By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—Sitting across the table in the meeting room at our office last week, it was clear that outgoing Ward 4 Councillor Tony Dalimonte was still a bit shocked by the outcome of the recent municipal election, where he lost to incoming Councillor Natalie Stam by a margin of 902 votes.
“I’m disappointed, a bit disillusioned. I feel for the moment that I can walk away from the County knowing I put the entire ward, particularly Hagersville, in a better position than when I started,” said Dalimonte.
He called the recent election an outlier in his 21-year local political career, pinpointing it as the first time “party politics” crept into the municipal race, noting, “I don’t think a lot of people had the facts, and it rallied groups in the community to come out and vote against a perceived project, a concept. I think that made a difference.”
That perceived project is, of course, Empire Community’s proposed development in Nanticoke. As a Stelco retiree who, during his career, oversaw the rental of and many failed sales efforts of those same lands, Dalimonte has a unique perspective with details that were not widely available in the public discourse on the issue, details he believes even the mayoral candidates who faced public questioning about the proposal were unaware of.
“The issue of the ownership of the property out there is very much in dispute, it’s before a court in Toronto,” he explained. “There was just a court case three to four weeks ago in Toronto.… I have inner knowledge of that because I’m a pensioner and I’m represented on that committee by a representative from the salary/pensioners of Lake Erie.”
He said the land may ultimately fall back into Stelco’s hands but, “the opposite could happen too, where the judge rules that there was a deal and instead Empire does own the property, and then Premier Ford is going to have to make a decision on what happens to that proposal. It’s very, very much up in the air. Nobody can claim they have ownership of that property at the moment, but particularly Empire. They can’t. Even though they said that at Council publicly, it’s before a court.… This is not a slam dunk case.”
Regardless of that outcome, Dalimonte reiterated that the County can only operate within the “box” that Provincial policies dictate: “We have to operate within it on so many issues. I find myself continually explaining that.”
Beyond Nanticoke, “There’s so much more to this County that has to be considered. We have social housing issues. We have food banks operating over capacity. We have transportation issues; we have no direct link to the 403, the bypass around Hagersville. The majority of the taxes in this county are being paid by the (residential) taxpayer; we need more industrial and commercial growth. We have communities that are growing and will have needs.… There’s so much more.”
To his successor, Dalimonte offered, “Dedicate the time. It’s a very time-consuming job. You’ll find there will be many issues you will get involved with.”
He added the importance of responding in a timely manner and being honest to build trust: “You don’t get re-elected for 21 years without having that…. I would say that’s something any councillor in the community would need to do, that would be my best advice.”
To new mayor Shelley Ann Bentley, he said, “Respect your Council, support your Council, and do what’s best for the County overall. ‘No’ has to be in your vocabulary; we can’t be all things to all people. Look at issues in terms of what is the benefit to the taxpayers of Haldimand County. Be careful with your spending, work with your staff.”
Dalimonte also reflected on his 21 years with the County, including when Haldimand County was first established following the split of Haldimand-Norfolk.
“We were handed a 1960s budget for the year 2000…. The transition board that the Province put in place left us in a mess. We had agreements that were not resolved, we had high tensions between the unions and the municipality. I witnessed my first strike, where I had workers picketing in front of my house. It was turmoil,” he recalled. “We had to work very hard. Those first two Councils were probably the hardest that I’ve ever sat on.”
He watched the County grow from there and saw various improvements in his ward, including completing the gravel road conversion, millions of dollars invested to improve the Hagersville arena, the splash pad installed at Lions Park, completion of a new ambulance bay and fire hall, and more. He feels especially proud of spearheading a $700,000 grant to the West Haldimand General Hospital, the “largest single donation of cash our hospital in Hagersville ever received.”
Recently, he was honoured to receive the Heart of the Lions award from the local Lion’s Club for his years of service to his community, including eight years as a Lion, 20 years on the Chamber of Commerce and BIA, and more.
Then there is the in-development Library + Active Living Centre in Hagersville, a project Dalimonte proposed and which he will continue to work on for community fundraising: “At Council I’ve already done my job – the project’s approved. There is a rough time table there, but I’m going to continue to raise money in the community and remain active doing that with my committee.”
He concluded, “I’m going to stay active in the community and keep a close eye on major issues for Hagersville as they come forward to Council … and if necessary, voice my opinion as a former councillor…. My heart is with the community.”
