HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-07-14, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011.
Brussels
pennants
being
sold now
Huron East Council bids McLachlan farewell
M-T Council buys share in NH reflectometer
A career of over 34 years in
municipal politics was honoured
July 7 in Seaforth as outgoing Huron
East Clerk-Administrator Jack
McLachlan celebrated his
retirement.
Well over 100 people were at the
Seaforth and District Community
Centre last Thursday night to
congratulate McLachlan on hisextensive career and wish him wellas the next stage of his life begins.McLachlan will remain employedwith the municipality until the endof the month, but as of July 1, thenew clerk-administrator, BradKnight, has officially taken over theposition.McLachlan announced he would
be retiring around Christmas,
2010, and stated, at the time, he
would be leaving by the end of
March.
As Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said in his speech on
Thursday night, McLachlan said he
would stay with the municipality
until his replacement was found.
When Knight was hired to replace
him, the municipality needed to hire
a new treasurer to replace him, yet
another process McLachlan agreed
to see through to the end.
This situation was a perfect
example of McLachlan’s dedication
to the municipality and its residents,
MacLellan said.
Even before the hiring process
began, MacLellan, who had just
been elected mayor at the time,
asked McLachlan to delay his
retirement for several months until
MacLellan felt he had his “ducks in
a row” which McLachlan agreed to
do.
As a parting gift, MacLellan said it
seemed like McLachlan might never
leave his post, so the municipality
would help him leave not only his
post, but the country, as an Alaskan
cruise had been purchased for Jack
and his wife.
To honour McLachlan,
representatives from numerous
municipalities were in attendance
including Central Huron, NorthHuron, Morris-Turnberry andseveral others. Robin Dunbar fromHuron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell’soffice was also in attendance, as wasHuron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, whospoke very highly of McLachlan andhis reputation throughout HuronCounty.“Jack always brought the people
he worked with up to his level,”
Lobb said, adding that his wife, who
works in municipal politics, said
McLachlan is very well respected
throughout the entire county.
“This is a great tribute to his
character,” Lobb added, even
suggesting McLachlan should look
into a second career in consulting,
with all the knowledge he could
impart to municipal staff throughout
the province.
MacLellan also had many kind
words to say about McLachlan,
saying that he was always calm
and collected and that it was he
who taught MacLellan to listen to
both sides of the story in municipal
politics and to never make
assumptions before everyone has
had their say. MacLellan also said he
had never heard McLachlan raise his
voice or get angry.
Upon taking the podium,
McLachlan corrected MacLellan,
saying there had been one time
where he was angry when he was the
clerk in Tuckersmith before
amalgamation. McLachlan said he
felt he had been unjustly accused of
something by a councillor and he
went to the reeve at the time and said
he wanted an apology or he would
resign. Luckily for many, the issue
was resolved and McLachlan stayed
on with the township.
When speaking at the end of thenight, McLachlan recounted manyof the accomplishments in HuronEast and Tuckersmith during histime there, he thanked thecouncillors, staff and reeves and mayors whom he worked withover the years and he thanked hisfamily for their commitment to hisjob.
“Thank you to my wife and
daughters for your support,”
McLachlan said. “Thank you for
working around my schedule.”
McLachlan said he has enjoyed
every day of his 34 years at the job
since first accepting the position of
Tuckersmith clerk in 1977.
McLachlan told a story of the days
leading up to his first day as
Tuckersmith clerk. He was living in
Bracebridge where he worked for
TD Bank when he accepted the
position.
McLachlan says he finished work
for the day in Bracebridge,
came home and loaded up a cube
van to move to the area, unloaded
the cube van upon arrival and then
took in the first half of a
Tuckersmith Council meeting,
leaving at midnight. He then drove
back to Bracebridge, arriving at
about 4 a.m. and working at TD
Bank again at 8 a.m. the next
morning.
This was the kind of dedication for
which McLachlan was repeatedly
praised. And while he says he’ll miss
the office, he says he is looking
forward to now catching up on
family time he may have missed
over the last 34 years.
“I’m looking forward to being a
full-time spouse, father and
grandparent,” he said.
Morris-Turnberry will go together
with the Township of North Huron in
purchasing a machine to measure the
reflectivity of roadsides in the two
municipalities.
Gary Pipe, director of public
works, told councillors at their July 5
meeting that in order to get the best
deal, six municipalities co-operated
to tender for the reflectometers with
each machine shared by more than
one municipality. Testing the
reflectivity of the road signs is a new
provincial requirement.
Pipe said the new machine will
cost about $13,000 which will be
split between the two municipalities.
There is only one supplier so there is
no competitive bidding.
Questioned by councillors on
whether there would be enough time
if Morris-Turnberry and North
Huron are to share a machine, he
said that in Oxford County one
student was able to test about 300
signs a day so time shouldn’t be a
problem.
Pipe said the added advantage of
the testing program is that the tester
has a global positioning system
which will tie into the municipality’s
computer system to record the
location and type of each sign.
“I honestly don’t know how many
signs we have,” Pipe said. “I think
we will be surprised.”
Councillors also supported the
Trees for North Maitland proposal
from the Terrestrial Team of the
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority. “I definitely support Trees
for North Maitland,” said Councillor
David Baker.
Earlier he had questioned Pipe as
to why the road department was
against trees being planted at the
property line along roadsides. Pipe
said his department didn’t want to
have the responsibility of having to
remove trees when they die.
But Baker said tree removal
wouldn’t likely be a problem for 100
years. “Any place you can plant a
tree is a good place to plant a tree,”
he declared.
Mayor Paul Gowing said
municipalities taking part in Trees of
North Maitland are looking at ways
of cost sharing to get more trees
planted.
Questioned by Baker about the
municipality’s tree program, Nancy
Michie, administrator, clerk-
treasurer, explained that 200 trees
are given out each year with a limit
of two per property. Already the
waiting list for next year is almost
full, she said. In an attempt to let as
many people as possible participate,
those who are seeking a second
allotment are placed behind those
getting trees for the first time on the
list.
Municipalities also need to
practice good forestry management
on their own lands, Gowing said,
suggesting Morris-Turnberry might
need better management of the 50-
acre woodlot buffer area south of the
Morris landfill site.
Continued from page 15
Chesher at 519-887-8473 and e-mail
a digital copy of the picture to
dchesher @ezlink.ca
Suggestions for custom photos,
include buildings from Brussels,
group shots, pictures of children
and/or grandchildren or even dogs.
Upcoming Wedding
Ken and Jody Bellamy
and Cynthia Bellamy
are pleased to announce
the upcoming wedding of their daughter
Caitlin Frances Bellamy
to
Mark William Gillis
son of John and Patricia Gillis
of Brussels, Ontario
The wedding will take place
Saturday, July 23, 2011
on the couple’s farm
at Brussels, Ontario.
Fraser/Meyers
Larry and Gail Fraser
along with
Bill and Susan Meyers
are proud to announce
the upcoming marriage
of their daughter and son,
Jenna and Curtis
The wedding will take place
Saturday, July 16th
at 2 o’clock
at St. Peter’s Church, Goderich
with an outdoor reception
to follow at the groom’s parents’ in Clinton.
Jenna is the granddaughter of
Charlie and Marg Fraser of Londesboro
and Curtis is the grandson of
George and Pat Langlois of Brussels.
Years of service
Outgoing clerk-administrator for Huron East Jack
McLachlan, left, presented the incoming clerk-
administrator Brad Knight with the old briefcase he used to
use in his days as clerk of Tuckersmith to help prepare him
for his new job. The municipality bid farewell to McLachlan
at an open house in Seaforth on July 7. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
BUY? SELL?
TRY CLASSIFIED