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Times Advocate, 1994-10-12, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 12, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond flews; Fred Groves, Catherine O'Brien, Ross Haugh Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Robert Nicol, Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert Front Office & Accounting; Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald CC*** • • .-1 N CONks r� r inion Ii,I)I'F()IZIA14S An embarrassing decision ounty council is quickly be- coming an embarrassing example of a level of government best left behind with the 20th century. What led a group of purportedly rea- sonable men and women to vote in fa- vour of cutting away the planning au- thorities of Exeter and Clinton defies explanation. Both towns have raised doubts about the rationale behind the county plan- ning department's new fee structure. Exeter, for instance, has shown figures suggesting the county's "user -fees" are based on costs about three times as high as they should be. Exeter and Clinton have refused to pass those fees onto their ratepayers - particularly since they are able to do 90 percent of the work involved in most applications anyway. So while Exeter has been hoping`to negotiate through legal channels a solu- tion to the impasse, county council passes a bylaw denying the two towns the right to approve severances to prop- erty owners. All roads must now lead to the county, and you must pay the toll. There is surely not one county coun- cillor who would vote in favour of such a bylaw if it were to diminish the rights of their own municipality. Why should they apply a different rule just because it affects only Clinton and Exeter? This certainly shoots holes in those who suggested one -vote -per - municipality representation for county council was adequate because council- lors would never vote for anything but the good of the county. Then again, it was a handful of munici- palities, led by Exeter, that prevented the one -vote plan from going through, and restored the voting weight of the urban centres. If, as some believe, this is the reasoning behind Thursday's vote - sim- ple retaliation - then county council is nothing more than its critics say it is: a monthly ceremony to blindly rubber- stamp administration/committee reports. Exeter will appeal the bylaw, and will eventually win its case, but the more im- portant issue is to question what county council has become. Is it still an effi- cient provider of large-scale services to a predominantly rural area, or has it be- come overwhelmed by upper manage- ment control, and bogged down by sand- box politics? A.D.N. I Own up n one of those ironic twists of fate, a municipality now finds itself frustrated by the planning approvals process. Still, Hay Township does not deserve to be in this position, with a municipal office project on hold, and the clock ticking on the availability of grant funds to get the job done. Township council has a right to be suspicious about who or what ig behind the appeal that puts the brakes on a mi- nor variance approval, without which not one brick gets laid. The appeal came out of the blue, without so much as a quibble about the variance at a public meeting, aside from a lawyer mysteriously watching on behalf of "some clients". Public building projects are contro- versial - just ask Exeter council - and not everyone can be happy with the de- cision council eventually has make. Hay council weighed the issues at hand, and decided to go ahead with a new building in Zurich, right beside the old one. Is there really someone in the com- munity who has taken it upon them- selves to second guess that decision? To be fair to the rest of the ratepayers in Hay Township, the persons behind the minor variance appeal need to come forward, and voice their concerns about the proposed building's location on its lot - if that is their true argument. If they do not feel their complaints would hold up under public scrutiny, nor the scrutiny of the Ontario Municipal Board, then they shtuld quietly withdraw their appeal and not stand in the way of progress. A.D.H. Publications Mall Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES; CANADA Within 40 adios (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses 330.00 plus 32.10 Q.S.T. Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address 330.00 plus $30.00 (total 60.00) 4. 4.20 G.S.T. Outside Canada $99.00 (Incudes (188.40 postage) Published Each Wednesday Mlorning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-51.9-235.1331 e.s.T. 18105210138 ice, s lor II AVne to • ft' rifitits. 004) W-10041 Premier Bob Rae has promised not to make promises in the 1995 election -- probably be- cause few would believe him anyway. The New Democrat premier told his patty that people are fed up with politicians who promise everything to win votes. Politics has changed and the era of extrava- gant promises is over, he said, and the NDP will point instead to its achievements particu- larly in creating jobs. Rae tried to make it sound like he was taking a stand of high principle, but he would find it embarrassing if he made promises in the com- ing election. The NDP won the last in 1990 partly through a long list of promises set out in black and white in its so-called Agenda for People and added to as it felt circumstances warranted on the campaign trail. Many struck a chord and helped attract voters already turned off by Progressive Conservative and Liberal governments, but a large number have not been kept. One was to set up a 'driver -owned' system of par insurance which the NDP once in office dis- covered woiild be td4eostly: The NDP also said it would pay 60 percent of the cost of schools, reintroduce succession du- ties to take more from the rich, bring into the open suspicious lies between developers and governments and require soft drinks sold in re- fillable containers -- the list could go on -- but has not done these things and shows no signs of doing them. The NDP is not the first party to break prom- ises. Other examples include a Conservative government saying it would balance the budget within four years, which is remembered partic- ularly because it was written in heraldic text in its comically pretentious Charter for Ontario in 1977. The Tories were re-elected, but never came close to balancing a budget and instead ran up deficits of more than $2 billion a year. The Liberals promised in 1985 to allow beer fur Views Letters to the editor Supports Hoogenboom for mayor Mothball the town hall until more common sense becomes evident Dear Editor: The letter to the editor "Mayor sets record straight" is badly flawed and needs clarification! The spring meeting, I was there, was a "divide and conquer" whitewash. The agenda was stacked against any new development in Exeter. The light groups came up with many ideas. The group leaders, however, in their final summations, seemed to be caught up in a predetermined conclu- sion. That conclusion was to go the "heritage" route! let's think of the following solutions: 1. Sell the police station and purchase the present council chambers for $4500. - the price of a build- ing lot! 2. Construct a glass enclosed addition on the east side of the public library and make any necessary re- pairs to the existing building. 3. "Mothball" the town hall until more common sense becomes evident. 4. Turn down the $560,000 - we have to come up with a third - until an exact use can he found for the money. 5. Crime is defeated by recreation! We should be spending any new grants on a new arena roof, up- dated swimming pool and tennis court restoration! This family will be supporting Ben Hoogenboom, for mayor of Exeter in the upcoming municipal elec- tion. Ron Wcstman, Exeter Speak Out Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaints and kudos. The Times -Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6. Sign your letter with both name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. Promises, promises, promises and wine to be sold in corner stores, which seemed to many to symbolize a more open era, but lost their thirst once they had the power. The Liberals also promised in 1987 to reduce car insurance premiums, but allowed them to increase and this was held against them. But the New Democrats, whatever their strengths, have been the masters, the Toronto Agronauts of not fulfilling promises. They made them blithely either not caring what they would cost or other difficulties might stand in the way or assuming they would never be elect- ed and faced with carrying them out. If Rae were to make promises in the 1995 election, he would be asked why given his record voters should have any confidence he would keep them." • Rae will find it difficult to avoid giving some indication what he hopes to do, anyway. Voters want to know what any party proposes and will try to judge from its record whether it will car- ry it out. Rae also will face pressures to compete with the Tories who have promised the moon, in- cluding cutting personal income tax by 30 per- cent in three years and balarNing the budget in four, and Liberals who have promised only the stars in saying they will reduce taxes overall by 5 percent in five years. Rae may try to get around his latest pledge by emulating former Tory premier William Davis, who used to say '1 do not make promises -- I make commitments', although this did not stop him breaking some commitments either. Finance Minister Floyd Laughren may have hinted at this a day after Rae spoke when he said the NDP has a 'commitment not to in- crease taxes." Some parties have said they have a vision. But whatever he calls them, Rae will be in trouble any time he outlines his hopes for the future - he will be asked why he did not do so much of what he promised in the past.