The recent machinations over at the City of Dryden are starting to give reality TV a run for its money.

It would be entertaining as hell if it weren’t so terrifying. We could all tune into Shaw Cable’s broadcast to see who is next to be ‘voted off the island’.

In my weekly story-writing, I try my best to run everything I do through the “Rotary Four-Way Test”.

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it bring about goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The page one story ‘Fractured’ required no small amount of creative justification to myself, save for the overriding value of direct and honest communication from the mouths of Mayor and council about the deteriorating tone of council’s affairs.

If anything it’s an indicator of the predicament we find ourselves in the community and the stakes involved.

Somewhere in my interview with soon-to-be ex-councillor Mike Wood, he questioned whether digging into the squabbling and deep divisions that exist between council members is ‘a productive use of print’.

It is, I think, insofar as it the only thing that council is really allowed to tell the public these days, the issues themselves cloaked in closed-meeting confidentiality.

If you are looking for a more productive use of print, look no further than the next page, where battle-scarred city manager Joe van Koeverden’s message is a plea for unity and support in difficult times.

Chris Marchand