Huron Expositor, 2001-12-12, Page 7Pw
News
Deputy mayor wants council to survey
community before funding legal fight
By Scott Hllpendorff
Expositor Editor
Council should take time to
find out whether or not
people will support Huron
East spending money on a
legal fight to keep its schools
open, said Deputy Mayor
Bernie MacLellan at
council's Dec. 4 meeting.
MacLellan said his views
were changing from two
weeks ago when he wasn't
sure council should spend the
money at all when some
ratepayers were concerned.
Since then, he has received
several telephone calls from
residents and it's been about
a 50-50 split in favor of
spending the money or not.
Council approved a
November meeting the
expenditure of up to $20,000
for a legal fight and another
$5,000 for a public education
campaign to encourage
people to get involved in the
school closure issue.
Council cancelled its Dec.
4 committee meeting and
planned to take front -row
seats at the Avon Maitland
District School Board
meeting instead where the
board was expected to make
a decision on whether or not
to study Seaforth District
High School, Brussels Public
School and Grey Central
School for closure.
If trustees support listing
those schools for official
study, the decision to close
them or not is expected to be
made in February.
After last night's meeting,
MacLellan said council has
time to find out whether or
not residents would support
council actually spending the
$20,000.
Whether or not the money
is used will depend on lawyer
Fred Leitch finding a legal
argument against closing the
schools.
It is a common expectation
among community leaders
that the board will have
decided to list the three
schools for closure study at
last night's meeting.
Of the feedback MacLellan
has received so far, he said he
has had people with children
in the schools system saying
to close the schools if they
need to.be closed and people
without children saying to
fight to keep them because
they are an historical and
necessary part of the
communities.
McKillop Coun. Sharon
McClure said she has had 10
telephone calls and one
person who came to her
home, opposing using tax
money for a potential legal
fight.
She has had two telephone
calls in support of the
expense.
However, she said most
Anonymous letter
says those opposing
legal fight against
school board are
`too afraid to speak'
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Huron East council won't be responding to an anonymous
letter opposing the use of tax dollars to fight a potential legal
fight against the Avon Maitland District School Board.
Council has approved spending up to $20,000, if necessary,
to mount a court fight against the closure of schools in Huron
East.
The Avon Maitland District School Board was voting last
night (Dec. 11) on whether or not to study Seaforth District
High School, Brussels Public School and Grey Central Public
School for closure with a final decision to be made in
February.
The letter says a lot of people don't believe the schools can
be kept open but are "too afraid to speak out."
"They have heard and seen what has happened and is
happening to those who are perceived to be in favour of
closing schools. They see what is happening to individuals
who work for the board. They are afraid of the confrontations
amongst friends and neighbours. They are afraid for the sake
of their jobs and their businesses. They talk in private, with
the people they know, for the very same reasons that this
letter is unsigned. But they are out there, seething with
anger," says the letter.
"It is my position if the concerns are great enough, you will
sign your name to it," said Mayor Lin Steffler at council's
Dec. 4 meeting.
Grey Coun. Graeme MacDonald said there should be no
response from council to unsigned letters.
But Deputy Mayor Bernie MacLellan said if it is making an
accusation against someone, it is imperative the letter be
signed but when it is just about an issue of council, he sees no
reason not to address it. But he did say he would prefer it be
signed.
Steffler disagreed saying if an opinion is strong enough to
be expressed, people should stand behind their words and be
willing to sign a submission to council.
McKillop Coun. Sharon McClure said she wants to know
who wrote it and whether or not it came from McKillop.
McClure and fellow McKillop Coun. Ferg Kelly brought
concerns to council at its last meeting from McKillop
residents who opposed council spending money on a legal
fight against the school board.
The McKillop ward already lost Walton Public School to
the first round of school closures almost a year and a half ago.
Doherty retires after 25
years on county council
The navy blue blazer embroidered with the county's logo
will be finding itself in a dark corner of Huron County Coun.
John Doherty's closet after years of service.
Goderich's outgoing Deputy Mayor has been a municipal
politician for 25 years, with many of those years including a
seat on county council.
At the end of his final report to council, as chair of the
social and cultural services committee, Doherty joked that he
wanted to know if there was any chance he could get a
pension from the county after 25 years.
He then passed a mock -motion which all the councillors
seconded, in the spirit of the jest, that he should indeed
receive a pension.
Doherty, who was elected to Goderich Town Council, in
November 2000, split his title of deputy mayor with Ellen
Connelly, who took over deputy mayor duties at the county
level on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for the next two years.
refer to the high school being
potentially closed, not
realizing Brussels and Grey
schools are affected as well.
Grey Coun. Alvin
McLellan said he has had
about 10 calls as well; most
opposed to spending the
money.
Mayor Lin Steffler said she
has received 11 calls and one
email from people all telling
her they are in support of
spending the money.
"I don't know why I'm
getting all the positive calls
and you are getting the
negative ones," she said.
McLellan suggested if the
schools are facing closure
and a legal case can be made,
council mail out a survey
seeking responses from
people on whether or not
they are in favour of council
spending up to $20,000 on a
legal fight.
He said the people who are
heartfelt about either view
would take the time to
respond to the survey.
If 80 per cent of the
responses oppose spending
the money, even if there is a
legal case, he said they
should not go ahead.
"With luck, if none of our
schools close; case closed,"
said Seaforth Coun. Dick
Burgess, a former Seaforth
District High School teacher.
"We are not going to fritter
away ratepayers' money,"
Brussels Coun. Joe Seili,
adding if there are no
grounds to even launch a
legal case, assuming the
board finally decides to close
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the schools, no money will be
spent.
No motions were made and
no formal action was adopted
on McLellan's idea at the
meeting.
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