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Change is in the air

Posted: August 15, 2018 at 9:12 am   /   by   /   comments (0)

Mosquitoes have mostly moved on. The sun is creeping over the horizon later each morning. Ice is forming over at the Wellington and District Community Centre. The clues are in plain sight. Not long from now we will be electing a new council. In fact, fewer than 10 weeks separates us from voting day, October 22—just nine weeks until advance polls open. It’s time to arise from our summer slumber.

I apologize if that comes off as a bit pushy— especially if your biggest concern recently has been how to steady your gin and tonic while floating on that massive inflatable flamingo. Yet, 10 weeks will slip away quickly. And we have much to do.

It is not much time to get to know the candidates, to find out what they stand for and what they hope to achieve. The news cycle in rural communities is so much longer than the near-continuous blitz of minutiae thrust in our direction from every other level of government. And with 10 races underway there is much to cover.

Our job as a weekly newspaper is to bring you facts, insights and background information as well as to present the people who seek to represent you on council. We take that responsibility seriously. So, we are packing away our beach clothes and sandals and getting to work telling you the stories of the 2018 municipal election.

This is why it matters. The County spends about $2,000 of your money each year, either directly or indirectly. Your children’s money. Your parents’ savings. You have a right to know that it is being spent well, and to voice objections when it isn’t. Most of us just aren’t tuned in, however.

There are likely a variety of factors behind our apathy—some self-induced, some of it driven by the seeming impenetrability and immovability of Shire Hall. The danger is, however, that narrow special interest groups—or individuals—become skilled at bending council to their wishes. Or that self-interest displaces the community service ambitions that prompted folks to seek a council seat in the first place.

The County government has some enduring challenges that threaten the viability of our infrastructure, our economy and the liveability of our community. These need attention even if the solutions aren’t entirely within the reach of local elected officials. Sadly, they’ve been largely ignored over the past four years.

There were some achievements made by the current term of council—though most, curiously enough, emerged from the County’s Community and Economic Development Commission. I am speaking here of accomplishments such as the County’s strategic plan. While a deeply flawed document, it is nevertheless the first comprehensive set of goals and pathways laid out for this municipality. Two decades after being reformed as an amalgamated municipality, council has, at last, given the organization some basic objectives and a map to navigate toward them. County residents meanwhile, have a benchmark by which to measure success.

There was also the County’s unified branding initiative—a smallish success, but one that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. The development framework emerged after more than a year of meetings and consultation with a long list of recommendations and plans to promote new homebuilding in a community starved of new housing stock. Many of these recommendations still need council’s determination and financial support before there is meaningful progress in removing the roadblocks in the way of builders and developers on the ground. But it is a start.

Then there is the Community and Economic Development Commission itself. Seven years ago, this was a toxic file, scorned by elected officials who neither grasped economic fundamentals in a rural community nor had the ability to see the success that the County had achieved. To see that it has evolved into a highly functioning unit, proficient at working through thorny and ragged files and producing results, is testament to the leadership of the commission, its members, as well as the director and his staff.

This stands in stark contrast to council’s thin list. Since it fired the County’s manager early in its term, council has drifted directionless. Serious conversations about infrastructure were subverted by an untethered obsession with County Road 49. Concessions were made limply to heavy handed wind developers. Another developer’s mishap contaminated Picton Bay and the town’s water supply; and while our officials responded quickly and effectively, council has been strangely mute in the intervening months.

In the absence of council leadership, the big issues of roads, waterworks and housing did not move in any measurable way over the last four years.

We have, however, the opportunity for real change in the next election. There is the promise of significant renewal. No incumbent is safe. Younger voices. More women. More diverse backgrounds and experience.

The Times’ coverage begins next week as this newspaper looks at the candidates in Ward 1—Picton. Here six folks are running for two seats. Both seats are wide open as neither incumbent—Treat Hull and Lenny Epstein— chose to stand for re-election. The closest candidate to an incumbent is Barry Turpin who moves over from Bloomfield, which was absorbed by Hallowell as part of council’s wee re-organization of itself.

Our coverage will proceed in numerical order, finishing with the mayoral race.

We intend to ask all candidates to respond to the same set of questions in order to provide a level playing field. Those questions may, however, evolve as the race goes deeper, but will remain the same for each candidate in each ward.

Our 2018 election coverage consists of a great team including Chris Loane (chris@wellingtontimes.ca), Ramesh Pooran (rameshpooran350@gmail.com), Corey Engelsdorfer (corey@wellingtontimes.ca) and Kathleen Sabyan (kathleen@wellingtontimes.ca). Along with insights from David Simmonds (dsimmonds@wellingtontimes.ca) as well as issue survey polling by Gary Mooney (gary.mooney@actel.ca).

It’s time to let the air out of that flamingo.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca

 

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