Incumbent mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj says the township did not borrow any money over the past term of council – and she is correct.
Challenger Bob Foster said at the Elora all candidates’ meeting in Elora the township added $9-million to its debt.
His is correct, too – in a way. That’s politics.
Centre Wellington must expand the sewage treatment plant in Elora at a cost of about $10-million. It got a grant of $1-million and has to find the rest. To get it built means paying up front – but the taxpayers are not paying to do that.
The township takes on the debt, but acts like a go-between rather than a debtor. While the township guarantees the loan, development charges will pay it off. The taxpayers are not being asked to pay a nickel.
And the provincial government has ordered the work done. There is no choice but to do it – and since nobody has $9-million sitting in a money vault, that’s how it must be done. The money has yet to be borrowed since the work is slated for next year.
The other major project is the new Fergus water tower at $2.2-million. The township has reserves and development charges, and the people who drink the water will pay their usual bills – as they do everywhere in the province. The taxpayers themselves are not on the hook for any cash at all.
And that’s politics. One can be right or wrong at the same time. Is it any wonder the world is not the terrific place we all wish it would be? Is it any wonder so few people these days care about politics with scenarios like that.
Signs of the times
We heard from the Centre Wellington Township works department that some of the signs candidate Walt Visser had placed on hydro poles were removed by the staff.
The township has a bylaw that forbids any signs on the utility poles, and when Visser complained about stolen signs recently, he acknowledged that some of them were wrongly placed and he had no objection to their removal.
It is the remaining signs that disappeared that had him upset.
As an aside, anyone else who has signs on utility poles (not just candidates but groups and advertisers) are hereby warned by Public Works Superintendent Ken Elder they can get those signs down, or they can see them collected by township works crews.
Still more signs
Centre Wellington Ward 1 candidate Ian Rice is running an old fashioned Elora style campaign. No signs at all.
That first came about in the 1990s when all the candidates agreed they would not clutter up the intersections and boulevards with political advertising.
That has long since gone by the boards, an effect of amalgamation, where most candidates from one part of the community are little known in other parts. It seems, though, that few others are following Rice’s example, and, in fact, there were more signs than ever out in the past week – as fast as they could be printed.
Christmas cheer
And while on the topic of signs (yet again), a brief trip through Erin last week showed that incumbent mayor Rod Finnie has bright red signs and challenger Lou Maieron’s are bright green.
It sort of put us in the spirit of Christmas – wondering who has been naughty and who had been nice.
But here is a small but depressing warning for those of us who hate shopping. As of this Newspaper’s date, there are only seven shopping weeks and a few days left before Christmas.
Politically correct
Everybody likes trees.
At the candidates meeting in Elora Sept. 21, everyone was asked about supporting tree projects and plantings across Centre Wellington. It was one of those issues that had full and unanimous agreement.
Every candidate believes the more trees the better. The politics might enter the equation only when people decide what and where to plant.
Right to vote
Want to throw the rascals out – or send those good, decent hardworking folks back into office?
Whichever choice people may want to make, they should first ensure that they are on the voters’ list so they can cast a ballot.
Even people who have voted in the past should consider checking again. Contact the local municipal office and the clerk’s department to make sure of being eligible to vote in the coming municipal elections.
Priorities, priorities
At the Belwood all candidates’ meeting, citizens again surprised candidates with issues that are, perhaps small in the scheme of things, but important in their community.
After an all candidates’ meeting in Elora where nearly all the speeches dealt with spending, the first question from the audience was about termite control.
In Belwood, the first question was about closing the Belwood ball diamond – and it seemed to take candidates by surprise. Our view is that those local issues count. Those are the ones where citizens feel real passion and hope to get government to listen.
A better way
Instead of having a whack of candidates make speeches and then allowing questions, in Belwood council ward candidates, school board candidates, county ward candidates, and then mayoral candidates came to the stage separately, made presentations, and then separately fielded questions.
The break from the usual multi-answers from all candidates was welcome and worked well, and gave mayoralty candidates time to sense the mood of the audience.
We wonder, though, about having acclaimed candidates speak. What can anyone possibly ask them? They are already elected. It would save time if they stayed out of the candidates’ debates altogether, or just thanked people and make themselves available – after the meeting.
