Lakeshore Advance, 2013-03-27, Page 9Wednesday, March 27, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 9
Bluewater mayor honoured with Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal
Melissa Murray
OMI Agency
While attending the soft opening of
the new Bayfield library, Bluewater's
Mayor, 13111 Rowson, received an email
he never expected.
As he scrolled to read its contents, it
informed him that the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities had selected
him to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Dia-
mond Jubilee medal.
'1'llt' email read: "Volar peers in local
government across the country admire
your accomplishments as a community
leader, and congratulate you 00 earning
this prestigious award„ and was signed
by Karen 1 ('iI)UVI 'i 1,(;M President and
Councillor of the (:itv of Edmonton.
"I low I was picked I don't know, but I
have left a fair legacy of my time and
thoughts with the Ministers of Agricul-
ture and Rural Affairs an(l Municipal
Affairs and 1 lousing,” he said adding, "It
sends a shiver through you, that some-
where in a big circle my name went
forward."
Rowson acknowledged he is one of
60,000 Canadians honoured with the
medal.
"I'm pretty happy, proud and pleased
to be a part of it," he said.
"It's something for the bumps and
bruises that 1 took dowel the road.'
During the presentation of the medal
at council's March 4 sleeting, Deputy
1\layor Paul Knopp, said Dowson was
deserving of the award because of his
tireless work with different farming
organizations as well as his ability to take
tine for UUluewitter residents, "whether it
was a sleeting with one or with 50 "
As both it farmer and someone who
worked for'I'uckersmith telephone,
Rowson entered local government in
1084 and served for Stanley Township
before becoming deputy Reeve. Since
amalgamation in 2001, Dowson has
• Bookkeeping needs a tune-up: Past Warden
Lack of detail,
inaccurate figures
presented to public,
media
Paul Cluff
NI Agency
Bernie Maclellan said a dollar figure
presented to the public and media on
Warden expenses didn't reflect what he
actually spent in 2012.
The $22,719 bill reported by media,
including the Lakeshore Advance,
includes invoices billed by county staff,
who put expenses on the Warden's
county -issued credit card.
"'That is how (the County of 1luron)
chose to do the accounting here,"
MacLellan explained during the March
20 Committee of the Whole Day 2 meet-
ing at the I luron County Courthouse.
"A lot of things were added to that
expense account that were not paid for
or invoiced by the Warden," said
MacLellan, now the Past Warden.
"It is not your fault for reporting it,"
County CA() Brenda Orchard saki. "It is
the way we track it internally. There
probably should be a separate
/account."
The Lakeshore Advance reported
March 20 that MacLellan, also Mayor of
Huron East, earned a salary 01'468,827
last year, when he was a "full-time
Warden."
The document listed the Warden's
total expenses at more than $100,000.
With earnings and expenses for
county councillors factored in, total
expenses was more than $450,000.
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"1n Rus{nest Miff Year 2000, ()wr patxion It your swccnt,"
Orchard said council should under-
stand the cost of doing business. ;'If it is
buried in something else, you don't
understand the cost of doing it."
CONFUSION OVER PER DIEMS
Several county councilors requested
clarification over per diem rates.
Orchard saki in the past, some county
councillors have billed for two half -days
instead of a full-day per diem ($259.37)
after attending a sleeting in the morn-
ing and at night. I lalf-day reimburse-
ment is $148.21, so councillors earned
an extra $:37.05 each time they billed the
county for two half -days.
Orchard said it wasn't the councillors
fault. "1 understand there have been
times where (county) staff indicated to
council that they could submit for two
half -days, not a full-day." Orchard
doesn't consider it overbilling if they
were following the direction of the staff
person. "For me, it's a matter of clarify-
ing it from a staff perspective. "It's not
the councillors fault a staff person gave
thele direction and they followed it."
Orchard said she doesn't know which
staff person offered that direction. 'Ihe
per diem issue was on a list of things to
do when Orchard took over as the new
CAO, A I luron County by-law explains
the per diene rate.
CUFF COMMIT"I'EE WILL. REVIEW
(:ODE OF CONIUJCT
County Council agreed to have a sub-
committee look into developing a code
of conduct based around a framework
provided by the CAO.
It was one of the recommendations of
George Cuff, the consultant who
reviewed the county's organizational
structure and provided a detailed
report.
Orchard took five examples of hest
practices and blended them together
into what is typically included in a code
of conduct, sometimes referred to as a
code of ethics.
Coos. line Ginn (Central Huron) said
council should have one. "We don't
need a consultant (to (lo it). A good
starting point is what you have given us,
maybe an ending point. The major
ingredients are in here."
"What I like about it is there is a clear
complaints process in it," added (:oun.
Art Versteeg (I Lowick). Warden George
Robertson said there is a committee
already moving the Cuff Report forward,
so that comnittee could review the
framework and bring their recommen-
dation back to County Council.
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been Mayor of 131uewater.
While he admits he was a
little leery oldie changes that
would happen during amal-
gamation, he decided he still
had work to do in municipal
government.
"I'm a negotiator and not a
fighter. Ido what 1 can to do it
right for the ratepayers of the
(municipality... by not being a
fighter 1 gained far more than
ever," he said.
"If I could justify why some-
thing was happening that
ustwlly satisfied people. 'they
didn't vaunt to hear 'No' or
'Never: 1 always told them I
would try."
A highlight of Dowson's
political career has been
receiving $7.9 million dollars
last year from OMAFRA for
the municipality.
While Rowson said the
municipality has never faced
challenges they couldn't
overcome, he did acknowl
edge ratepayers and other
members Of I luron County
sometimes felt Bluewater had
a dysfunctional council.
"We weren't dysfunctional,
we just had members of
council with strong wills and
strong thoughts. We would
always get to a resolution, just
sometimes it took us longer
to get there"
With a year and a half until
the next municipal election,
Rowson said it's too early to
predict whether he'll run for
another terns. Ile said the
decision would depend on
his health and the health of
his family.
"111 slake up my mind
when the time cones," he
said, adding he still loves
working with the people of
Bluewater.
Submitted Photo
Bluewater Deputy Mayor Paul Knopp, presents Bluewater Mayor
BIII Dowson with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal on March
4 during a Bluewater council meeting.
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