HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-07-16, Page 28eeve foliows famil
BY PAUL HART MAN
When Russ Kernighan beeane the
Reeve of Colborne Township three years _
ago, it marked the. third time that a
member of his family had held that,post.
Kernighan's father was Reeve .in the
1950s. His grandfather held the position in
1911-1912.
One might say that municipal Oldies
run in the Kernighan blood, and that Russ
himself has a particalarly heavy dose.
He sat on Colborne Township Council for
10 years, served as Chairman of the park
at Benmiller for eight years and has been
involved with the Maitland River Authori-
ty for some time. As well, he served on the
local school board during the 60s.
That's a lot of involvement for someone
/
who's also trying to runa 400 acre farm
well. "I guess I must be enjoying it," h
muses, "or l wouldn't be doing it."
Despite the enjoyment that Kernighan
has derived from his work in the municipal
arena, he'llr 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
m 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.
ltlon�f polit
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 lbwnship 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 involvedin
municipal government provided Ker-
nighan with somevWbat of a surprise.. I
never realized how much tbe"•municipality
was involved in the eveirydayy life of the
community," he offers. "The local council
is extremely accessible to the people and
that's the way. it should be."
The increased workload that he and his
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
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. Ca -
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 two elections he was
involved in. His other positions all came
from acclamations.
The next municipal election will find
Russ Kernighan'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.
\ on o�
/5Ot
The Council
and Residents
of the
Town„of Goderich
.Congratulations
Colborne Township
on your
150th Birthday
Sesquicentennial
ounty of Huron
Bill G. Hanly Leona Armstrong
CLERKTREASURER WARDEN
AND ADMINISTRATOR