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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-06-17, Page 66 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, JUNE 17, 199S Crocker will take Iifealiule easier BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Seaforth's clerk/adm- inistrator and treasurer, Jim Crocker, is retiring after 22 years at his desk at Town Hall at the end of August. He. submitted his resignation to council in committee of the whole last 'Tuesday night. "I've promised myself to never write a letter to the editor, never to run for council and wear my sandals more." our 55 -year-old administrator says. He's packing up and packing in civic administration for various reasons, but they all add up to a deciding factor - he's - lost the "passion" he once had for his work." "I'm physically and mentally tired," he says. "My decision to retire has not been an easy one," his letter of resignation states. "I have come to the conclusion that I no longer wish to work in the turmoil that has been thrust upon local governments by the current provincial government. • "While I agree that change in local government was long overdue I truly believe that this government's agenda is too massive and chaos is resulting from some ill conceived legislation contained in many of the bills being forced through the legislative assembly," his resignation continues. Crocker has seen many Ontario governments of all major political stripe come and go since starting as Scaforth's clerk (replacing Bob Franklin) on August 23, 1976. He was a councillor for three -and -a -half years before that. TOO AMBITIOUS "No other government has hcen in our race as much as this government," he says. "My biggest beef is they are too ambitious." "1 don't want to work in the municipal environment they arc going to leave behind." Our clerk has served under six mayors in Seaforth: Betty Cardno, John Sinnamon, Alf Ross, Hazel Hildebrand, Irwin Johnston and currently Dave Scott. Crocker says he originally figured on retiring in two - year's time,' but other factors and his weariness made it come quicker. For instance, he can hardly believe that he's a great- grandfather now. The Crocker's four children - Don, Dave, Darren and Laurie - have all long since left the nest, and Jim's wife, Helen, a principal at Grey Central (and before then Walton Public School) with the Avon Maitland District School Board, is also retiring at the end of this month. Jim says he has no definite plan right off the bat, other than to get rested, and no commitments the first year. He is just going to take some time Off. The Crockcrs arc boat people. They have a big All Deposits Insured Within Limits Rates subject To Venbcation .3% 5 Year Annual 5 S Yw Co mp5] Y.3% ,x.45 4.55% w Ca.Yam60 Dayso to 119 n5%,, ly RRSP CastsabM Days Administrator Jim Crocker announced his retirement last week. (CAMPBELL PHOTO) cruiser and winterized cottage near Washago at the northern tip of Lake Couchiching, about 12 miles from Orillia. They like it there, and being outdoors, in general. Sooner or later the Crockers will have make a decision about where they end up living. Having property both here and there doesn't look like an option, Jim says. NEXT PICASSO? He and Helen have enrolled in a watercolor course at college in Haliburton near the cottage. That kind of pleasure is difficult to pursue in municipal administration - "22 years of working nights," he notes. And that work isn't getting any easier at any hour these days, under the current Progressive Conservative Ontario government of Premier Mike Harris. "Utter chaos," Crocker calls it. Our clerk uses for example this town's budget plight at present. Usually a municipality's budget is set in April, but this year with restructuring in the air and major legislated changes by the province still under debate in committee at Queen's Park, towns and townships can't calculate taxes, pay the school board, or do anything much more than not, spend and wait . This makes it difficult for local politicians to concern themselves with the big picture, Crocker says, for instance such things as strategic planning, "an extremely important issue." "What do we want our community to be in 20 years?" When the government eventually makes up its mind about tax changes, software manufacturers say they need at (cast a month, if it can be done at all, to incorporate the new categories and complicated calculations into the tapes and rolls that municipalities will actually use to levy the new mill rates. ENERGY NEEDED "It's not so much what this government is doing, but how," the clerk says. He says he just "doesn't have the energy" for what's coming down the pipe, and the job won't be all a "challenge" like it was when he started in civic administration. Crocker feels the short time frame of the Tories is politically driven and what's behind the current chaos, because an election is in the works. Another good example of the government moving too fast without thinking things out was the draft Municipal Act of Ontario, the clerk says. Municipalities were given one month to respond to a huge document. This town's dog catcher noticed that under the new legislation towns could. license dogs by bylaw and catch them if necessary as usual, but not destroy them, as before. The logical question Seaforth then asked is: "What do we do with impounded dogs?" The answer from the province was: "Consult your lawyers," Crocker says. The Crockers moved to Sealorth from Toronto in 1971. He had a shoe store -on Main Street before becoming clerk. Jim says he used to spend his summers in a little police village called Delta, so he had a hint of what small towns in rural Ontario were about. Seaforth is a good place to raise a family, he says. He was soon elected to council here and developed his taste for Town Hall. Back then it became "my passion, thoroughly rewarding," Crocker says. Whoever replaces him will need that kind of energy for the new challenges confronting the position today, he thinks. WILL MISS FOLKS Crocker says he will miss "terribly" working with people. "What 1 will miss greatly is working with a dedicated staff, council and community volunteers who work long and often thankless hours for the betterment of the Town of Seaforth. I will also miss working closely with my SEAFORTH INSURANCE BROKER LTD. 527-1610 iii!lr at," s • Home • Commercial • Auto • Farm • Life • Out of Province Travel Insurance Barb Watt, Joanne Williamson. Lynn Plench, Ken Cardno 41 Main St. S. Seaforth Quite Stagly the Gant ►V.0 TUBULAR RESIN FURNITURE • the Ultimate In Elegant Outdoor UvInn.- '11 hliall,.,�r i . rkeno • HAMMOCKS • AIRVICIAL PLANTS, TREES ANDJLDIYtRS • SHADE HOUSES • ACCESSORIES A AadOHeu I, N4w-Mt bee t i NEW &Apse *A Mogen Ise IWae sad GRAND BEND 238-2110 MwJ.. as s (! ma. Awn Om wafer pAnpU Men: Thurs. IFS • IM. 94 • fat. 104 municipal colleagues and many professionals and consultants that I have worked with over the past 22 years." "I wish you success as you face the continuing challenges ahead," his resignation reads. One of the more pressing of these challenges as this town approaches the Millennium is municipal restructuring, Crocker thinks. "We've been involved with it for the past three years and more has been said than done by all those involved. I think we are further behind than we were a year -and -a - half ago. "If municipalities don't quickly find the political will and agree on what and how restructuring is to be done 1 think you'll see the issue resolved by the province." he says. "I've always felt receptive to change. I don't think we need 26 governments in Huron for about 65,000 people." Investment & Tax Planning Secure Investment Products ... from people you can trust SEAFORTH 96 Main St. 527-0420 Serving Seaforth Since 1986 ® ROBERT S. SHEPHERD, PH.D. PSYCHOLOGIST PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT &4REATMENT— Emphasis on Empirically Validated Therapies Anxiety • Chronic Pain • Depression • Grief • Stress By appointment only - Sliding fee scale - 148 Goderich St., West, Seaforth - 510-527-1707 Come Out to Te -em Farm for beautiful, top quality PLANTS! SPECIALS ON... • FLATS OF ANNUALS *HANGING BASETS & BAGS. AND SEED GERANIUMS ...STARTING FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND TRY TED'S TASTY TOMATOES! STRAWBERRIES... ! Juicy! Sweet! G EVERYDAY! "U --PICK or WE -PICK" Supervised children welcome. 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