Higgins alone in seeking ward/council changes

Craig Bakay | Jun 07, 2017

Perhaps North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins said it best himself: “It doesn’t look like this will be going through.”

It wasn’t exactly an admission of defeat, more an acceptance of reality, but being that Higgins was the driving force behind changing the wards and subsequent representation on Council, it would certainly seem that the status quo will be what the Township carries into the 2018 elections.

Higgins was speaking at a special meeting of Council last Saturday at Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna, to consider revamping the make-up of Council as well as waste disposal/recycling options.

At the Nov. 4, 2016 Council meeting, Higgins presented proposed changes which would feature elimination of the ward system as well as the reduction of bodies on Council to five from the current seven. The new Council would feature a Mayor, Deputy Mayor and three Councilors, all elected at large.

That didn’t fly but Council did agree to look at combining Wards 2 and 3, as well as reducing the number of councilors.

This time, they invited the public to comment.

And comment they did:
• “Who’s complaining? I don’t know of any problems the proposal is solving.”
• “I like the wisdom of seven people as opposed to five.”
• “I like the diversity of opinion.”

But perhaps it was Leonard Emery’s observation that changing the wards could easily create an east-west split in votes, leaving the Mayor to cast the deciding vote and thus increase the power of the Mayor’s office that had the most impact.
“I hadn’t thought of that before,” said Higgins.

But it wasn’t only the public who opposed the proposed plan. Coun. Wayne Good was absent from the meeting but the rest of Council was pretty unanimous in being against the changes.

“What I see, when there are fewer people doing the work, that’s an increased workload and sooner or later they’re going to vote themselves a raise,” said Coun. Denis Bedard.

“Proportional representation could split the Township in half,” said Coun. Vern Hermer.

“I voted (to bring the proposal to the table) not because I agree with it, but because I believe it should be discussed,” said Coun. John Inglis.

Coun. Gerry Martin said the Council meetings are only a part of the workload. There are a lot of committee meetings and lake association meetings to be prepared for and attended.

Dep. Mayor Fred Perry concurred.

“Summer is ugly,” Perry said. “You get up and you read emails.

“You have to like abuse.”

There is a draft bylaw in the works but whether or not it actually comes to Council is probably a moot point.

“This proposal is my doing,” said Higgins. “I knew coming in today, through social media, etc., it wasn’t going to fly.”

Martin said that it may only be a matter of time until change is forced on the municipality anyways.

“I really think that the days of small municipalities are numbered,” Martin said. “We’ll probably see another round of amalgamation coming.