Another look at our ward system: Kincardine has three wards

covering the same areas of the formerly three political entities: the town of Kincardine, Kincardine Township, and Bruce Township.. 7/28/04   Full Story...

Once more the maladjusted with their stunted character development

have emerged from the dark side of humanity. Three males were caught vandalising Queen Street. The story appeared in last week’s Independent. 7/14/04   Full Story...

by Fred Kirby          July 7, 2004

First, a thank you to deputy mayor, Sandy Donald for seeing that I received a copy of the Conversion of The Bruce Municipal Telephone System into a Public Utility and Report to the Kincardine Council on the Governance of the Bruce Municipal Telephone  System.

When Council talks about six or seven hundred thousand dollars to build a road a majority of involved citizens do not want and when Council talks of a multi-function building on the Thompson site, why can it not maintain what it already has? Do big projects have glamour while maintenance seems mundane? Far from mundane, property well maintained shows pride.

The dollars spent on finding a logo is a waste when fountains do not work, signs need painting, and grass properly cut. When a councillor or manager walks by a fountain and sees Norm Dunsmoor’s name defaced on the plaque, where is the anger and subsequent drive to have it repaired immediately? Where is the pride? Where is the respect?

We all know where our town’s pride resides. It is in the many volunteers who work their butts off for their town. Take a walk along the boardwalk and admire the wonderful gardens planted and cared for by volunteers then cross over to the road (yes, Virginia, there is a road), where piles of sand are tossed among the trees, one under a sign telling us it is a protected wood, unfortunately, not protected by Council. Visit the Walker House and see the pride of volunteers then visit Dunsmoor Park and witness the lack of it in Council.

Leadership is more than wearing an oversize necklace at photo ops, it is far greater than parochial ward politics; it is about desiring the best for your town and developing the best in your town. When a volunteer delegation approaches Council with a project, Council should stretch out its collective hand and ask with a smile, “How can we help you?”  When volunteers offer Council an opportunity for national and international recognition it should jump at the chance. Nothing good happens when there is no leadership. Nothing is done well when there is no pride.