Wilma Kenny | Nov 23, 2022
In lieu of a regular meeting last week, South Frontenac held a swearing-in and welcome event for the new and returning Council members (who had had an information/orientation meeting the previous week.)
Each Councillor took their oath individually, following it with a thank-you to their supporters, commenting briefly on some of the projects Council would be working on. Several mentioned Highway 38 and Sunbury Road resurfacing and improvements, the Verona Seniors’ housing development, and the new Official Plan. Councillor Roberts included electrical charging stations in his list. Of the eight Councillors, five are returning, and three are new: Charlene Godfrey and Steve Pegrum will represent Bedford District, and Scott Trueman, whose “Wow! Exciting!” was a refreshing touch of enthusiasm, replaces outgoing Ross Sutherland in Loughborough.
Mayor Vandewal spoke of his election for a third term as a validation the job he’s been doing, and warmly thanked his wife Nancy, and his family for their unflagging support — and for keeping him humble; “they tell me when they think I’ve done something stupid.”
To the new members of Council, he said; “You won’t ever please everybody - you just have to keep doing the best job you can.”
He presented gifts to the three outgoing members of Council. John McDougall, a retired Councillor, had returned for the past year to fill the vacancy created by Pat Barr’s death: “You hit the ground running, and were a great help.” Grinning at Ross Sutherland, Vandewal admitted that they had sometimes difficult times with each other, “But you always did your homework, and were good at making Council look at an issue from a different perspective.” He noted that Alan Revill, during his two terms on Council, had been a good asset.
Following the formal meeting and picture-taking, staff brought out cake and coffee to share with friends and family.
Next week’s first Committee of the Whole will also be an orientation/study meeting for the new Council.
SF Township has had several major staff changes in the past year: Kyle Bolton has become Director of Public Services (includes roads, recreation, trucks, facilities and waste management), and at the end of the month Brad Wright will begin as Director of Development Services (planning, building, and completion of the new Official Plan.) Earlier, when Louise Fragnito became CAO, Shelly Stedall joined the staff as Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer.
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