberg, which only discloses only a small part of themselves, and generally just the part they wish to show.
- Brodie Campbell is a resident of District 11, Charlottetown-Parkdale