HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-01-11, Page 3•
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CLINTON NEWS-RECORD,THURSDAY, JANUARY ll,l979—PAGE&
in
�~���� Profile: Paul's exarnpie ofcornmunity spark� ��»�U���' plug
by Shelley McPhee
Paul Kerrigan is one example of the
many concerned and aulive.pmop� in
the area who have freely dmvotedtheir
time in an effort to make Clinton a
more attractive and prosperous
community.
Although Paul is a modest mman,
credit must be given to his leadership
and support in many community
projects.
It is doubtful that Paul realized when
he became president oY`the Clinton
Kinsmen group in 1976, that he and the
group ou\d be faced with rectifying
one of Clintorr's major setbacks.
Within his one year term as head of
the active club, PauI was faced with the
disastrous news that the Clinton
grandstand had been oondemned only a
few months before the start of the
town's annual spring fair and the
racing season start.
"As president you have to lead your
group in what you think is rigbt, but it
was a joint decision when we.)ra1ized
that the raceway was quite a little
industry in town and needed to be
saved.''hesaid.
"When we laid our cards on the table,
we saw that the only thihg to do was to
build a new grandstand even though it
was questionable whether we'd
complete it in the time allotted."
Within a few months of the con-
demnation, the Kinsmen and hundreds
of other volunteers had a new grand-
stand proudly standing in the town's
community park.
"When we built this grandstand, for
about three months \ spent 80 per cent
uy.nuydmeunit. ldidn't know whether
Fa have a business when l was
_tbrougb.''herennernbored.
Paul survived the tough rnnntby, as
did his business, Kerrigan BP Fuels,
( and for his concentrated efforts, the
Kinsmen received the Sinclair Service
Shield Award. The award is given for
the bost service project by a Kinsmen
group in a district.
"We were competing against a
couple oLother clubs who wereputting
up arenas, but we had a great time
element on us in our project.
"The award was quite an honor for
thec|ubandyormvoe|y.''headnnitted. -
41
Be then added, "It really sounds Like
I'm bragging.
"In U community the i
clubs are very important. They provide
a lot of volunteer service that otherwise
couldn't be afforded. The Lions here
have done a lot of good work but it just
happens that the Kinsmen are a strong
group now," he said, trying to •play
himself down.
But it's not Paul's fault that he a
positive thinker and a CiAhter, two
qualities that so far have made him
successful.
^l believe in principles and I'll stick
up[urwhatever'origbt.''beexp|einedL
"I try to be successful but everyone
makes mistakes. I've been lucky so
yur.^
PauI's career has followed that path.
After graduating from Ryerson
Polytechnical Institute in Toronto in
1959 from amorchandioing course, the
Toronto native worked in Eaton's for
seven yeuro, buying and selling shoes
and then worked at Fairweather's as a
store manager for a year.
In 1966, he saw an opportunity tp be
an independent businessman and like
his father and brnthor, became a BR
Fuel agent.
Since he was raised in Teeswater and
Mi\dmuy, Paul easily fit in and enjoyed
the small community life.
A year later, in 1967, he married and
now enjoyed hiking and cross country
skiing three boys d
one daughter. Another youngstgr is
presently on the way. .
Paul's expertise on business and
people has enabled him to handle, the
responsibilities of club work and as
raceWay chairman and still enjoy his
family and manage his business.
"You have to run these things like a
buoineae." he explained, "the raceway
is a tough thing and we have to run it
tough 'and top shape or we wouldn't
survive."
Like a busineso. Paul and the
raceway committee have a lot of
dreams and hopes for the track, in
order to make it one of the best known
in the area. .
"Zurich is known for ,their bean
festival we want Clinton t be known
for the ,ocea and the ba\r^^ he said
Jack's J
BY
JACK RIDDELL,
M.P.P.
The 1078'78 Provincial
Budget, brought down on
March 7, 1978, estimated
that the deficit would be
$1.055- biUion, with ex-
penditures of $14.555
billion and overall
revenues of $13.5 billion.
At that time, we learned
that net debt had reached
9.5 percent of Gross
Provincial Product, and
72.1 percent of annual
revenues. Interest
payments of $1.2 billion
were taking 8.5 percent of
the budget. Interest
rbdrgoo amounted to
about $3 million a day
Bovvevor, in the latter
part of the year, the
Treasurer, tbe
Honourable Fran -k
Miller; disclosed that the
government's spending
deficit had climbed to
$1.48 billion almost 41
percent higher than the
budget forecast. He
abandoned the promise
made by former
Treasurer, Darcy
McKeough in 1977, to
balance the budget by
1981.
Also abandoned during
the year was the revenue-
sharing formula known
as the EdmontonCom-
mitment and the con-
troversial land
speculation tax.
In June, it was an-
nounced ' •
n'nounced''that the
government would not
bring in legislation this
year to establish market
value assessment and
other apects of property
tax reform. No revised
timetable was dino|onod,
and ministry ` officials
admitted that the
prograni had been
"killed" for the
foreseeable future.
A Revenue M inistry
spokesman stated that
the government would
have saved up to $25
million if it had brought
in property tax Yo in
1970, instead oripenclinA
enormous amounts of
money to study the idea
for eight years and then
shelving it indefinitely.
In the Provincial
Budget, it was announced
that Do1P prepdu000
were to be raised by 37.5
percent;making a total
increase of 100 percent
over twoyears. However,
the combined Opposition
Parties forced the
government to back down
on this proposal.
The Liberal Party
proposed a com-
prehensive plan to draw
the *271 million in
revenue which would
have resulted from such
an increayo^ from six
areas: a 6 percent in-
crease; lottery funds;
streamlining the Ministry
of Health's operations;
forcing the Aovernr8ent
to implement its your
porcent |i,nit, on salary
and wage settlements; a
saving in public relations
and consultation fees;
and a small increase in—
corporateinccmetax.
Subyequent}y, the
n`ont, bowing to,;
Opposition prennure,
reduced the premium
increase by 50 percent to
18.75 percent and
proposed other measures
to raise the necessary
revenue. '
Environmental issues
have been Very much in
the news during 1978. In
August, Stuart Smith
called upon the Premier
to reconvene the
Legislature as soon as
possible to discuss the
total breakdown in the
government's hdli y
environmental 'matters. "
Be cited the absence of a
provincial policy for toxic
liquid industrial waste
disposal., withdrawal in
March of the ban on non
-H
refillable pop bottles;
government mishandling
of the $35 million suit
against DoW Chemical
for mercury pollution of
Lake St. Clair, failure to
make the _Bovironrnonco|
Assessment Act effective
and ,noaningGu|. failure
in Metro Toronto,. and
failure to act on problems
of lake acidification in the
cottage country as well as
the inability of Ontario to
comply with com-
mitments to the Inter-
national Joint Committee
ntcr'nudonu|JointCononnittee
on the Great Lakes
cleanup.
The Minister of
Housing, the Honourable
Claude Bunneu, was in
hot water over his
decision to over -ride the
decision of the Niagara
Escarpment Commission
to refuse,to issue a
development permit to
Cantrakon Limited for an
'executive hotel and
conference centre at
Cb|ndon. Qn.position
Parties prevailed' upon
the government to
"encourage" Cantrakon
to look for alternative
sites.
Of courno, the over-
riding concern
throughout the year was
the state of the economy
and high unemployment.
A documentary film
1978 Awm=d Winner
at the International
�°O Festival
New York m �o�� �n�mw8����w ��� u�vm��
enthusiasticany.
"For the size o,f our community we
have one of the nicest parks around and
''
.it should be used.
The committee is already planning
this summer's race meets and have
applied for 15 dates. They will be
promoting Clinton as a family track.
There are picnic grounds available, a
swimming p00! and of course a modern
grandstand..
Paul proudly reported that only
$12.000 is left owingon the construction
of the $250,000 grandstand. Much of the
money nuid so far was raised through
• _
numerous Kinsmen and Kinette
projects, along withAleavy support
from government
Although the Kinsmen and the
raceway committee could soon breathe
a sigh of relief, it will only be a short
one.
More parking space at the track is
one problem that the groups are con-
cerned with.'
ou'cernedwid`.'
As well they, someday, hope to build
more barns so that horses could be
trained and rai-sed at the Clinton track.
"To a lot of peop\e, training and
raising is a real hobby anci sport. Many
�- °
Stanley����� ��� �]�W��� �������� employees get
. ~
All employees of Stanley Township
were given an eight percent increase
when the township council met last
week. There are six employees in-
cluding o\prk'treasurer, road
superintendent and grader operators.
In other buoiness, council passed a
by-law to allow the township to borrow
up to $210,000 until taxes come in, but
Clerk Me( Graham said the township
didn't borrow "one nickel" last year.
Appointrnents to the area fire boards
were made as follows: Don McGregor
to the Clinton Fire Area Board; Paul
Stcck\c to thp Bayfield Fire Area
Board; and 'Clarence Raututhe Zurich
Fire Area Board. — � —`
Paul Suack)y was appointed to the
Ausable-Bayfield Conservation
Adthority. while Donnelly and Murphy
were appointed -the township's lawyers
and Durvt. Vodden and Bender were
appointed auditors.
.Appointed to the recreation com-
mittee were Jean I{ud`weU, Arnold
Tuy|n,, Gerald Hayter, Howard
Armstrong, John Paul Rau, Harvey
Hayter; hir\oyBiU and Jack Coleman.
Don Brodie and Clarence Rau were
councillors appointed to the rec board.
.Donations were made to: Ontario
°� in ��0 0 0����- ��~ m�'��o�
the middle
March of Dimes, $25; Memorial
Children's Hospital, $25; ,Canadian
Mental Health Association, $25;
Salvation Army, $50; Blyth Centre for
the Arts,‘ $100; and Seaforth
Agricultural Society $35? *-
Stanley
Stun|ey a)du supported a resolution
from '0akvi||e, banning topless
waitresses in restaurants.
Hullett,council
sets salaries
Hullett Township Council has
reviewed and set salaries for township
employees for 1970.
Clerk Clare Vincent's salary will
remain the same at $18;000. Road
superintendent's Wage was raised to
$6.60 up 50 cents and road employees'
wages were raised to $6.25 per hour, up
40 cents.
Remuneration 'yot members of
council was increased over last yea --
Reeve
Reeve Joaepb Hunking, $1,200 up from
$1,100; deputy reeve Tom Cunningham,
$1.100 and councillors John Jowltt,
Joseph Gibson and Sohn Flynn, $1'000
each, up from $950.
"Why did you pick journalism as a
profession? It must really be ex'
cihng." I'm sometimes asked.
For me, that double barreled
query usually take,s a |oroYthnught
before answering. '
"Oh ldunno.^Iintelligently reply,
^I guess I'm just interested in all
kinds f people and what thdo. I
like asbit of politics and some sports;
I'm interested in all kinds of hobbies
and crafts and ejoynli^^..^u.^..~
history. I get all of that in my job.^
Once l have convinced my curious
listener that l really am concerned,
about all the affairs of the world and
want to relate these facts 'to other
phi|anthropista, l uoiiaUy confess,
"Actually two girirrienas ,anu /
decidedjo take journalism on a five
minute whim. We like Mary Tyler
Moore and thought that we could go
to university, study journaiism and
hroadcasting and come out the same
usthnTVbproine."
If you hadn't nodced, the cloning
experiment wasn't entirely suc-
cessful, but we all enjoyed
university life and found work in our
choacnfie|dy.
"Eciting you ask?,"
"Well,, occasionally we have a fire
or.un uccident, usually when you
least expect them and sometimes
they are serious," l answer of-
fhandedly. Then admit truthfully
they frighten, more than excite me.
I'm not very brave and practically
fall apart every time when I see a
bloody body or oomoeonw'oylInuao
burning to the ground."
"There isn't too muchi the line of
investigative reporting around here
either: No Watergates or anything,
''
osfar aoIknow.
"I'm not quite sure how I'd react if
rhud a big,scoop on my hands. I'd
probably ge! byoter/cu\, spill the
beans and lose my chance at a
nadono|ncvvouword."
ActuuUy, there are a lot of good
moments in my work, both
gratifying and exciting but the ones
that really stick in the mind are the
bad ones. Like the name I unin-
tentionally spelled Wrong, only one
letter was missing. What did tbey'
expect anyway, I'd been atucouncil
meeting until ooidnigbt, then the fire
siren went off at three in the mor-
ning, { came intoday, put inanother
eight hours and printed pictures
after supper after all that. I think
only one mistake even a couple isn't
too bad if you want to know
"No, this career choice is not how
I envisioned it on TV or in Mary,
Tyler Moore's life, but l suppose it
could have been wurao, 1 could have
wanted to be the Bionic Woman!
��
������U������� ��
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Januciry
' . .
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CLINTON
7
people ld like to stable and train
the`rhurmaaberm.''beoaid.
He went on, "It would be nice if we
somehow could hire a race secretary
on a year round basis.'.'
Presently, the race secretary, a vital
part of 'the track, is only hired for six
months ud according to Paul most
people want full-time employment.
'Despite some drawbacks, Paul
noted, "We're optomistic for another
good year.
"You know, I don't even own a
horse," Paul laughed.
Although PauI Kerriganis not a native of the Clinton area, he has shown a keen
interest in community affairs ranging from the church, the raceway,cubs to
conservation. Paul is one example of the volunteer help, needed m`be*pu
community active. (News -Record photo)
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