Ward 4 by-election?
To the Editor,
It is my sincere desire and wish, the elected council of Haldimand see fit, to hold a by-election to fill the role of the late Marie Trainer, in Ward 4.
To duly replace without holding a by-election will only enhance the expanding lack of public confidence, mistrust, and questions tax payers have of this close knit group of ward council members.
It would be interesting to see the approval rating of each and every council member.
It was made very clear in the last two elections, in Ward 4; the voters do not want Tony Dalimonte. Similarly, they did not want Ken Hewitt in two elections, nor did they want someone who ran in Ward 5 and lost and then in Ward 4 only to get a very few votes.
Watson & Associates, a consulting firm, even suggested to the County that Ward 5, with its inability to grow, small size and population, should be eliminated completely and absorbed into another ward.
This would save the county money.
One would think with what this Council has done by voting a sitting MPP not join them at the AMO conference, and continually voting for an MZO that will bring with it a massive population increase (the voters of Haldimand have continually said THEY DO NOT WANT), that Council would want, at the very least to do the right thing and HOLD A BY-ELECTION.
Ward 3 Council member Danny Lawrence (Caledonia) has constantly supported more population and building; things that come with traffic, congestion, and ultimately the expenditure of more persons in this ward (future full-time firefighters, etc.).
Danny Lawrence now wants an extra council member to assist in the work of Council in Ward 3.
The average Council salary is in and around $70,000 for Haldimand.
You wanted more housing Danny, which will get you more population so shouldn’t you do your work and not need someone else to help you?
Isn’t being a Council member a part-time job?
I would think that money would be better spent upholding the democratic process and holding a by-election in Ward 4 rather than spend unnecessary funds on a secondary Council member in a ward that is smaller in size than Ward 4 is geographically.
Tax payers and voters need to pay more attention to their representation and get more for their dollar. Not less.
You were all elected (except Ward 1 where no one ran against Stew Patterson).
Council, I wish to charge you, stand up and DO THE RIGHT THING and represent DEMOCRACY.
It is called integrity.
Regards,
Tom Peacock,
Caledonia ON
Saving a county landmark
To the Editor,
It was a pleasure to read the coverage relating to the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s grant that was designated for the much needed repairs to the front veranda at Cottonwood Mansion Museum. However, it is important to note this would not have come into fruition had Brittany Van Dalen not assumed the role of curator when the Mansion was slated for closure in 2020.
With the goal of making the house a go-to place for weddings, she immediately undertook the challenging task of returning it to the era during which the Holmes family lived at the site. Her first undertaking was to remove by deaccession, all items not relative to that period plus duplications, have major wall cracks repaired and finally, the repainting of the main floor walls and staircase. Much of this work was done by her. Also, in order to make the venue more attractive for outdoor events, she secured a Trillium grant in the sum of $77,400 to purchase two state of the art washrooms.
While we laud those currently involved with Cottonwood Mansion, it is important to recognize they would not be in the position of keeping Haldimand’s jewel alive without the initial interaction by Brittany Van Dalen in 2020.
Clayt Spears,
Past President of Cottonwood Mansion Preservation Foundation,
Selkirk
