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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-07-16, Page 24eve follows family tr 3Y PAUL RATMAN • When Russ Kernighan became the Reeve of Colborne Township three years ago, it marked the third time that a member of his famrnil ► had held that past. I ernighan's father was Reeve in the 1950s. His gran A 1 ether held the position p©tin 19111-1912. One aught say that municipal ipal politics run in the Kernighan blood, and that Russ himself has a particalarly heavy dose. He sat on Colborne Towns 1 7p Council for 10 years, served as Chairman of the park at RenriIller for eight years and has been involved with the Maitland iver Authori- ty for some time. As well, he served Olathe local school board during the 60s. That's a lot of invl' lvemnnent for someone who's also trying to run a 411. acre farm as well. "I guess I must be enjoying it," he eC muses, "or I wouldn't be doing it." Despite the enjoyment that Kernighan has derived from his work in the municipal arena, he'll be stepping down as reeve when the next election is held. "Those that want to come forward and contribute, should be given every opportunity," he says. If they aren't, local politicians could find themselves with "no-one willing to take their place" when the time does come to retire, Kernighan cites another reason for his retirement from the Colborne Township council. "My goal, when I set out, was to provide good,, stable government for the township, and I think we, as a council, have accomplished that." This .being his last year in office allows Kernighan to mull over some of the changes that have taken place during his stints on local boards, committees and council. • "A great deal of change has taken place since I first got involved,"- he observes. clition of politics Russ Kernighan cites the rapid urbanization of the township and points to. the Century Height subdivision at Saltford as an example. He finds the change is accelerating as. well. People are demanding a lot more ._ from municipal government in this age it Kernighan Colborne Township Reeve seems. The municipality has become more involved in such areas as waste manage- ment, , pollution control, zoning by-laws, erosion control and road improvement. "We're looking for ways to better serve a greater number of, people who come from every walk of life." The result has been increased responsibility and work for all members of the municipal government. The extra work that is involved in municipal government provided Ker- nighan with somewhat of a .surprise. "1 never realized how much the municipality was involved in the everyday life of the .community," he offers. "The local council is extremely accessible to the people and that's, the way it be."should' The increased workload that he and council have had to face hasn't prevented them from realizing the completion of what he considers one of Colborne's more important projects. After several years of ..Q work, the Secondary Plan for zoning came - into effect just over a year ago and Ker- nighan was proud to be a part of it. Col borne was one of the first townships in Huron County to have a secondary plan. Another of his proudest memories, comes from his work with the Maitland River Authority. "From boyhood, I've been in- terested in the Maitland and to sit on a board that is responsible for 1,100 square miles of watershed is something I never dreamed of. I really enjoyed the opportuni- ty to be involved in the welfare of the river." A final impression that Kernighan thought worth mention from his years in municipal affairs comes from his work with local citizens. "I'm pleased with the way people have treated me over the years that I've been involved in the community," Locals seem to have appreciated him as well. Though he never campaigned for them, he won the only twa elections he was involved in. His other positions all came from acclamations. The next municipal election will find' Russ Kernigban's name not on the ballot: And with only a 400 acre farm to keep him busy,.he'll.probably feel as though he's got' nothing to do. Congratulations Colborne Township on your 150th Birthday Sesquicentennial tr County of Huron ti Bill G. Banly • Leona Armstrong CLERK -TREASURER WARDEN AND'ADMINISTRATOR* • r1(if= 1 ff 7 ( � 1' 11 1 1:' rfwTfi a r1,`a�11• '•� .'tf Ff itllf rrf 1' 1116 11+. 11tr,, $1111+ .it lit '1' '1r1 if r • r 1 ` ' • 1 ,3J 1 y ( l • .1., 111 f1 111