Submitted by Jim Barber on October 11, 2014
– 11:54 am
Jim Barber, Greater Napanee News
A packed house at the
Lafarge Banquet Hall at the Strathcona Paper Centre
had a chance to meet, chat with and hear speeches and policy statements from
all the folks running for office in the upcoming municipal election at a
special all-candidates meeting this past Wednesday night.
Hosted jointly by the Napanee BIA, Rotary Club of Napanee
and the Napanee & District Chamber of Commerce,
the event featured short speeches from each of the candidates running in the
five wards, as well as a question and answer session from the two mayoral
candidates and two deputy mayoral candidates.
Bookended around that
was an open-house style event that allowed voters to spend some time talking
with the various candidates in a more up-close-and-personal way, especially the
candidates in their respective wards, which organizers felt was more meaningful
for voters.
And judging by the
number of conversations and the abundance of interest from residents, it
appeared to be a success.
The ward candidates
each had a minute to speak to the audiences, which was not always easy,
understandably. Ward 1 candidate John Dennis, a former local OPP officer, now
retired, talked about working to keep taxes low while ensuring the municipality
got maximum value for the tax dollars it did spend. He also reiterated a
campaign plank first articulated in the Greater Napanee
News that he would like to see a portion of every council meeting open to the
public as a kind of ‘question period.’ He also said he would
support motions to declare Greater Napanee an
unwilling host for both wind turbines and an expansion or redevelopment of the
current Richmond Landfill.
The incumbent for Ward
1, Mike Schenk, in a short statement talked about his experience both as a
farmer and long-time volunteer firefighter as well as his extensive tenure
around the council table and how he would like to continue to see the town
moving down its current positive path.
Ward 2, which has no
incumbent after Shane Grant withdrew his nomination earlier in the year, has
three candidates running. Max Kaiser quoted from the famous Paul Harvey passage
that ends with “So God made a farmer,” emphasizing his
family’s extensive farming roots in the community.
Area real estate agent
Dave Pinnell talked about his experience as a
successful salesperson who was good at negotiating. He
also stressed his deep affection for the community and the fact that he
consistently supports charitable endeavours and other community activities.
Lastly, former
councillor Peter Veltheer said he was encouraged to
run by Grant and talked about his extensive experience on previous councils as
well as a corporate executive and business owner. He said he has the ability to
represent both the rural and urban portions of the ward.
Ward 3 is an
interesting race in that long-time community activist and environmentalist
Stephen Medd is up against a council veteran, Roger
Cole, the current deputy mayor who decided to step away from that position to
run as a councillor.
Cole said he has
enjoyed representing the people of Napanee and that
he still has the energy and drive to continue to serve on council. He said he
is proud of the progress Napanee has made over the
past term and cites the growth and vibrancy of the downtown as an example of
that, as well as the new residential developments and bigger projects under way
such as the Trans Canada facility and the new Napanee
Community Health Centre home downtown.
Cole said policing
costs will continue to be a challenge and a priority for the next council,
while he also said he supports cultural programs and facilities and trying to
find a way to get a year-round aquatics facility as
priorities.
Medd, an IT professional at
If elected, he said he
would ask the new council to make an official declaration against any new
landfill development. He also said he would ensure council throws its support
and resources to encourage the various sectors that spur and encourage economic
growth and job creation, including the cultural and heritage sectors.
In Ward 4, incumbent
Bill Pierson is facing off against two competitors: veteran real estate agent
Carol Harvey and Canadian Forces veteran and community activist Ian Munro.
Munro pointed out that Napanee is doing really well in many aspects at the moment
but that the prosperity we are currently enjoying is under threat because the
provincial government still has too much control over municipal planning,
especially in areas concerning landfill sites, solar and wind farms. And that
having those sorts of things come to Napanee would
impact negatively on the community and its future growth and economic
prosperity.
He said he has been
working behind the scenes for more than a dozen years on various issues,
particularly fighting against the expansion of the Richmond Landfill and the
proposed Beechwood Road Environmental Centre, and has
now decided to bring that experience to the council table, if elected.
Pierson touted his
experience as a teacher at NDSS for 35 years and his similarly long time as a
volunteer firefighter including being the last volunteer deputy chief and how
that experience has given him a unique perspective on the community and its
residents. He said he wants to continue to give back to the wonderful people of
Napanee by serving once again on council.
In the 2010 election,
Ward 5 was the closest and most competitive race with Shaune
Lucas defeating Bill Martin by just nine votes with three other candidates also
polling well. Lucas and Martin are back, and are joined by Robert Lewis,
community volunteer who also formerly worked for the Town as well as for Ontario
Power Generation.
Lewis talked about how
he has lived in the town all his life and has always tried to give back to the
community. He said now that he is retired that he would be able to devote the
time to closely examine and study the various issues and concerns coming before
council. He also boldly stated his opposition to any re-opening or expansion of
the Richmond Landfill, calling any such plan ‘asinine.’
Lucas touted he and his family’s business experience in the
downtown core and how they have been an integral part of its revitalization
over the past number of years as well as his role as a councillor during the
period of economic resurgence being experienced by the entire municipality. He
too opposes any expansion to the Richmond Landfill and wants the next council
to work hard to find a solution to the ongoing issue of developing an aquatics
facility at the Strathcona Paper Centre.
Martin too talking
about living in the community all his life and his experience coaching minor
sports and how his career as a real estate professional for many years
has allowed him to learn a great deal about both the rural and urban parts of
the municipality. He said that he would represent the constituents of Ward 5 to
the best of his ability and that being a taxpayer himself, would respect how
tax dollars are spent and ensure they are done so wisely.