Leo Ladouceur | Jul 19, 2017


While North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins wastes his time in dreamland on the Earthship of Ubuntu he should be reminded of two things.  First and most importantly, the mandate we gave him and his Council when we elected them was to manage the township on our behalf.  We needed a cleanup in several areas of our Township Administration and we thought he could do that.   

Second, for years volunteers were the back bone of small and tax-poor townships north of Highway 7.  Our communities were busy and thriving.  Hamlets had two or three gas stations, grocery stores, places to eat, hotels and motels, and small tourist cabins.  Swarms of summer people came every year and most had U.S. license plates.  Then with amalgamation Township Admin took over control and imposed new rules, restrictions and a despised Code of Conduct.  Volunteering became extremely frustrating and so risky it came close to dying out.  While the number of Township employees soared so did its budgets and our taxes. Businesses and tourists disappeared. Ron’s objective may be to get back to that bustling state but his first mandate means he should spend his time on first things first.

If the Mayor intends to establish his legacy by re-writing the blueprint for municipal governance it is because he hasn’t been able to manage the current blueprint that we the people elected him to do. The “dirty laundry” of township problems and challenges doesn’t need to be listed here, but they need to be addressed, managed, and resolved.  The message is he should spend his time repairing and managing the Township first.  We are not in Shauguan, China or Kharp, Siberia. This is North Frontenac and our reality is here.  Since he already gave away any possibility of electrical generation at a profit we won’t hold our breath for his dream of free electricity at a cost of three hours a week volunteering.  If electrical generation makes a noise or is near his lake it too will be poo-pooed.

Mr. Higgins is supposed to be our Mayor whose role is not to be an entrepreneur but to create an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive. But he must start by cleaning up his own township House first.  He’s wasted enough time in dreamland on the earthship of Ubuntu.  When he has addressed and resolved our real Administrative problems and restored honesty, integrity, openness and good governance at the Township hall we can all dream with him – and that is legacy enough for the people of North Frontenac.  

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