Kincardine council

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A strong slate of newcomers is going to make it a tough battle for incumbents as they seek re-election in the Kincardine municipal election Oct. 25.

That was the general consensus from the all-candidates meeting last night (Sept. 28), sponsored by the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce, held in the Kincardine Hall at the Davidson Centre.

A capacity crowd of more than 400 people turned out to hear the candidates speak and then ask them some questions.

Ward 1 candidates spoke first:

• Incumbent Mike Leggett said his major concerns are developing the Bruce Energy Centre, doctor recruitment and encouraging more business in the area.
• Ron Boulton wants more fiscal responsibility, better accountability, and to keep tax rate increases reasonable.
• Jacqueline Faubert said her priorities are continued revitalization of the downtown core, improving the quality of life and cultural elements in the municipality, and maintaining the health and safety of the land and the people who live here.
• Norm Annetts said it's time to cut back on spending and rebuild the municipality's reserves. The new council should exercise caution with spending and raising taxes.

Ward 2 candidates spoke next:

• Candy Hewitt said her priorities are financial accountability, building a sustainable family- and business-oriented municipality, and balanced planning and effective decision-making.
• Gordon Campbell wants equal treatment for everyone in the municipality, in particular with water services, that one group is not paying less for water than another group.

Councillor-at-large candidates then spoke:

• Incumbent Marsha Leggett said she has worked hard for the municipality for the past four years and encouraged people to offer their suggestions to help the community.
• Anne Eadie said her priorities are fiscal responsibility, lobbying for adequate local health care services, a safe and clean environment, and responsible planning for the future.
• Guy Anderson wants to see youth representation on the recreation board, a review of safety at the local beaches, and another look at how to bring natural gas to the area.
• Maureen Couture said her main concerns are controlling taxes and rebuilding reserves, physician recruitment, bylaw enforcement, and ensuring council works together to make this a great community.
• Ron Coristine wants to be part of a council that is polite and pays attention to each other - one that allows for civil, informed and respectful debate. He also wants council to work together and make smart decisions, not continue to spend money on mistakes.
• Ken Craig and Ron Farrell were unable to attend.

The candidates for mayor spoke next:

• Ron Stephens wants to ensure people's rights are not taken away, as they have been with the commercial wind generating systems in the area. He said council has to fight back and restore its planning authority with respect to wind farms.
• Incumbent Larry Kraemer said the next four years will be a time of opportunity, and with the right leadership, council could establish a college or university in Kincardine.
• Laura Haight wants to encourage proper dialogue so citizens feel as if they are part of the decision-making in the municipality. A good process allows for more dialogue which means more discussion, and that results in better decisions and better policies.

Randy Roppel, acclaimed as councillor for Ward 3, said his major priority is to have a management and operational review done of the municipality to see where it stacks up compared to other municipalities. He also wants council to sit down and find ways to make the amalgamation (formed 10 years ago) work.

Bluewater District School Board trustee Jan Johnstone said she has served the Municipality of Kincardine since 2001 and is honoured to continue in that job. The school board has 18,400 students in 42 elementary schools and 11 secondary schools, with an annual budget of $186 million.

Much of the question period was taken up by concerns about wind farms.

Norma Schmidt of Underwood asked if the candidates support setting up a committee of council, with citizen representation, to help defend against wind turbines, and whether they felt the wind turbines have a positive impact on tourism.

The majority of candidates were in favour of setting up such a committee and agreed that the turbines have not had a positive impact on tourism. They also agreed there is no support for off-shore wind turbines.

Couture said Kincardine has a nuclear station and more than 100 wind turbines. The municipality has done its part for clean energy, so there should be no more turbines put up in Kincardine. She added that the municipality should lobby for a return of the planning authority to local councils. That power was removed through the province's Green Energy Act.

Later in the meeting, all the candidates agreed there are health effects from the wind turbines and studies should be done to determine what course of action to take to help those affected.

Mary Ellen Ross asked if council is still prepared to build a new $650,000 tourist information booth.

Most of the candidates said they would not support that type of capital project in this economic climate.

Anderson noted that the building would not cost $650,000; most of the money would go toward parking and landscaping.

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010