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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-10-25, Page 3Wednesday, October 25, 2006 TIMES—ADVOCATE 3 Candidates seek Middlesex school board positions By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE MIDDLESEX — Supporters of the public school board in Middlesex County aren't accustomed to seeing a municipal ballot with a choice of candidates; recent elec- tions have seen the two Middlesex -based spots on the Thames Valley District School Board filled by acclama- tion. In 2006, however, there's an enviable degree of choice: one long -serving incumbent, one recent high school graduate, one retired educator/teachers' union negotia- tor and one newspaper publisher. Sarah Doub Sarah Doub, a second -year University of Western Ontario student who hopes to become a teacher, was involved in student advocacy through four years at Glencoe High School. She says her activities, including lobbying to keep the school open through repeated appearances on potential closure lists, "lit a fire in me" to remain involved in the education sector. "I want there to be change in the (provincial education) funding formula so it fits the needs of rural schools," the Wardsville native explained. She argues every student, regardless of the size of school they attend, must be pro- vided with sufficient basic programming and adequate staff for the school to operate efficiently. The fate of rural schools under an environment of pro- jected enrolment declines is likely to be the dominant issue as the four candidates hit the campaign trail. The draft version of a long-term capital plan is currently awaiting public consultation before being sent back to the Education Ministry for approval; at one point there were 11 Middlesex schools cited for possible closure in the plan, and a subsequent draft still includes four. Brad Harness Communication is an area of expertise for Brad Harness, who owns and operates the Ailsa Craig -based Middlesex Banner newspaper. But when asked about his main concerns about the way the Thames Valley board conducts its business, communication might be on his list, but it's not at the top. Harness believes fiscal restraint is at the heart of the threats to rural schools and the answers lie in tackling fiscal shortfalls elsewhere in the board. That includes instituting a maximum salary of $95,000 for top-level administrators; taking control over transportation away from the profit -driven bus companies; contracting out work currently done by unionized support staff; using only young teachers — not retired teachers, who he argues come at higher costs — in supply situations; and signing only contracts of three years or less for all employee groups. At a recent all -candidates meeting, Harness was taken to task by fellow candidate Barry Wolfe for some propos- als. That's not surprising, considering Wolfe spent many years as a negotiator with the union serving elementary teachers. But the Middlesex Banner publisher defended his concentration on the financial bottom line. "Those kinds of discussions make people think," Harness said. "And this is the time to do it — at election time." Looking beyond election time, though, Harness says he's serious about representing the people of Middlesex. Plus, he knows when to declare a conflict of interest due to his role in the media. "I'm bringing up (these issues) because I hope they res- onate with ratepayers, whether they have kids in the system or not," the candidate explained. "I recognize it would have to be a team effort, and it would require more of a hands-on approach from trustees than we've seen in the past ... But I think they might be open to it, especially because (trustees) are legally liable for the board's business." Sharon Peters One veteran trustee, Jan Hunter, opted not to seek re- election in 2006. And Sharon Peters of Melbourne, with Ethanol land gets zoning approval By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF VARNA — The Hensall ethanol project took another step forward Monday with zoning approval granted by Bluewater council for Greenfield Ethanol which had a large delega- tion at the meeting. Huron County senior planner Craig Metzger told council the purpose of the rezoning was to change 42 acres of land west of the railway tracks beside the Hensall Co-op which will be the site of the ethanol plant. The rezoning changes the designation of Part Lot 22, Concession 1 to Highway Commercial and Highway Commercial Special Provisions. Metzger said the application includes access to the plant from a 30 metre wide parcel run- ning along the northern boundary of Hensall from the railway tracks to Highway 4. The road was originally intended to be pri- vate access but the Ministry of Transportation has requested the — road be public with access for the LCBO facility. Asked by Coun. Dave Johnston about firefighting requirements at the plant, Greenfield vice-president Martin Kazmir said the company will be working with local firefighters to familiarize them with the plant. Johnston asked about a 223 -foot high specification in the plant's design and noted area fire departments don't have the capability to fight fire at that height. Kazmir replied the height specifica- tion, that was more than it had to be, was for two stainless steel stacks "and there is not opportunity for fire in the units." Kazmir added any special equip- ment needed for firefighting at the plant will be paid for by the company. Hensall Coun. Rod Parker said while a majority of Hensall residents sup- port the plant, the issues of noise and odur have been raised repeatedly. Representing Greenfield was lawyer Yvonne Hamlin who said there will be a berm at the south end of the facility and the company is having discus- sions with neighbours about how the berm should look. Hamlin also noted the Hensall plant will have technology that the Chatham plant doesn't have. Kazmir said the Chatham plant, which is 12 years old, "plagues us...seeing, believing and smelling is the best thing to do. We're eager to work with the community." Speaking from the gallery, Hensall resident Pam Sangster said she has serious concerns about what the plant will mean for Hensall and while Greenfield has "done due diligence, the municipality hasn't done the same." Deputy Mayor Paul Klopp replied the munic- ipality asked questions of the company before giving approval. "We made it do things." Kazmir added the company wants to be a good corporate citizen and that any residents who want to see an example of the technology that will be used can drive by an ethanol plant in Sarnia. "Any residents who want to meet with us, please call." Kazmir said anyone with ques- tions can call him at (519) 354-0397. A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO OUR CLIENTS. WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY, WE'RE HAPPY. We're pleased to announce that Edward Jones has been ranked "Highest in Investor Satisfaction with Full Service Brokerage Firms." We've always believed our way of doing business made sense for our clients. It's nice to know they agree. To see how we can make sense of investing for you, contact one of our investment representatives today. EDWARD JONES The J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Canadian Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study. is based on responses from 5,190 investors who used one of the 14 firms profiled in the study. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com MARK R. HARTMAN Investment Representative www.edwardjones.com Member CIPF 436 Main St., Exeter 519-235-3881 Fax: 519-235-1505 1-866-264-3011 EdwardJones MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING 1 BOOKS •Children's •Best Sellers •History •Cooking •Nature *Health •Art •Gardening TIMES -ADVOCATE 424 Main St. Exeter 235-1331 21 years of experience on Thames Valley and its prede- cessor Middlesex County board, was thinking of making the same decision. But the fallout from the board's draft capital plan convinced her to submit her nomination once again. "I felt the issue ... was important enough for me to come back," said Peters, who, in September, was influ- ential in securing trustee support for a motion setting out the scope of public consultation into the plan. "I've been out there saying I don't want these small rural schools to close," she said, adding there has been some specialized provincial money provided for things like full-time principals and secretaries. But she said there hasn't been enough for "the real basics" like main- tenance and custodial work, nor enough to maintain adequate core programming in small secondary schools. Barry Wolfe Retired Strathroy resident Barry Wolfe, a veteran of 32 years as a teacher and school administrator in three dif- ferent school boards, says, "in my view, it's a responsible plan." He argues school closures are one of several "political issues (that) come and go" depending on which govern- ment is in power. "My goal is to maintain a school in each community," he said in an interview. "But I'm not going to do that and sacrifice the quality of the education available in that school." the Look? 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