HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-10-19, Page 1BY JEFF SIEDDON
When nominations opened for the municipal
elections December 13 incumbents and
aspiring politicians in Goderich began a series
of surprise announcements, cat and mouse
games and campaigning as they threw their
hats in the ring seeking positions on town
council, the Public Utilities Commission and
board of education.
Nominations opened October 16 and close
October 23 and in those seven days at least 18
people, and hopefully more, will announce
intentions to run for office. During the week the
politicians can file any number of nominations
they choose seeking a seat on council as a
councillor, a mayor or as a representative of
Goderich at Huron County council, as trustee
on the board of education or a commissioner on
the PUC. October 24 however, is the day of
reckoning when each person is required to state
what position they are seeking. That is the day
each is required to reduce their options to one
seat.
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.and:, mouse
The cat and mouse gaze is popular for those
seeking posts at the county level or as mayor.
At press time there were four people hinting
they would seek ,the mayor's chair, two going
for reeve and two for deputy -reeve. There could
be as many as eight people or as few as six
going for six seats at the council table and three
were vieing for two seats Goderich has at the
board of education. There may not be enough
PUC commissioners if no one else serves notice
that they intend to seek a past at the utility.,
MAYOR'S JOB "
Mayor Deb Shewfelt has made it clear he
intends to seek another term, his third in a row,
at the head of the council table. He may get no
opposition or may be opposed by as many as
three people, depending on the final decisions of
Harry Worsell, Don Wheeler and Eileen
Palmer.
Shewfelt said Monday he wanted to see a
number of municipal projects through and
hoped to use a third term as mayor to get that.
job done. He said he has been involved in about
half a dozen major projects that are still,in the
works and wants to "tie up the loose ends".
Eileen Palmer said Monday she had taken
out two nominafion papers and intended to
withdraw one. She did not say which one she
was planning on withdrawing but did say she
would be running for either mayor or reeve.. If
she goes through with those plans she would
oppose either Deb Shewfelt for mayor or Bill
Clifford for reeve.
Don Wheeler plans to seek another term on
council but is out of town on vacation and not
available for comment. Wheeler has taken out
nomination papers and hinted that he could
seek the mayor's job.
Harry Worsell could be a candidate for the
mayor's job but he will not commit himself nor
give any indication of what his plans are. The
former mayor said he took out nomination
papers but would only say he intended to let his
name stand for election somewhere. Worsell
served on council, represented Goderich at the
county level and was mayor for several terms
before his election to the PUC where he now
serves as ommission chairman.
"When 1 hand in my papers, you'll know what
I'm running for," said Worsen.
Worsell said he may run for PUC„ suggested
that the reeve or deputy -reeve's job "would be
a good one for me" and has, sought signatures
on a nomination for mayor. He has until
Monday night at five o'clock to announce his
exact intentions.
ELECTION FOR REEVE
Reeve Bill Clifford said he planned to seek
another term as reeve of Goderich and made it
clear he had not taken out nomination papers
for any other post. Clifford has served the town
as councillor, deputy -reeve and reeve and said
he "knew a lot of games were played by people
picking up a number of papers but he knew the
direction he was going". He said he enjoyed
working at both town and county level and
Turn to page 12 •
Heidi Elliott shows her obvious pleasyre with,
her team's Victory over Kirkton Sunday clin-
ching a WOAA Midget Girls championship for
Goderich. Goderich edged Kirkton 3-1 in a
thrilling finish to win the championship series
three games to one. (photo by Jeff Seddon) '
131 YEAR -42
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1978
Elementary teachers get 8.97% increase
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Teachers call settlement "Fair"
The Huron County Board of Education
ratified a one-year contract Monday night
awarding its 365 elementary teachers and
principals a total wage increase for 1978-79 of
8.97 percent including increments for ex-
perience and qualifications.
Under the new pact, teachers will now earn a`
minimum of $10,504 to a maximum of $26,730.
An average teacher's salary will be $20,811, up
,.from $19,178 in the previous. contract that _ex-
pired Aug. 31.
The 2j1.principals received a flat raise , of
$1,385, which is a five percent increase. The
highest wage for a principal in Huron is now
$32,435.
Vice -principals are paid on the teachers grid
plus a responsibility allowance which remains
the same as last year from'$2,800 to $3,400.
The total wage package will cost the Huron
County board of education $7,600,131 compared
with $7,003,748 last year, a 8.52 percent in-
crease.
The teachers. members of the Huron branch
of the Ontario Public School Men Teachers
Federation and they Federation of Women
Teachers Association of Ontario, ratified the
pact last week. Ron Ritchie, chief -negotiator
for the teachers said earlier the contract is
"fair". - - bet
Other changes in the contract the teachers
weregranted include an increase in mileage
allowance from 19c to 21.7c per mile, which is
equivalent to the school board's rate.
Another change is an improved monetary.
,reimbursement for leaves of absence from
$33,000 to $34,000, a maximum yearly rate.
Shirley Hazlitt, trustee for Colborne and
Goderich townships and chairman of the
board's negotiating team, said the board is
"pleased" with the contract.
be honest it is more than we had hoped to
settle for ... but because of the arbitration
ruling we felt we had to be fair with the other
panels," she said.
A .provincial arbitrator awarded the
secondary teachers in the county a 6.75 percent
increase for 1978-79.
In other business, Mrs. Hazlitt suggested a
letter from Education Minister Bette
Stephenson, outlining the government anti-
inflation program be sent to arbitrators rather
than to school boards.
"Clea y, it is of the utmost importance that
arbitrar s, in making their awards, adhere not
only to the principles of fair compensation but
also to the necessity for general economic
restraint in the post -controls period," read
Mrs. Hazlitt from the minister's letter.
"All I know is that last year our allotments
(grants) were down considerably and yet our
costs were fixed by the arbitrator," she said
later, adding that the gap between grants and
salaries has to be passed on to the local tax-
payer.
Mrs. Hazlitt also suggested a topy---Of the
letterbe sent to • the various teachers'
federations and the provincial education
relations commission, which oversees
teachers' negotiations. •
Attractive plan pleases town council
BY SHIRLEY J.
KELLER
After three years of study and development,
the new senior citizens housing proposed for the
southwest corner of West Street and Waterloo
Street is one step closer to reality. At Monday
evening's meeting of Goderich Town Council,
an artist's drawing of the proposed building
was unveiled and gained the immediate ap-
proval of all members of council.
Only one obstacle looms large at this point.
That is the Ontario Municipal Board
preliminary hearing set for November 7 at 2
p.m. to review the complaints of Willard Legg,
the sole objector to the project, and to hear the
town's presentation in rebuttal.
It is understood that Legg objects on the
; I
grounds that access to the rear yard of his
home at 97 West Street will be obstructed as
well as light and air by the neW foi.ir-storey
structure.
TOWN PREPARED,
Clerk Larry McCabe said Monday evening;
however, the town plans to make a strong
presentation to the OMB concerning the
complex. He said the hearing could settle the
issue immediately if it found that Legg's ob-
jections were• invalid. If on the other hand,.,
Legg's submission has substance in the eyes of
the preliminary hearing board, a later date
could be set to have a full scale hearing. In that
case, the project could be delayed six months or
more.
The building contains 53 apartments which
will be primarily for senior citizens from the
town of Goderich, the Township of Colborne as
well as Goderich Township. All three
municipalities have been involved in a year of
study to determine the need for the complex; a
further, yehr for site selection; and a third year
for tidying up details and drawing plans.
If the zoning problems are cleared away by
early November, plans are to begin demolitibn
of the former A 4 P building, a service station
and three houses this fall. Construction could
begin in the spring.
WELL DESIGNED
Architect Chris Borgal was on hand Monday
evening to address council at the unveiling of
the artist's drawing. He pointed out that the
building of buff brick featuring a dark brown
ribbed mansard roof is designed to fit in with
the surrounding residential area on the west
and the business district to the east.
The building is broken at the front entrance
by a canopy and set back six feet from the
canopy west. ThiS broken line makes the
structure appear shorter and also allows it to
blend in with the lawns and gardens of the
residential district to the west while taking a
new line on the east side to complement the
business district just a -cross Waterloo Street
Plans also call for a patio terrace area on the
south side of the building and a four -foot high
wrought iron fence around the building. A court
yard garden at the rear of the building will also
separate the parking area from the building
proper. Landscaping includes trees, shrubs and
flowers on all sides.
Balconies on the apartments will have
railings which form planter boxes that could be
utilized for personal flower gardens of tenants,
and further beautify the complex.
An elevator at the centre of the building is a
special design that eliminates the need fora
vertical projection on the roof. There are no
outwardly visible signs of an elevator, in the
building.
Council agreed the building was of traditional
design, suitable for Goderich. Much praise was
expressed for attractive lines of the complex
which give it a homelike atmosphere from the
start.
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