Councillor

Wayne Millar – township solid but there is work to be done

Over his last four years on Council, Wayne Millar has developed an appreciation for the way Central Frontenac Township is run, and he thinks the township will be facing some severe challenges in the years to come.

Since moving to Tichborne 21 years ago and later to Sharbot Lake, after retiring from a management career in construction, Millar has been operating a small business, Sharbot Lake Lawn Service. Before coming to Central Frontenac, he lived in the Niagara Peninsula, and sat on Council in Dunnville between 1982 and 1985.

“Council does a pretty good job managing the money and trying to get done what people want done, but there is only so much money in the kitty. You can't pave every road out here. People have to realise they live in the country,” he said.

He is concerned about the vacancies at senior positions in the township and about the impact of added policing costs to the budgets in the coming years. He thinks that it might be necessary to look into service cuts.

“With those kinds of increased coming in, what can happen? We will need to cut back on something, unless the province comes through with some money, which is unlikely,” he said.

In this context, he said he is particularly wary of taking on the former Hinchinbrooke school building.

“It's a great piece of property and has recreational uses, but we would be crazy to take on that building, unless we can get it for nothing,” he said.

He also thinks that council will need to look at the viability of the four halls it owns, in particular the Piccadilly Hall.

“The revenue from that hall was $500 last year, and its use is severely limited. We can't afford not to look at it with all we are going to be facing,” he said.

He said he has enjoyed being on council and has worked hard to keep informed about issues and to keep the township's interests front and center when making decisions.

“I think I've done a pretty good job on that score,” he said.

Councillor

Sherry Whan – eliminating a communication gap

Sherry Whan was raised in Parham, and moved to Crow Lake Road 12 years ago.

She had worked as an Educational Assistant for the last 23 years, mostly at Hinchinbrooke School, and she is now working at Granite Ridge Education Centre.

Among her community activities she is the treasurer for Central Frontenac Softball Association.

With her children being older now, she finds she has time to focus on something new, and has turned her attention to municipal politics.

“What I have noticed over the years is that there is a huge communication gap between the municipal office, the council, and the community. People don't feel they have the knowledge or the awareness of where their tax dollars are being spent. People also feel that when they address council for whatever reason, there is not follow through afterwards.”

It is her commitment, if elected, to make sure that if people come to her with questions she will try and find answers for them.

“I want them to know their problem is being addressed,” she said.

She is concerned that there is a lack of cohesion between the districts in Central Frontenac and would like to see council take a lead in putting an end to the divisions.

She said that while she supports septic inspections, she is a bit wary of a mandatory system.

“I would support it, because it is such an important issue for our area, but I'm not even comfortable saying I support the program unless there is some assistance for people who can't afford the inspection or the costs that might come as a result,” she said.

She would like to see the township come forward in support of local bus companies in their dispute with Tri-Board transportation.

“When you talk about the economy of the area the fate of those companies is important because they are all local businesses that contribute a lot to the township. It is something Council should address,” she said.

Although new to politics, she brings a fresh perspective to council and an understanding of how the community relates to council and the township.

Councillor

Dennis Scott – road crews need supervision

Dennis Scott has an insider's view of how the township's public works department works since his business works under contract for the roads and waste management departments. Scott's provide trucking services for recycling bins and winter road maintenance on some of the smaller township roads.

A lifelong resident of the township, Dennis Scott has decided to put his name forward for Council at this time because he is interested in seeing for himself how the township operates from the perspective of the senior management and in providing the perspective he has gained in his years in the workforce.

He has been a member of the township Recreation Committee, and has helped to organize the Snow Drags. He has coached minor softball as well.

He is aware that he will need to remove himself from any vote or debate on council dealing with contracts where his company has submitted a bid.

“What really interests me is the way road maintenance is carried out, and that has nothing to do with any of the contracts I work under,” he said.

He said that he is hopeful that a more complete report by the public works manager is brought to council at each meeting in the next term, and that council will have the opportunity to respond and provide direction to the manager

“We need to know, as a council, that the work is being done where it is needed, and that the manager is on top of things and is giving the crews the direction they need,” he said.

Ultimately he is concerned that “there has been a lot of wasteful spending and poor decisions in the roads department and waste management, which have caused unnecessary tax hikes.”

He said that he wants to see Central Frontenac reverse a trend that has seen infrastructure improve in neighbouring townships while Central Frontenac remains behind.

“That is not something that should be happening. I think we can fix that,” he said.

Councillor

Bob Olmstead – better supervision of roads crews

Bob Olmstead moved from Mississippi Station to Zealand Road a couple of years ago, and when he decided to seek election, that meant running in Central Frontenac this time around.

Olmstead was on North Frontenac Council from 2006-2010, before losing a re-election bid in ward 3 of that township.

He was raised at Mississippi Station, and did leave to work for hydro when he was a young man. He returned in 1983 and has lived locally ever since. He stayed with Hydro until he retired in 1999.

As a member of Council in North Frontenac and now as a candidate in Central Frontenac his major issue of concern remains road maintenance.

“Road maintenance is number 1; that's what concerns people the most, and that's where most of the money is spent, and that's where most of the mistakes are made,” he said. “The main thing, the most important thing, is for road crews to do things right the first time.”

Although he thinks that the township is in good shape and is well managed, he said, “I have a big issue with some of the work. They should be ditching the side of the roads better and their grading is poor, they are leaving what I call an eavestrough on the side of the road. I don't know if it is because of poor supervision or what, but it's something that's got to be looked into.”

Another important item for him is making sure the fire departments have what they need.

“I served on the fire department in Keswick and then in Snow Road, and the crews need the full support of the township,” he said.

He would also support efforts by the township and Frontenac County to extend the K&P Trail all the way to the county line, although he is not happy that it is a non-motorized trail from Verona to the south.

“That cuts people off and it cuts off the economy of the tourist potential of the whole thing. If they let horses and skidoos use it, why not ATVs?” he said.

While he supports the idea of septic reinspection programs, he opposes a mandatory program

“I'm not in favour of that; it's too much of an imposition, and many older people are on fixed incomes and can't afford it at all,” he said.

Trustee

Steve Magee – a strong commitment to Public Education

Steve Magee says that public education is “arguably one of the most important institutions that we have. Ideally it brings children of all races and backgrounds together for 12 years. There is no other institution that comes close to doing this. It creates compromise, it creates understanding, and is the foundation that we build our future on.”

He has had a 22-year career as an educator and administrator, much of it with the Upper Grand District School Board, which he said is similar to the Limestone Board in that it has an urban and rural component, with its headquarters in Guelph, but also serves a large rural area. He also has experience and an interest in Aboriginal issues in education.

Steve Magee and his wife Diane, who worked in school administration as a system principal, have maintained a seasonal property in Frontenac County for many years, and they moved permanently to a home they built in the Badour Estates subdivision on Crow Lake five years ago.

Magee’s other passion, besides education, is canoeing. He ran a canoe and kayak centre before becoming an educator and in that role he was involved in the formation of Frontenac Park some 25 years ago.

He said that with Anne Goodfellow stepping down, his retirement, his background and a position on the Limestone Board opening up, he felt it was a good time to put his name forward.

He has done some research into the Limestone Board since registering for the vote in the spring, has met with some trustees and board staff and has attended board meetings.

“Boards are very similar in terms of needs,” he said. “They are concerned with balancing budgets and covering all the needs of schools and students, and dealing with curriculum requirements. The Limestone Board recently held a huge meeting in Kingston looking for collaboration with community groups, which is a good sign.”

He said, however, that there is a tendency for rural needs to lose out in the face of demands in urban areas, and points to the recent cutting of a teacher at Clarendon Central School as a prime example of this.

After attending a public meeting between board officials and the community at Clarendon Central last month, he said the way the board handled the situation was regrettable.

“The way it was handled, the way it was announced, presented a negative picture of the school to the public, suggesting that the school is spiraling down. It may have been possible for that blow to have been softened if the trustee was brought into the picture, and there was some lead time,” he said.

Steve Magee also thinks that it is a trustee's job to convince the other trustees that this kind of cut should not be made, and to use board resources to help the school to try to attract students.

“Cutting that teacher and cutting down to two classes sends the wrong message to the public about Clarendon Central and we need to work now to get the message out that it is really a jewel of a school, a great facility with a supportive community. It needs to be celebrated by the board.”

His commitment is to protect rural schools over the next four years.

“The Limestone Board will be spending $1 billion in public money over the next four years [the annual budget is about $250 million] and the board needs to oversee that spending carefully,” he said.

Councillor

Bill MacDonald – the comeback kid

He's not exactly a kid and he never left politics, but former Central Frontenac Mayor Bill MacDonald is attempting a comeback to municipal politics by running for Council in Ward 3 (Oso).

MacDonald served as mayor from 1998 to 2006. After losing the 2006 election to Janet Gutowski he turned to provincial politics, narrowly losing a nomination contest to be the Liberal Party candidate in 2007. He then secured the nomination for the next two elections. In both cases, he lost the general election to Randy Hillier of the Conservative Party, the last time being this past June.

“I'm running for council because I have so many connections because of my years on council and in provincial politics,” he said, “and with the Liberals being in power for the next four years I think I can serve Central Frontenac in a positive manner. I hope my track record as a community-oriented individual will be considered by the voters,” he said.

He shares the concerns of other members of Council over OPP billing cost increases next year, and thinks it is important for municipalities, through AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) to continue to press the province to take back funding, not only of policing but ambulance service as well.

“There is more than just the cost involved here; services such as policing and ambulance should be seamless throughout the province, and leaving them at the municipal level makes them subject to local political pressures and issues, which is a bad policy. They should be financed out of the provincial coffers, but of course that is a long term argument and in the short term it is a budgetary problem,” he said.

He would like to work on engaging youth in local politics by approaching the civics class at Granite Ridge Education Centre to have a student sit on council for a year. He also thinks it is time that the local council and the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation started working together.

He said that, if elected, he would consider returning to County Council provided his council colleagues were inclined to send him that way.

Finally, he said he is concerned about the vacancies at the senior management level of the township.

“The revolving door has got to stop. I think a commitment on the part of whoever we hire should come out in the interview process,” he said.

Councillor

Cory Thompson – extending community activism

Cory Thompson moved to Central Frontenac from the Erinsville area when he was in grade 9, and has been living here ever since.

He worked for 17 years in Napanee for a subcontractor to the Goodyear plant. Now he works for the Community Patient Transport Group (CPTG) out of Kingston. CPTG does non-emergency patient transport from hospital to hospital, nursing homes and to patient homes.

He has been a long-time firefighter and Olden Recreation Committee member and a couple of years ago he founded a not-for-profit baseball league that works in parallel with the Central Frontenac Minor Ball Association.

Thompson has also been one of the major proponents of the new ball field in Mountain Grove, which is being built on the land that runs between the school and the fire hall.

“The field is almost done, and it will be ready next year. It will be a real asset to the community and will be a much better and safer location than the existing park, which is next to the township garage and the Olden waste site,” he said.

He said that he was drawn to running for Council because he “really cares about the community and people are always talking to me about things they would like to see happen in the township. I feel I have a strong voice and have shown dedication to other projects I have overseen within the community."

One of the improvements he would like to see coming from Council is more public involvement in decision-making.

“Council needs to listen to the public more; they need to get out and talk to the taxpayers. I think they need to have public meetings if a big decision is coming up before it happens."

During the campaign he has found that roads and taxes are the issues that keep coming up.

“These are big issues. It has been questioned by some residents about South Frontenac having lower taxes and they even have garbage pickup; and people wonder why we don't but our taxes continue to increase."

Regarding the purchase of the former Hinchinbrooke school, he said, "At this point before any big decision is made on the Hinchinbrooke school building I think it’s very important to find out what the upkeep cost will be and to see whether we really need it. We need to sit down and look at our options.”

Finally, he thinks the township needs to be more aggressive in trying to get grants for public works projects and stop the unnecessary spending.

Councillor

Jamie Riddell – seeking accountability

Jamie Riddell grew up in Sharbot Lake and settled in Mountain Grove with his wife Renee and their three children. He currently works as a federal corrections officer at Millhaven Penitentiary.

He has been a volunteer firefighter for 27 years and served out of the Mountain Grove station for the past 20 years. He also served as chief for seven years and brought the department through amalgamation. He has run for political office once before, for school board trustee in 2010. This is his first time seeking a position on Council.

He notes a couple of main issues facing Council.

“One is accountability; council needs to do a better job holding our management team accountable for the work they do. That is a major issue when it comes to roads and road maintenance. We need to ask ourselves why we can't keep a roads supervisor for more than a year or two, and why there was a union drive this spring among the employees,” he said.

One of the specific issues that concern him is the plan for mandatory septic inspections. He supports the idea but argues that the burden for paying for the inspections should fall to the province, not the township or the residents. He would also like to see a fund available to provide loans to residents if they are facing large repairs that they must pay for after the inspections are done.

“The inspections are intended to improve the quality of life in our township, not force people to leave,” he said.

He also thinks that the township needs to maintain its focus on its core services such as roads, and defer capital projects that are not always necessary. A case in point for him is the new Mountain Grove ball field, which he does not support at this time.

“I'm all for improving recreation, but why build a new field when we already have a real good one, and the new one is going to displace the fire training centre for the entire township?” he said.

He said that Olden District is the only one in the township that borders all three other districts and it is time for council to move away from district politics.

All in all he intends to be a positive force on council.

“I realise I'm only one vote on council but I'm open-minded. I listen to the issues and will work towards making decisions in the best interests of everybody, not just my own beliefs.”

Councillor

John Purdon – retirement? Not quite yet

John Purdon has been on Central Frontenac Council for eight years, and for the last four years he has also been the township representative to Frontenac County. Both levels of government consistently print agendas of 100 plus pages in advance their meetings, and Purdon is renowned among councilors at both levels for reading and digesting every page of the agendas. It's fair to say he has found thousands of errors over the years, ranging from simple typos to seriously flawed proposals.

“I was considering retirement, but I do enjoy it and in the end I decided to run again, although I might slow down a bit this time around,” he said. “Of course there is always lots to do on council; it never really stops. It's not like a mandate that ends.”

He is considering not seeking the County representative position, which is a major time commitment.

“There may be some interested parties for that position,” he said.

John Purdon is from Quebec. He lived and worked in Chateauguay near Montreal for the Ministry of Agriculture as an agricultural engineer for 32 years, before moving to Mountain Grove into the childhood home of his wife Maxine. It was Maxine who originally talked him into running for Council in 2006. After Maxine died of cancer in August of 2010, John's family talked him into running again in order to stay busy, and the electorate was happy to vote him in again.

“The last four years have been good for me. They have kept me busy. Instead of sulking or crying I was on the road quite a bit,” he said.

The list of important issues for the new Council to deal with, according to Purdon, includes “hiring a CAO and a public works manager; developing a strategic plan, a long term financial plan; finalising our asset management plan; and doing a review of our OP [Official Plan]. And that's just for starters.”

He said that the new council might consider setting up a couple of committees to deal with complex matters and bring them back to council.

“We had a waste management committee and we were able to work through issues and bring a new waste system in place. That might work for other items of the township agenda that are not easy to discuss with nine people who have a lot of other business to deal with,” he said.

While he thinks that many county issues don't concern the township council, he sees opportunities for co-operating directly with other townships with or without county involvement, on roads and other regional infrastructure matters.

But all in all, he feels that the township has been operating pretty well over the last four years.

“I think it's in decent shape. We haven't gone bankrupt; we've made improvements in waste management; the number of complaints have gone down; we have increased the levy but limited that by reducing the tax rate and winter roads maintenance has improved,” he said.

Councillor

Victor Heese – a less antagonistic approach

In the late 1980s, Victor Heese fell in love with the piece of property on the McLean Road where he now helps run the Sumac Centre. He moved to the old farmhouse on the property in the mid 90s to prepare for building the centre. After a couple of years, he was offered a job teaching English in Japan. Intending to stay for only two years, he ended up spending 12 years there but always with the intention of returning.

When he did come back in 2009, he brought his wife Naomi and their two young children.

Soon after arriving, he was part of the effort to keep Land O'Lakes Public School open and has since become the chair of the Parent Council. He has become involved in other community groups as well.

He decided to put his name forward for Council this time around when he learned there was a vacancy.

“When Norm [Guntensperger] moved out of the district there was a spot on Council, and since I‘ve often been involved in the communities where I’ve lived, I thought I'd try this. I also think I have an approach to getting things done that is a little less antagonistic than the way the township sometimes operates,” he said.

He cites the property standards bylaws as an example.

“The property standards bylaw is complaint driven, and that does not build community. What if instead we did a little cleanup every once in a while, engaged recycling companies to pick up old tires, got someone to offer to take the old cars and pay a price for them. Property owners would be offered support instead of receiving an order they may not be able to follow,” he said.

He would also like to see more citizen involvement in township matters, even in road maintenance.

“The technology exists for a database system to be in place to collect and store information from residents about perennial road problems. The work can be prioritised, and the plan for dealing with it and time frame all available to the public,” he said.

In terms of the issues facing council he sees police costs as major; as well, the budget process needs to ensure a balance between taxes collected and services delivered.. He would like to see more done to make the area attractive for new families to settle here.

“We have a fantastic school in Mountain Grove, a reasonable cost of living and beautiful land. We still need to deal with Internet in many locations because in order for a home-based or small business to survive, reliable Internet is essential. But I think there are opportunities for growth in Olden and in Central Frontenac. Perhaps a staff person at the township office could be assigned to find what funding is available for new businesses and what sort of regulations might apply. Let’s make it as easy as possible for people interested in starting a business by doing some of the legwork for them,” he said.