Feature Article November 12, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeElection ObservationThere were a few surprises when all the talk was finished and the people had a chance to vote in the municipal elections in our area. Lets take them township by township
South Frontenac It was not a surprise that Bill Lake won as Mayor. He declared his candidacy early in the year, stayed in public view, and handily won his own district. Fran Willes, on the other hand, only decided to run at the last minute, wanting to foster a better debate, and she succeeded in that regard. The Sydenham Water Committee supporters had two candidates to choose from, Alan MacPhail and Janette Haase, and while both represented different constituencies and different viewpoints, they ultimately split the vote and paved the way for Gary Davison and Ron Vandewal to be elected. In the end, the new council doesnt look to be any different than the old as far as Sydenham Water is concerned.
Peter Roos winning in Storrington will give David Hahn a strong ally on environmental issues. In Portland and Bedford the power of incumbency was shown.
South Frontenac will now have an all-male Council, and they are all roughly in the same age group. The big question will be whether Bill Lake can control what has often been a difficult group over the past three years.
Central Frontenac: It was a fractious campaign, and Logan Murray from Kennebec promises to be a forceful councillor. He has a clearly stated intention to review staff practices and establish an activist council. Janet Gutowskis election is interesting because she is new to the area and won on the strength of her campaign. And one expected Bill Guigue to defeat Elva Price.
Finally, there was prevailing view that said Howard Gibbs would defeat Bill MacDonald for Mayor this time around, so it was a bit of a surprise that MacDonald won by more than last time. Still, it would be no surprise to see Mr. Gibbs on the campaign trail once again in 2006.
It might be a more divided council this time around after three years of relative calm on Central Frontenac Council.
North Frontenac: Ron Maguire proposed some new management techniques during his non-campaign, and it will be interested to see if the council, which is laden with incumbents, will go along with his plans. He intends to institute a reporting regime among the staff, but how this can be done without increasing the staffing for a township already facing financial pressures remains to be seen. North Frontenac is also pursuing incineration as a way of their waste disposal problems which could put them at loggerheads with HFL&A MPP, and now Ontario Minister of Environment, Leona Dombrowsky, who has called incineration a dangerous idea. Addington Highlands: Of the three townships we looked at where the Reeves/Mayors were retiring, Ken Hook was the most natural replacement. As Deputy Reeve, he has been sitting on County Council for three years, and during the campaign he demonstrated a full understanding of all the Township and County issues he will likely be facing as Reeve of AH over the next three years.