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The Citizen, 2010-10-21, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010. PAGE 13. Fire coverage, communication big issuesMUNICIPAL ELECTION 2010 RE-ELECT FRANK STRETTON COUNCILLOR BRUSSELS WARD If you require a ride to the polls, call 519-357-5932 Remember to vote on October 25th at the BM&G Comm. Centre MARG ANDERSON Incumbent Marg Anderson has served three terms as an East Ward Councillor for Central Huron and one term with the former Hullett Township and hopes to be elected once again to her current position of East Ward Councillor. In addition to her four previous terms of council, Anderson has completed the municipal clerks and treasurers program and the municipal office administration program. In her time as a councillor, she has also served on the Bayfield Cemetery Committee, the Central Huron Fire Board, the Seaforth and Area Fire Board, chair of the Blyth and Area Fire Department, she is the current chair of the Auburn Hall Board and she has been a member of the roads and facilities committee to name a few. Anderson is running again because she says she would like to see all of the current projects of council completed within the stated time frame and within their stated budget. She says she would like to see the current meeting format changed so that more ratepayers can attend meetings. Many people have jobs and are unable to attend day meetings like committee of the whole meetings during the day, she says. She says she would like to see a better working relationship between the municipality and its divisions, as well as between the municipality and its surrounding municipalities. She would like to see water and sewer services provided to residents along the lakeshore to help promote the municipality, saying that the lake is an asset that Central Huron has and many others visit. Her personal goal is to do the best she can for the residents of Central Huron. She says she is willing to listen, ask questions and do what she feels is best for the people within the municipality. KEN COLQUHOUN Ken Colquhoun is running for the position of councillor in the East Ward of Central Huron and he feels the most important issue facing the municipality going forward is financial responsibility and transparency to the citizens. Colquhoun has no previous political experience, but the main reason he decided to run is to bring a new perspective to council. He hopes that with his face around the council table, the group may seek information and input from the residents of the area when making a decision. Colquhoun says he feels that the current council has done its work with little community involvement and has made long-term commitments that should have received consideration from the public. He says he would try to change that and would make himself available for consultation and direction from ratepayers, regardless of what the issue of the day may be. He says the municipality also needs to get its financial house in order and limit spending to reflect the current economic climate. Another concern of Colquhoun’s, he says, is wind turbines and the effect they may have throughout Central Huron and all of Huron County. He says he hopes to ensure that the current fire service agreement is the best agreement possible for the residents of Central Huron and he says he will work with other municipalities to ensure the best protection possible. Colquhoun says his personal goal is to make council responsible and responsive to the needs of Central Huron residents and to leave the community in a better position financially than it was at the beginning of his term, should he be elected. GARY ‘BUTCH’ FLEET Gary “Butch” Fleet of Clinton is running for councillor in the East Ward of Central Huron. He has no previous political experience, but now that he is retired, he says he has a lot of time to dedicate to the job. He says if elected, he will give the position his full attention and try to keep taxes down. He says that as a councillor, he would attempt to be more accountable and more information would be made available to the public. He feels the most important issues are spending by the municipality, solar farms, industrial-sized wind turbines and the new community centre in Central Huron, which he says needs to stay within its proposed budget. Fleet says his personal goal is to help the municipality move forward and hopefully bring some new ideas to the council table. He says he would make every effort to be fair and listen to all citizens and give the residents of Central Huron a voice at the council table. ALEX WESTERHOUT Hullett Township’s Alex Westerhout is running for the position of East Ward Councillor for the Municipality of Central Huron. A lifelong Hullett resident, Westerhout has no previous political experience, but has spent 20 years as a District Committee Representative for the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, spending the majority of that time as the local chairman. He is also the chair of the stewards at Londesborough United Church and he is on the board of directors for REACH in Clinton. One of the issues Westerhout feels is important going forward in the municipality is fire coverage for the Hullett Ward. He says he felt the issue was mismanaged and miscommunicated to citizens of the area. The public information meeting, he said, was far too close to the deadline, which in turn lost the municipality’s power of negotiation. Another issue is the new community centre. Again, a short deadline was just caught, Westerhout says, with a meeting held the night before the funding deadline. Making decisions at the last minute, he says, is not a good habit to get into. He says he would like to see council make decisions in a more timely fashion and he would like to see future planning improved. Another important step, Westerhout says, is a better working relationship with neighbouring municipalities. Westerhout says that his goal is to promote Central Huron as the great place to live that it is. He said that the new community centre, the new fire hall and REACH need to be completed and utilized in a timely fashion. He also says that water and sewer services along the lakeshore need to be addressed. He says that should he be elected, he would like his term to be remembered as one where he represented Central Huron residents in an honest and outspoken way. CONRAD KUIPER Conrad Kuiper, teacher at Central Huron Secondary School and resident of Hullett Twp., is running for the position of East Ward Councillor in the Municipality of Central Huron. Kuiper has no previous political experience, but served on the collective bargaining committee for three years for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’Federation in District 8. He is currently in his second year as branch vice-president of the district. A life-long resident, Kuiper says he would like to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of Central Huron. The biggest challenge for the municipality going forward, Kuiper says, is to address the needs of citizens in a diverse municipality with farmers, town residents and cottagers. Kuiper says it’s important to not only focus on immediate concerns, he says that while there are pressing issues, councillors are elected to four-year terms and how they form opinions is an important aspect of their representation going forward. Kuiper says his personal goal is to create alternatives to the current practice of daytime meetings in the municipality. One needs to be retired, self-employed or unemployed to run for council, he says, and that does not ensure a broad representation of the municipality. He also says that a presence in the world of social media is important for Central Huron going forward into the future. DAN COLQUHOUN Running for councillor in the East Ward of Central Huron is Dan Colquhoun. Colquhoun served two and a half years on Clinton council before amalgamation, has spent 25 years on the Clinton Recreation Committee and 10 years on the Clinton Raceway Board. Colquhoun decided to return to politics to increase community interest and he feels the most important issue facing the municipality right now is the amount of debt facing Central Huron. If elected, Colquhoun says he plans on lowering the municipal debt and bringing taxes down. ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED