Bud Clayton – one memory

Jeff Green | Sep 03, 2014

One of the sad parts of Bud Clayton's passing this week won't hit for another year or so. When the Pine Meadow Nursing Home redevelopment project is complete and the ribbon is cut, he won't be there to share in the accomplishment along with a handful of other people who wouldn't let the project fail, even though it took over 10 years of strategising, cajoling and lobbying to get it to the building stage.

Funnily enough, in all the time I covered Bud Clayton's political career, it was the way he handled a funding issue over Pine Meadow while he was mayor of North Frontenac that led to the strongest attack I ever launched against him. And the way he handled that attack told me something about the kind of guy he was.

When Bud became mayor in 2010 he knew he was on shaky ground in continuing as the Chair of the Pine Meadow Management Board. He said at the time that as soon as the redevelopment was approved he would resign from the board. However, 18 months later he was still the Chair of the Management Board and the financing of the redevelopment was slipping away. The only way to salvage the project was for someone or some entity to provide a loan guarantee.

Instead of going to Addington Highlands Council for the loan guarantee Bud went to North Frontenac, and instead of presenting the request and stepping out of the room Bud stayed in his seat, argued in favour of a motion to provide the guarantee, and then voted in favour of it.

I felt I had no choice but to take him to task for what I thought then, as I do now, was a breach of the Municipal Act. The editorial I wrote was pretty harsh.

At the next meeting of North Frontenac Council, I was feeling a little uncomfortable. It is usually a bit frosty at the next meeting after I write that kind of editorial. I sat down and looked at Bud, who looked away. The first item of business, it being early June, was a motion for the township to declare Seniors' Month.

“It is seniors' month," Bud said, looking over to where I was sitting, “so remember out there, be kind to seniors this month.”

Everyone laughed at that, and that was the end of it.