Municipal expert Fred Dean packed the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake on Sept. 4 for a public meeting highlighting the reasons of why and why not to run for council in the upcoming October municipal elections. Dean did not mince his words and gave listeners much food for thought.

On the “Do not run" side of the conversation, Dean targeted those who may have been thinking they could make a fast buck for a minimal amount of work. I am taking liberty here and summing up what I remember Dean stressing. “If you don't like meetings...council is not for you. And if you don't like reading reports, and receiving irate phone calls at all hours of the day, council is not for you.” Dean said also that if you think it won't impact your family life, council is not for you, especially if you are running for mayor. If you have motives of pecuniary interest (meaning your spouse, children or parents might benefit financially from your votes as a member of council), council is not for you. He advocated reading books regarding the laws on pecuniary interest.

On the "Do run" side, Dean did state the heart felt reasons as to why those interested should be throwing their hats in the ring. “It requires someone who is really committed to their community, someone who is a good listener, who loves meetings and who is willing to advance the issues that are important to the community and who can also work well with other people. Those elected to council do not get to chose who they play with in the sand box; they have to work well with all of the other electorates.”

Hat in or hat out, Dean definitely opened up a dialogue for those considering putting their hat in for the upcoming municipal race.

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Supporters and members of the Green Party of Ontario gathered at the Maberly hall on March 22 for an anual fund-raising dinner. Cam Mather, who is running as the Green Party of Ontario candidate for Lanark, Frontenac Lennox & Addington, was not able to attend the event. Rolly Montpellier, who is a member of the Green Party and who helped organize the event, was pleased with the turn out and talked about a new strategy for the expected election this spring.

Montpellier said he and his members are pleased at how well Mike Schreiner, the leader of the Green Party of Ontario, is currently doing in the polls. Schreiner will be running in the Guelph area and Montpellier said that his own association will be channeling some of their fund-raising dollars to help Schreiner get elected. “We're actually trying to use the Elizabeth May model where federally a lot of resources were devoted to her campaign so that she could be elected and that strategy certainly worked. So we are trying to use the same principle to get Schreiner elected to the legislature in Ontario,” he said.

Cam Mather lives in an off-grid house on 150 acres near the village of Tamworth. 
With his wife Michele, he runs Aztext.com, which publishes books on sustainable living. He has written a number of books, including "Thriving During Challenging Times", and most recently, "Little House off the Grid".

The minority Liberal government under Premier Kathleen Wynne will face a confidence vote later this month when they table their 2014 budget.

A number of people have come forward to seek office in the Frontenac townships over the last week or so.

Valentini running for mayor of North Frontenac

In North Frontenac, Claudio Valentini, a music teacher at Granite Ridge Education Centre and the president of Tomvale Airport on Road 506, is the only candidate who has come forward thus far for any position in North Frontenac. He is seeking the position of mayor. Mr. Valentini has not served on North Frontenac Council before.

Gutowski seeking a third term

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski has decided to seek another term. She had indicated early in the year that she was leaning towards running and she made it official early this week. With Councilor Frances Smith already in the race, this ensures voters will have a choice for mayor in Central Frontenac this year.

Hinchinbrooke Councilor Heather Fox has also decided to run for re-election. She joins Brent Cameron in running for the two positions in Hinchinbrooke.

There are three candidates for the two Kennebec positions: incumbents Tom Dewey and Jeff Matson and former councilor Logan Murray.

Incumbent Wayne Millar is the only candidate so far in Oso ward.

South Frontenac

In South Frontenac, two candidates without council experience but with inside knowledge of municipal operations have come forward.

Alan Revill, the former chief building official in South Frontenac, is the first declared candidate in Bedford ward, and Mark Schjerning, the Chief of Paramedic Services in Lennox and Addington County, is the first candidate for Council in Loughborough ward.

(Clarification – in a previous article about candidates in the 2014 election, we reported that Bill Robinson is the longest serving councilor in Frontenac County. While Robinson is the longest serving active councilor and the longest serving in the post-amalgamation era, Thomas Martin Neal served six years as a councilor and 28 years as reeve of Barrie Township. He started his political career in 1953, and retired from municipal politics at the end of 1997.)