Dear Editor:
I attended on March 23 the New Westminster council meeting at which the May Queen and Royal Knight positions were selected for 2015. At the meeting, the mayor elaborated on how he was a strong supporter of the 144th May Day tradition in the Royal City.
However, on March 12, he had signed a letter including, "in the past Lancer members included SD40 principals and were informally overseen by the District. However, this is no longer the case." And, in response to that letter the city council has decided to change the format of the city's May Day banquet and the Royal Lancers would no longer be involved.
I met the mayor on March 17 and informed him that the Royal Lancers had always been an independent community group, one of the five community representatives who were part of the past May Day committee. I also had the misrepresentation of the quote from the superintendent's letter provided by John Gaiptman stating, "I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify the district's position in regards to the Royal Lancers. In the past, the Lancer members have included School District 40 principals but were, never to my knowledge, supervised or overseen by the district."
Then I asked the mayor why the decision re the Royal Lancers was made without consultation and in a closed council meeting without discussions with the community after the Royal Lancers' more than 100 years of positive tradition. He informed me that there had been some complaints, and I responded that as a Lancer for over 25 years I was unaware of any complaints about the Royal Lancers.
I have received comments from many previous members of the May Queen suite and their families that dancing with the Royal Lancers was one of the highlights of their experience.
After my last television interview on March 30, the mayor made a statement that now was the time to "modernize" the past May Day balls and banquets to eliminate the Royal Lancers. I believe the councillors and mayor, to my knowledge, have not had the privilege themselves of being involved in this community as active student participants in May Day. Therefore, they may not fully appreciate and understand this tradition.
Having served as a school trustee whom the community chose to support for over 32 years, and a Lancer for over 25 years, I would ask everyone who in the past has seen and enjoyed the Royal Lancers and the May Queen suite dance to do any or all of the following things:
1. Please contact the councillors and mayor to show your support of the Royal Lancers.
2. Use email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs or any other social media to pass on your comments of support.
3. Show your community support by attending the open council meeting at 7 p.m. on April 13.
If this decision is not reversed, it may be that New Westminster now has its own "House of Cards."
Brent Atkinson, New Westminster
