Reflections on a little town! Many years ago in a pretty place called Kincardine there was a horrible disaster. The brave firemen rushed onto the scene putting out fires and rescuing trapped citizens. The paramedics drove their ambulances through the smoke, fire and rubble helping wherever they could. Doctors and nurses scrambled through the wreckage treating victims with no regard for their own safety while priests, ministers and rabbis gave comfort to the injured and dying. The mayor and the Public Works Committee chairman, after several days during which they did not visit the disaster site, called a meeting.

It was March 13 when sewage overflowed from drains into the lake and into houses and over the residents’ properties. Basements were ruined, toilet paper hung on hedges. It was a disgusting sight and a serious threat to health; above all, it was unnecessary.

Mayor Sutton and Ron Hewitt, Chairman of the Public Works Committee, ought to have gone immediately to meet the residents and witness the mess. It was an opportunity for them to listen to the residents, take the deserved heat and apologized. That they did not do so illustrates, once more, the lack of moral leadership in our municipality.

Conn Smythe, builder of the Maple Leaf Gardens and the Maple Leafs, said in 1975, “My father taught me to have integrity. And to those of you who have integrity these days, you haven’t a helluva lot of company.” Sadly, the same observation can be made today.

Do not let Mayor Sutton or Ron Hewitt say they were not aware of the problem or what the cause was. They knew. They have had two to three years to have their meeting and get a legal opinion if they felt the need of one. They have had practically their entire mandate, which ends in November, to correct the problem.

It was not long ago when Mr. Hewitt was demanding in council to have control over the gas rebates Kincardine will share under the new federal policy. In the recent debate on voting by mail, the same Hewitt made the false argument that he was losing his rights by having to sign for a ballot; yet he cares little for the real rights of citizens to live without fear for their health or their property. He does not need more control; he needs to resign as chair.

What is wrong with a municipality that spends thousands upon thousands of dollars on a tourist booth and on ‘beautifying’ part of our main street but refuses to: reconstruct the medical clinic so it will better accommodate those with handicaps; to stop raw sewage flowing into houses; or extend the water intake pipe to assure clean water for all?

The mayor’s chain of office, whoever wears it, should be worn with dignity; it should also be worn with integrity. Citizens, if they care at all, need to see that is so in the future.

April 12, 2006

It has been a long time since I started writing about Kincardine’s tourist booth. Before we get too excited about looking at building plans and thinking of the thousands who will beat a path to the tourist booth, I offer an alternative.

The suggestion does not originate with me; I take no credit for the idea though I think it is one Council should seriously consider. If the business community (the vocal members anyway) and Council insist in having their tourist booth on highway #21, why not purchase the former Chrysler dealership?

The empty dealership building is a poor advertisement for a town. The location is convenient while the infrastructure and traffic lights are already in place. Ample parking is available and no more valuable municipal land need to be paved over.

There is a gas station, a car wash for travelers, and a McDonald’s to get a snack while tourists mull over the brochures. The ESSO station and McDonalds have acceptable washrooms that will complement any in the tourist booth.

The dealership building has more than enough space to accommodate a tourist booth. I believe there are offices on the second floor which might be income producing or used by the municipality. Part of the building could be renovated for a seniors’ centre with a small kitchen serving all building occupants. Seniors, for a reasonable stipend, could staff the tourist booth. The municipality now has a full-time tourist coordinator; additional permanent staff would not be required.

Regardless of age, we all need purpose in our lives. Playing a useful role in Kincardine’s welcoming efforts is a pleasant activity for older folk who have a collective wealth of knowledge about the area and a treasure of skills. The seniors’ centre could be made quite attractive - with their own lounge and activity room. This location would also remove the perceived need to build an addition to the thirty year old Davidson Recreation Centre. Such an addition would take away valuable outdoor space at the Centre which the Recreation Centre can be ill-afford.

Purchasing the Chrysler Building, I am told, would cost about 1.2 million dollars and there is the money to be spent on the renovations. But consider the trade-offs. $500,000 is budgeted for the new Tourist Booth. It will require new traffic lights installed, widening highway 21 would need to be widen for safe turning Extending Russell Street and the cost of any infrastructure and new paving which could cost $250,000 or more. There is also the loss of revenue by not selling the land at the original location and loss of taxes should the town sell the land to private concerns.

April 19, 2006

Where are the women? Women do not take a back seat to men when it comes to intelligence and when you witness women running a household and volunteering while being successful in the workforce; you have to admire there organizing skills. Intelligence and organizing skills are needed on Council. The most effective member of Council today is a woman, Maureen Couture. Laura Haight spoke to Council recently on the voting-by-mail issue. Laura was articulate, factual, and ran circles around the naysayers on Council. Laura should also be on Council. I know there are others, intelligent and civic-minded, in the community who could make a refreshing contribution to the municipality if elected. They should be encouraged to run for Council.

What qualities make a candidate worth considering? Look for someone who is comfortable in their own skin. It is corrupting when one lives a lie. Candidates need a healthy ego to perform publicly but overweening egos are destructive. The previous mayor had an overweening ego exacerbated, sadly, by being cognitively challenged when it came to democratic principles. You cannot bring out the best in others when arrogance is your mode of governing. Avoid candidates who are morally flexible. Politicians living a lie, arrogant, and lacking integrity are the enemy of transparency. They prefer keeping citizens in the dark.

Gord Campbell’s best quality is his honest out-spokenness. There was a time when such people were called ‘straight shooters, now we vilify them. Another councillor who brought no hidden agenda to the table is Guy Anderson, a team player who views the municipality as one community. Guy would have made a far greater contribution at Council had there been vigorous and open leadership during his two terms of office. Effective leaders bring out the best in others. That did not happen.

The mayor and whoever becomes deputy mayor will need negotiating skills to develop consensus yet also be able to handle controversy in a constructive manner. It does not take a rocket scientist but it does require candidates with some innate leadership ability, willingness for self-examination and a desire to learn. Being able to laugh at yourself is essential

An example of what we should not want on Council was seen in the recent sewage spill fiasco. Mayor Sutton and Councillor Hewitt, Works Committee Chair, knew about the problem at the beginning of their mandate and did nothing to remedy the cause. When the next spill occurred last March, Mayor Sutton and Councillor Hewitt did not have what it takes to meet with the citizens affected, listen to their anger, apologize and give them assurance that they would see the problem fixed. That requires character and empathy. When the Westario strike was dragging on last year and becoming ugly, Mayor Sutton did not have the right stuff to go to the picket line and talk to the strikers, all of whom were his constituents. The home owners would still be angry because of his negligence and the strikers might not have like what he had to say, but they may well have respected him for meeting with them.

There has been a curse on our municipality since amalgamation and that curse has continually worked to undermine and discourage those on Council with the laudable goal to serve the municipality. I truly hope the curse will not discourage decent and capable citizens from running for the good of the whole municipality.

The curse does not lie in the act of amalgamation. Many, if not most residents, did not see the need for amalgamation but made the best of amalgamation. A minority of residents, primarily living in the former Bruce Township, did not want to make it work and, like the fabled dog in the manger, their elected representatives brought few constructive ideas to the council table. Kincardine needs candidates who see the municipality as a whole and who work for the good of all. The economic and social challenges of modern society call for fair-minded people who can think outside the box and want to serve all citizens in the best way they can.

April 26, 2006

There is work to be done before the November municipal elections. It is important to note that November is the start of the newly-implemented four-year term of office. This was a bad idea of the Liberals at Queens Park but we now have to live with the ruling until wiser people get elected to the provincial legislature. The election is important because we have to live four years with the consequences. We need now to plan what will be on the ballot.

Last week I wrote about candidates for council. Today I write about changes needed to make municipal function more efficient, more transparent, and more democratic. There are a number of issues which I will discuss over the coming weeks.

The first change should be have the Board of Directors at Bruce Telecom (formerly Bruce Municipal Telephone System) elected separately from Council.

With amalgamation Bruce Telecom became the property of the Municipality of Kincardine. Although the company comes under federal legislation as well as the Ontario Telephone Act, Council is the governing authority.

I have never been offered one reason why it was felt necessary to have the whole Council sit as the governing body. I know the first mayor, Gord Jarrell, was against it; he felt a smaller group could handle it. Gord was also against the remuneration the councillors gave themselves, believing it was excessive. Before the last election one councillor, in reply to my email query asking why all Council members were on the Board of Directors, said it was a complex matter. Since he went no further, I assumed he did not understand what he called complexities, or perhaps he thought the public would not understand. Mayor Glen Sutton, at the time, spent over thirty minutes on the telephone with me without giving any explanation. He could not give me one reason why Council decided as it did. He was more interested in getting elected. As councillor and later as mayor Glen was content to take his money and do nothing. I have known managers to be fired for much less.

I realize the Municipal Act governs the way Council functions and affects the governing of Bruce Telecom. But problems are simply challenges to be overcome. That is the way of progress.

Seven councillors and the deputy mayor pay themselves each $8,000 plus expenses a year while the mayor takes in $10,000 plus expenses. That is $74,000 for a committee to govern a local utility. This is money taken from the profits of Bruce Telecom and those profits belong to citizens of Kincardine.

For that money, Council is supposed to be governing our utility on our behalf. We are stockholders and have all the rights that designation entails but not recognized. There has never been a stockholders’ meeting nor an annual report published. There is no mechanism for evaluating a director’s performance. Since amalgamation Council, sitting as the Board of Directors has ignored best practices set out for boards. That is wrong.

The skills and knowledge needed to be a director are different from those looked for in a member of Council. Incompetent directors can have a negative impact on a company’s performance. Bruce Telecom requires directors who have the background to handle the learning curve and can dedicate the time needed. Being elected to Council does not suggest that person is qualified to sit as a director. A Council that is neither able to keep water drinking fountains working each season nor can manage a sewer system needs to spend more time on municipal business. History of the municipality tells us that is obvious. Fewer people are required for the Board but they should be ones who show an aptitude for the position.

Council should now set about to have Bruce Telecom overseen by elected directors. The number elected should be no more than three. If the Municipal Act continues to insist that the mayor chairs the committee then so be it. Remuneration could be similar to that on the Westario Board, lower than what Council gave to itself, or Council could set a per diem rate which would also work.

This would give Kincardine a democratically elected governing body, effective and less expensive. Can anyone on Council say what is wrong with that?