Town candidates parting words
Posted Oct 28, 2010 By EMC News
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Tweet ThisEMC News - When it comes to councillor candidates in Smiths Falls the ballots have been counted and the victors announced. Those who will not be taking their seat at council this term had an opportunity to talk about what they hope to see council look at in the next four years. Following is a list of this information.
Robin Hawe has vowed to continue to move the proposed YM/YWCA forward in any way he can.
"You'll still get the YMCA I'll make sure of it," Hawe said following the election results Monday night.
Hawe came in 108 votes behind Jay Brennan who was elected as Smiths Falls' sixth councillor. Kelly Gaston, Lynda Bradford and Darlene MacLachlan were all in support of doing something to bring new jobs into the community.
"The biggest thing I'd like to champion is how you're able to bring more people more employment to the area," said MacLachlan.
She feels the town must expand its tax base in order to maintain its services. Ian Ross addressed the urgent need to adjust the unfair taxation on local businesses, particularly those on Lombard Street. Ross also noted the importance of addressing physician recruitment in a substantial way.
"That's critical," Ross said.
Bryan Wiltsie would also like to see the new council set an aggressive plan for recruiting doctors.
"In the past four years they haven't done anything," Wiltsie added. "That's what we need to do for sure."
Each candidate touched on the need for openness at the council level and their hope that the engagement seen during the campaign will continue into the next four years.
"There's been a lot of talk and a lot of engagement with the community and its members," Gaston said.
James AE Perkins felt that listening to the voters is something he would have done had he been elected.
Anne Bothwell was contacted by The Record News following the election. Her hope is that the new council will restore accountability.
"The accountability of the town to the people is most important," Bothwell said.
Jeff Bogaerts' big wish for council is that they get a handle on the total amount of debt the town holds and how they will service that.
"We can't do anything unless we know," he said.
Mat Krotki also felt it important to reduce the town's debt, to focus on public transit and developing a firm tax base to maximize tax dollars. He stressed however, not raising the tax rate to achieve this goal.
Many of the candidates enjoyed their time on the election trail and felt they might run again. Rob Peters said he plans to focus on his new career at this time, but wouldn't discount any future opportunities to support the town.
Lynda Bradford has decided to recycle her election signs after her fifth race for a seat has left her in the gallery seating once again.
Results for the unelected candidates are as follows: Robin Hawe (1235), Ian Ross (1225), Darlene MacLachlan (1189), Bryan Wiltsie (1069), Rob Peters (902), Anne Bothwell (704), Lynda Bradford (658), Mat Krotki (657), James AE Perkins (631), Kelly Gaston (551) and Jeff Bogaerts (344).
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