Zurich Citizens News, 1980-10-16, Page 23600 Axles
All sizes & weights
T.T. Rubber Ride
3500 lbs. Electric Brake
$150.00
Utility (with Springs &
Hubs) No Wheels
From 1700 lbs to 3000 lbs.
As low as $65.00/ea.
Tandem 8 Tri. Sets avail.
Wheels Etc.
Couplers asst. Jacks
McDonald, Turkheim disagree with. statements by Goderich trustee.
B of
• Two local representatives
on the Huron County board of
education have discounted
statements by three
disgruntled board members
that the boardis a rubber-
stamp machine for a strong
administration.
Both former board
chairman Herb Turkheim of
Zurich and Clarence
McDonald of Exeter said the
board and its administration
have a good working
relationship with each other.
Trustees Dave Gower of
Goderich, Shirley Hazlitt of
Goderich and Colborne
townships and John Hen-
derson of Seaforth said last
week they were
disallusioned with the board
and felt its independence
was waning as, ad-
ministrative strength grew.
The three are not seeking re-
election.
Turkheim who decided not
to seek reelection, said his
decision not to - run had
nothing to do with the latest
controversy surrounding the
board. , -
Turkheim said Gower was
making a "big issue out of
nothing" and that the
Goderich representative had
missed several regular and
executive meetings of the
board. McDonald attributed
-the comments of Gower and
Hazlitt to a lack of ex-
perience , 'an unfamiliarity
with the politteal system as
practised in the educational
area and personality dif-
ference.
"There area lot of things
we'd like to do...You can't do
thein overnight," McDonald
said. McDonald termed
:Henderson', Hailitt and
Gower es "good trustees"
and that he Was sorry to see
them go.
Several other trustees
echoed the statements of
McDonald and Turkheim
including past chairman
John Elliott of Blyth and
current chairman Donald
McDonald sof R.R. 2
Brussels.
,Elliott said Sunday the
board and its staff have a
good working relationship
and trustees make free
decisions on issues after full
debate.
"I've never seen anything
where there was no
debate....I can find no fault
with the administration.
They are willing to take
instructions and have never
tried to ram anything down
the board's -throat," Elliott
said.
McDonald said that while
some votes at board
meetings "might sound as if
they're a rubber stamp" - a
criticism levelled by Gower -
the issues have already been
"worked out. pretty
thoroughly in committee."
He said he doesn't know
why the dissident trustees
feel bitter 'about their ex-
perience on the board. "They
've had plenty of opportunity
to bring it (their
frustrations) up before the
board where we could thrash
it out."
McDonald disagreed with
the claim trustees. tend. to
vote along faction lines.
"I've never seen that.... -
people vote on issues."
Another criticism that the
board isn't economy -minded
is unfair, he said, because
"we've got so much money
tied up in contracts
there' isn't much , money left
to be saved."
Elliott said trustees who
think they can"jump in and
make wholesale, changes
overnight" are unrealistic."I
have certainly run into
frustrations. There have
E
115
been times when I have
vehemently disagreed, but if
I'm defeated, I'm defeated.
That's our system, but I'm
not going to quit, ."
He said the board is ac-
complishing more than just
overseeing the day-to-day
operations of an education
system, and pointed to an
evaluation of "every facet"
of the board which is
currently under way. "It
takes a long time to develop
beneficial programs."
Gower said a well -
organized administration
controls the Huron board and
doesn't encourage Trustee
input, which makes the
trustee "a rubber stamper"
of administrative decisions.
"Your hands are totally
tied," he said. Trustees arae
not required "to roll up their
sleeves and do a job", but
simply attend board
meetings, vote and collect
their salaries.
Education director -John
Cochrane refused to com-
ment on the charges.
Wingham : trustee Bert Morin
said he disagrees with the
notion trustees • are rubber
stamps without dpportunity
for input into board
decisions.
But Morin, who admits as
a first-time trustee he is still
learning the ropes, agrees
there are two orthreefeuding
factions on the board. •
He said personality con-
flicts among trustees are
hindering the board's
not a
business "because they are
more interested in in-
fighting than in education."
Gower said he is in-
compatible with the
adininistration and trustees
because they don't share his
goals. of providing,. an
economical education
system in Huron. He said
some trustees avoid issues
such as integrating - public
and separate school busing
or quarterly payment - of
education taxes by
municipalities to save
money because of political
repercussions it may have in
their own area.
"As long as we' don't face
political decisions based on
economics, then we will
continue to pay a high price
for education," said Gower,
parts manager for Champion
Road Machinery in Goderich
and a former member of
town council for 10 years. "
Gower said he didn't raise
his concerns at the -board
level because he didn't want
to "open up a hornet's nest,"
but he said ratepayers have
a right • to know how the
board operates:
Hazlitt, who decided not to
seek reelection because of
family and farm com-
mitments, said it's not en-
tirely the adminstration's
fault that trustees have
become rubber' $tamps. •
"I feel trustees could have
more input than they do, but
it is their own fault"because
they have let, the ad -
October 23,
rubber stamp
ministration run the show.
Hazlitt, a ward member
for the past four years, said
trustee input is possible if
you "dig for the in-
formation."
"I am frustrated with the
board," she said, because
some trustees are not doing
their homework and are
letting local politics rule
_their decisions.
Hazlitt said there are two
factions on the board that
consistently disagree and
voting patterns consistently
illustrate -the split. .
"Until those two factions
can accept each other, I
don't think -too much is going
to be done," she said, adding
she is a member of the
minority trustee group.
Henderson, who is retiring
as board vice-chairman
after serving on the board 10
years, said • over the years
trustee involvement has
decreased as the ad-
ministration has become
stronger.
As . vice-chairman, Hen-
derson was responsbile for
the budget and was directed
by the board to cut education
expenses because of
declining enrollment. -
But Henderson said almost
every cost-saving recom-
mendation he brought to the
board, including a salary cut
for trustees - which they
initially' accepted but later
rejected in closed session -
and streamlining school bus
routes were not accepted by
CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS -- Individual champions were declared in Saturday's Huron -
Perth Separate School cross country meet. From the left ore Beth Sweeney, St. Boniface,
Zurich; Rob Gibbons, Goderich; Karin Peeters, Dublin and Jeff Altenburg, Stratford.
Staff photo
4he
Qzeen gc�zest
/-
MOTOR HOTEL
GRAND BEND H'way 21 1/4 Mile S. Traffic Light
For Reservations Phone 238-2365
DINING ROOM
OPEN DAILY
Breakfast, lunch
and dinner
Smorglasbord
every Sat.
Schnitzel Night Every Friday
We offer o Schnitzel dinner
ENTERTAINMENT
Oct. 24 & 25
Mk. Kalbfleisch
495$
includin* salad bar for only
Seems the politician who
buys votes with private
money is dishonest. But let
him buy votes with the
people's own tax money and
he's a great liberal.
Pogo 11
the board. arms, as their education
"We haven't accomplished taxes continue to rise,
anything in two years," said
Henderson, a salesman with
Huron Concrete Supply. He
admits he is fed up and
sisillusioned with the board.
He said he believes his
recommendations , weren't
adopted because trustees are
too concerned with local
politics rather than with the
education system.
Both Hazlitt and Hen-
derson said public pressure
' is the answer to the board's
problem. Henderson
predicted parents and
ratepayers will soon be up in
But Gower disagreed. He
said to alleviate local
politicking, trustees should
be elected county -wide in-
stead of from specific
municipalities. He also
suggested the ranks should
be cut to nine from 16.
While both Gower and
Hazlitt are not running for
office next month, they said
they haven't ruled out the
possibility of running for
school board in the future.
Henderson said he is not
interested returning.
Township of Hay
RATEPAYERS
MEETING
Monday, October 27
8 p.m.
HAY TOWNSHIP HALL
Zurich
5250
" WORTH OF
EXTRAS
FREE
Choose anything you want from
our stock of parts, garments and
accessories, snowmobile suits,
helmets, gloves, boots, sweaters,
hats, speedometers, tachometers,
electric starters, trailers, snow-
mobile covers and so on... ex-
cluding Lynx and Kitty Cat.
CANADA S 1AIGIST AICTlC CAI 01 Alf
NIW HOURS NOS, SAT 14 THUDS $ P11 NU • SUNDAY 1-s CIOS/A MONDAYS
JUST OFF HWY 4 BETWEEN HENSALL AND BRUCE FIE LD
FIR PLYWOOD
SHEETING GRADE
4 x 8 x Vs" $9.00/Sheet
4 x 8 x V2" $13.10/Sheet
4 x 8 x '!4" $15.45/Sheet
4 x 8 x 44"$18.00/Sheet
20 DOUBLE STEEL DOORS
M low os $170.00/ea.
3' 4' 5' 6' & 8'
THERMO PICTURE WINDOWS
T x 4' 4 -Tube Countersunk
FWORESCENT FIXTURES
C/W Tubes & Shodes $35.00/eo.
SPECIAL PURCHASE
2 x 4's . 18c lin. ft.
As low as . 14c lin. ft
Per Grade
2 x 4 x 8' Utility Grade .7Sc ea.
2 x 2 x 8' Economy Grade .SOe/eo.
WOOD BASEMENT WINDOWS
STORMS & SCREENS 1 PRICE
ACT NOWI
WAREHOUSE DISPOSAL
All New Building Materials
"Fall Specials"
Building Materials At Bargain Prices
Bays Bows Sliders Pictures Trim
10,000 Sheets 4 x 8 x %"
Aspenite: Tongue and Groove
FLOORING, ROOFING, SIDING
# l's $9.00 per sheet
# 2's as low as $5.00 per sheet
BONANZA
SPECIAL
Over 1000 interior
mahogany shutters
your choice
Values up to
$10.00
994 ea.
While they lost
LIMITED
SUPPLY
10 ONLY
8' Picture Windows
Fixed Upper
lower Slider Opener
Liquidation Price
5298.00
Mon. Fri. 8 - 5:30, Sat. 8 • 3
Ph6ne 432.4112
The Rear of 820 Cabell St., London, Ontario
One block south of CNR Trucks off Rectory St.
2 x 6 10' 12' 16'
.30C lin ft.
.spruce
4x4-5'6'7'8'
3Sc lin. ft.
JUST ARRIVED New
Storm Windows assorted sites
SUPER SAVINGS
4' x 4' CEEUNG PANELS
12"x12" Squares $2.S0/ea.
SAVE $