The Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-11-28, Page 2' PAGE 2- 0DERICU SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY,, NOVEMBER 28, 1974
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EDITOREAL COMMENT
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Not a real issue
•The candidates are coming down to if even one member of town council ever
the wire. On Monday, the townspeople to be .elected in this town can serve for
will go to the polls and make their selec- any length of tine without having at
.tion. By 8 p.m,. Monday evening, this some time or another an interest in some
municipality will have a new cojncil for matter before council. Something as
the upcoming two-year term:, simple as voting on a matter involving a . ,.-
Conflict of interest is a catchy phrerse firm by which one is employed can con- a
that popped up all through the term of stitute a conflict of interest in, some
the 1973-74 council. It is no wonder this cases. Businessmen who approve bills ..
phrase surfaced again. during the for small, insignificant items purchased
present campaign to become one of the in their store could be found to have a
main issues. Conflict of interest is very conflict of. interest; so could a woman
much on the mind of many voters. whose family is in some way involved
. Unfortunately, too many people know with a project before town council, find
too little about conflict of interest. Even herself with a conflict of interest if she
a good percentage of the men and did not refrain from taking part in the
women running for the new council are discussions and the voting on the mat -
o •vi•lJ ,..., �.
of co,nflidt of interest. Their answers to Therefore, conflict of interest is a
-the Signal -Star questionnaire prove this foolish issue in an election especially
to be true. when it is perfectly spelled out in the
The charge has been made, for in- provincial statutes that no conflict.exists
stance — both openly and publicly. once a member of council has declared
that Deb Shewfelt has a definite conflict an interest. -
of interest. Such is not the case. Mr.
Shewfelt- does have an interest in It is to be hoped - that all voters in
Delbar, a development company in the Goderich will set aside this conflict of
municipality, but due to the fact that Mr. interest issue as unimportant- at this
Shewfelt has always declared 'his in- time, irrelevant and non-existent where
terest ill Delbar and consequently alt candidates are concerned.
refused to take part in any council Voters should concern themselves
discussions surrounding De.lbar with the real issues the- ability' of the
(needless to say he has never voted on candidate, past performance whether on
any matters involving Delbar) he most council or not, honesty, intelligence, in
assuredly does not have a conflict of.in- tegrity, interest and sincerity. °
terest. . • And may it be respectfully suggested
The sin is not in having an interest in that if voters take .the time to watch their
some matter which could come before ,P candidates on Channel 12 TV — to read
council; the sin is in not recognizing it •the candidates' answers to the Signal -
as an 'Merest and/or not declaring an in- Star questionnaire— they will readily be
terest. Then .and only then does it ableto select an action council for 1975-,_
become, a conflict of interest., . • 76, able to cope with the complex and.
To be absolutely truthful, it is doubtful difficult decisions in the months ahead.
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1=OylONn1N Jiw NAL -
o for broke
Present plans to widen Bayfield Road
from Britannia Road to Huckins Street
should be stalled until it is determined
whether or not this is the best course of
action. '
Perhaps council should be asking
whether a four -lane thoroughfare frotrn
the edge .of Goderich to_Britannia Road
is the 'answer to the traffic bottleneck at
the Big Z in the heart of town. Perhaps
council should take a serious look at an
alternative — that of changing the route
of Bayfield F3oad, extending it straight
across Britannia Road at • the intersec-
tion and linking it up again with Victoria
Streei...pOmewhere in the vicinity .of the
lights at the Five Points.
There. is ;;no dQubt this would bp- a
costly 'and major bit of construction. In
fact, the- exact proposal was made ten
years ago but was turned down by ' the
government's Ministry as too expensive.
put a decade has passed. Goderich is
growing, thriving, changing. Traffic is
heavier, faster, steadier. What might not
have been feasible in 1964Mmight now be.
entirely practical.
At last week's council meeting it was
evident that considerable funds will be
spent to reconstruct Athe intersection of
Bayfield Road and Britannia Road. Land
on both sides of Bayfield Road at that in-
tersection will have to be acquired and if
Bayfield Road iS'to be widened, proper-
ties all along that street will be effected.
That too is a major undertaking. A figure
of something like $500,000 has been
tossed around in connection with it.
Council should ask the design brahch
.of the. Ministry of Transportation and
Communication to prepare a feasibility
study on straightening out Bayfield Road
so that Highway 21. traffic will have a
direct route through Goderich — no Big
Z to navigate, no bottleneck at Britannia.
Road.
If the project was approved, it would
immediately remove a large part of the
hazard for children attending Victoria
Public School. 'Many concerns have
been voiced for these youngsters, par-
ticularly if Britannia Road becomes a
. through street, four lanes from Bayfield
Road to Victoria Street.
It could also be an added feature
when planning the future of Goderich.
As this province grows `-- as people
move further and further into the north
for vacations, as well as to make per-
manent homes — fast access routes will
have /o be established.
' The possibility always exists that .a
super highway will go ;cross-country,
bypassing. Goderich and leaving this
community off the beaten -path. -How
then could this municipality argue for an
improved Highway 21 route in. Goderich?
Where would the town's bargaining
strength lie .then?-.
Now may be the time to go for broke.
At least council should consider it as a
possibility and should ask the Ministry
for rulingon the idea. If the taxpayers
must spend -half a million dollars, let's be
certain all ,angles have been studied
with the most lasting value built into the
investment.
Council has voted itself
another raise -=well now, maybe
that statement should be
qualified by saying thatocouncil
has voted next year's council
an increase in salary. There is a
difference.
There will be a few citizens
who will be concerned about
the increases - they were
healthy ones (something like 67,
percent for council and 150 per-.
, cent for the mayor) - but the
majority of. taxpayers will
probably be totally unmoved by
the announcement. Everybody
is getting, used to higher prices
for everything...and after al -1,
who would want to spend the
hours and take the abuse that
is, necessary to be a council
member, for anything less...or
even twice as ,much. y
Councillor Elsa Haydon ad-
mitted at last week's council
meeting" that she was probably
being Pollyanna-ish by
believing that people should .
serve on council purely for the
love of the 'community. There's
no doubt that Mrs: Haydon is
an idealist in that respect. The
days of giving time and' effort
out of,a sense of duty to one's
hometown are almost gone..if
not totally past.
A few people would agree
with Mrs Haydon that citizens
should expect men and women
to serve out of love 'without
something , tangible to take sign, and; I hope it will in -deer or any other wild animal
home with them- every month. �; *-Criticises t l C tees Cit t LC crease. - die of starvation or disease
It just isn't ,eight to ask that We have, on our slate, two because of overpopulation. If
kind of selfless participation Dear Editor, - -persons running for Council this group thinks that isn't
from' others...and .what's more, I 'am writing in regards to a who are new to us, as possible painful, try . it.
the payment system is the story Shirley Keller wrote in Councillors in the next term. It is this group that think
safest way t9 ensure that the November 21 edition of the These are Marybelle Cranston they know the secret of conser-
everyone has an •equal oppor- Signal -Star, concerning Trigon and Arnold. Stothers. If you do vation of nature. Like as not
tunity to serve. '75. not know these people, peri-., they ,are just looking for
There is little fault to be On Thursday night, Novem- sonally, please make an effort something to occupy their so -
found with the salary increases ber 14, theBradford drama to become acquainted with called minds.. '
for council members. What club put on a' playentitled, them. Along with experienced As for his reference to :far -
does deserve _further in- "The North American Dream." Councillors, we need mers, I would venture to say
vestigation is Councillor Bill Mrs. Keller said in her article, Newcomers, . and I bgiievethat he never even bothered to
Clifford's impromptu remark "the ,play was utterly Marybelle Cranston arfd Ar- ask a farmer, at feast one who
that per.diem rates should be depressing and thoroughly nold Stothers will be an asset makes. his existence on'farming. cident,
abolished. unentertaining. By. the end of to our Council. I challenge him to ask farmers ,�
Mr.' Clifford has a valid the play, the audience was glad Again, take your privilege to how '.muchmoney they lost to 5 YEARS AGO
point, one that should be given to see the curtain go down." vote December 2, 1974, deer, coons, groundhogs,
some serious thought in future. I disagree with that seriously,' We, ourselves, are at wolves, wild dogs, birds, 'etc. • .-,
If a council member is getting a statement very much, as I was fault if We do not elect Coun- the amount would likejy add Construction work on the
fair salary plus living expenses in the audien-c that night and cillors who represent us up to what he would have long awaited Elgin Avenue,
- out-of-pocket expenses, as Mr. I'd just like to .say that I en- adequately. made, after expenses. I do not Storm Sewer project is now un -
'Clifford put it • while on nun- joyed the play thoroughly and I know anybody, including far- dexway. Excavation started at
cil business, why should they was, very sorry to -see the cur- Dorothy McKenzie mers, who like to work 365 the west end of the avenue and
<'. ' days . of the year for sweet some piping has already been
also be authorized to collect tain go down. -
money in lieu of lost salary on The actors and 'actresses put --.1. nothing. laid. The trench for the sewer
the job? In this area, one a lot of hard work into the The Ontario Humane Society will be 26 feet deep and will
Con.eri�ut�ori.. �`
taper upprogresses east.
might truly expect that Mrs. „ preparation of .,that play to- does have some pictures of p as it
Haydon's Pollyanna-ish ideas make it as "entertaining" as pear. Editor: wildlife in agony, left to die -by The work may not proceed over
of duty and love should prevail. possible. I think the Bradford In answer to a written j° some hair -brained iditjt;