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Zurich Citizens News, 1977-06-15, Page 1FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1977 Huron -Middlesex election • Price Per Copy 20 Cents Riddell rides to victory despite tough campaign Liberal incumbent Jack Riddell rode to victory. easily in Huron -Middlesex Thursday despite a tough campaign race with Progressive Conservative Anson McKinley. "I thought that it would be closer this time", said Riddell. "Some of the high command people who got Anson to run had hoped to win the riding back (for the conservatives)", he said. Riddell increased his majority from the 1975 election by 92 votes with 3,871 votes separating McKinley and Riddell. PC candidate Jim Hayter was defeated by 3,779 votes during the 1975 election contest against Riddell. Riddell received 12,749 votes compared to 8,878 for McKinley and 1,405 for New Democrat candidate Shirley Weary. Riddell cited hospital closings and lack of faith in the Davis government as reasons for his victory. "I think the people had just simply lost faith in Premier Davis", he said, "The Huron - Middlesex voters were unwilling to forgive the premier in his closing of one hospital (Goderich Psychiatric) and his attempt to close another (Clinton Public Hospital) ". Riddell indicated the toughness of the campaign against McKinley during his victory speech at the Exeter Legion Hall. "I ran scared through the whole campaign", he said. McKinley cited a large anti- government vote as the main reason for the PC defeat in Huron -Middlesex. Anti-gover- nment votes which would have gone to the NDP went to the Liberals this time, he said. McKinley suggested the drop in New Democrat votes indicated this trend. NDP candidate Shirley Weary received 1405 votes Thursday compared to 2008 NDP votes in 1975. McKinley said the large anti- government vote was caused by hospital closings, arena closings, and condemnation of grand- stands by the provincial Con- servative government. "There were just too many Council accepts tender for Hot Mix Paving A tender submitted by Lavis Contracting Company Ltd. for the supply apd installation of H.L 4 Hot Mix Paving was accepted by Zurich council at their regular meeting Jurie 9. The tender price of $17.95 per ton was the lowest received. Lavis Contracting was also hired on a time and material basis for excavating,sand fill and gravel on Rosalie South, and East streets. Council rescinded a resolution referring to the purchase of a 6000 B.T.U. window air conditioner at the council meeting of May 12 and instead passed a resolution that a 10,000 B.T.U. Electrohome Air Conditioner be purchased through the Hydro and Water System at a cost of $295. Permission was given to Ivan Meidinger to remove sidewalk damaged through water and sewer installation in front of his property. B.M. Ross and Associates were engaged to do the engineering of sewer, water and road to develop the Meidinger property on Mary St. Council passed a resolution requesting a simple form Developers Agreement be drawn by their solicitor for the Leo Meidinger development. The registration and mileage for Harvey Clausius to attend the Ontario Association of Property Standards Officers London Conference on June 27 will be paid by the municipality. Accounts in the amount of $85,428.63 including bank service charges, interest and repayment of $30,000.000 on capital borrowing were approved for payment. OMB backs Stanley A decision by the Ontario Municipal Board has provided Huron county with a clearer definition of agricultural land, according to county planner George Penfold. The OMB supported an appeal by Stanley Township to prevent a land severance approved by the county land division committee. Until now, said Penfold, the committee has had to rely on its own discretion, with no rules on just what is considered agricultural use. The case involved a farm owned by Doug Cook of Hensall on the boundary line between Stanley and Hay townships. Cook applied to the land division committee last May to sever a small lot with an extra home on it from the rest of the 168 -acre farm. Township council objected to the plan. Cook, who is semi -retired and does not live on the property, then proposed to sell the lot plus -three acres to a man who wanted to raise horses on it. He contended that would allow it to be classed as an agricultural severance, and the land division committee agreed. Please turn to Page '2 New chairs The Zurich recreation, parks and community centre board have decided to purchase 275 plastic stacking chairs for the auditorium in the Zurich Com- munity Centre. The decision, made at the boards regular meeting June 6, was made due to the_ rapidly deteriorating condition of the present chairs. The new chairs are the type manufactured by Standard Tube and sold by Turkheim Furniture and Appliances. The board also decided to in- stall single steel doors to replace the present double wood doors at the two south emergency exits in the auditorium. Operating accounts in the amount of $2,021.02 and capital accounts in the amount of $360 were approved for payment. things of this nature and we had a really strong incumbent to compete against", he said. McKinley also cited the return of incumbents in other ridings as evidence of a wider electoral trend. Weary suggested several reasons for the decreased NDP turnout but agreed that the Anti- government vote went towards Riddell instead of the NDP. "A number of NDP people were very concerned that they would ratner have Jack Riddell tnere (in Queens Park) than Anson McKinley", she said. Weary said the nature of Huron -Middlesex riding was also a reason for low NDP turnout at the polls. "We've never been a hotbed'of what you call social democracy and I doubt if we (Huron - Middlesex) ever will be", she said. The Village of Lucan was the only area where Riddell was defeated in Huron -Middlesex. McKinley defeated Riddell by 29 votes in Lucan where Riddell had been defeated by ten votes in 1975. Riddell defeated McKinley by 35 votes in Stanley Township where McKinley has been in- volved in Municipal politics for the past 15 years. 76.7 percent of the electorate turned out at the polls to vote for the three Huron -Middlesex candidates. CONGRATULATIONS JACK — Huron -Middlesex Progressive Conservative candidate Anson McKinley shook hands with Liberal Jack Riddell after four weeks of political campaigning ended Thursday night. Riddell defeated McKinley by 3,871 votes but both candidates agree that the campaigning was tough. Left to right are Anson McKinley, Mrs. Jack Riddell and Jack Riddell. T -A photo Dashwood youth dies in crash An 18 -year-old Dashwood area youth, Peter Ronald Parsons, died Friday night after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car at the intersection of County Road 2 and sideroad 15 in Stephen Township. Parsons, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Parsons, RR 3 Dash- wood, was eastbound on the sideroad near his home around 6:00 p.m., while the car driven by Patrick Lane of 199 Columbia Drive, Huron Park, was south- bound on the county road. The motorcycle skidded under the car, The youth sustained multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by Huron County coroner Dr. Paul Brady. Damage in the accident was estimated at $1,000 by Constable Don Mason of the Exeter OPP. Besides his parents, the youth is survived by one brother, Harold Ross Parsons Jr., Lon- don, and four sisters, Nancy Marie, Deborah Anne, Brenda Lee and Lisa Dorene, all at home. Funeral service was held from the R. C. Dinney Funeral Horne, Exeter, on Tuesday with the Rev. Glen Wright officiating. Burial was in Exeter Cemetery. The fatality was one of three accidents investigated this week by the Exeter OPP. In the other two crashes, area drivers hit parked vehicles. They both oc- curred in Zurich, On Friday morning, Anson McKinley, RR 1 Zurich, collided with a car owned by John Min- derlein, RR 3 Zurich. .The ac- cident happened on Highway 84. Mrs. McKinley, an occupant in the front seat, was injured when her head struck the windshield. Constable Frank Giffin in- vestigated and set damage at $1,400. The other accident occurred on Wednesday when a car driven by Leonard Prang, Zurich, collided with a parked vehicle owned by Gerard Masse, RR 2 Zurich. Damage in the Goshen St. accident was set at $450 by Constable Larry Christiaen. During the week, the local detachment officers laid 31 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, nine under the Criminal Code and seven under the Liquor Licence Act. A 16 -year-old Huron Park youth, Douglas Allan Barrett, was charged with two counts of false fire alarms. Constable Bill' McIntyre laid the charges following his investigation of the two alarms on May 10. Two London men have been charged with possession of stolen property after a 4' by 3' poster board was found in their car by Grand Bend OPP. The poster board had been reported stolen from the Dashwood Hotel around 1:30 a.m., Saturday. Several wilful damage in- cidents were also investigated, involving mail boxes in the area and the cafeteria at the Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. The latter was reported on Monday. Damage was minimal and nothing was reported stolen. Don Darling, Mt. Carmel, reported the theft of a motocross bike from his store on June 10. The bike was valued at $179. Vandals also caused about $125 damage to equipment being used to instal the new Kirkton- Woodham swimming pool. Wires were pulled off a backhoe and a rock thrown through the cab of the vehicle, which is owned by Adrien VanGeel, RR 3 Lucan. The incident was reported Wednesday morning. Edna Liebold, Zurich, reported the theft of $250 in cash to police last week as well. The money was part of the proceeds from an auction sale and had been taken from the woman's purse.