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PAGE 4, WEDNESPAY, JANUARY 20, 1982, WHITBY FREE PRESS Whitby (" Volce of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Pubisher - Managing Editor Ie only Whitby newspaper independentily owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Published every Wednesday, Sby M.B.M. Publishing and Photography nc. <Phone 6U8-6111 The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHAEL J. KNELL Community Editor MARJORIE A. BURGESS AdvertIsIng Manager Malling Permit No. 460 Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 Our mid-term review They have their share of shortcomings but our councillors do a good job The current members of Whitby Town Council have already been ln office for over a year and, In fact, have only about another .10 months to go before they must seek another mandate from area ratepayers. Their term to date has been an extremely busy one and they have had to deal with many Impor- tant and sometimes contentious issues. How have they performed on the job? That's a good question and this publication would like to take this opportunity to make some remarks on their performance, both collectively and Indivi- dually. Unlîke some members of our competition, we are not going to grade them for we earnestly believe that thJs is the prerogative-of the elector- ate. lnstead, we would like to make some observa- tions· based on what they have done and said during this term. As a whole, the members of Whitby Town Council seem to work well together. While there are some personal differences amongst the coun- ciliors they seem to be able to overcome them, at least long enough to settle the Issue at hand.. This is a very different council from the one that was led (sometimes with an Iron hand) by former Mayor Jim Gartshore. The major differences lie in the fact that during this term, most of the coun- cillors have spread their wings a little and developed their own styles, issues and positions. It Is difficult to assess each member of council and portray a truly objective point of view. How- ever, we hope the observations that we make are of help to both the individual and his constituents. MAYOR BOB ATTERSLEY This Is Attersley's first term as mayor, but he has already left his mark on the office. He has been an aggressive mayor. His enthu- siasm is more than evident. Everywhere that he goes he speaks about the positive things that-- Whitby has to offer. To everyone he speaks, he. gives a sales pitch about the virtues of the old County Town. This enthusiasm has infected the members of staff and to a large part his fellow members of council. However, a man is never loved by all of his neighbours. Many have complained that Attersley Is so concerned with attracting development that he has little time for "people issues." While this may have been true in the early mon- ths of his term, It is no longer the case. He seems to be growing Into the Job qulte nicely and has learned to accommodate all facets of his respon- sibility. Unlike many of the other seven mayors sitting on Durham Regional Council, Attersley does not view the region as an evil to be endured. He views It as an opportunity to be siezed and makes every effort to work with and not against the region. This is a definite plus., He is also a diligent member of the Durham Regional Police Commission and It Is a job that in- terests him greatly. Attersley has also been more than successful in bringing the businessman's approach to running municipal affairs. During 1981, Whitby was run on budget and much of the credit should go to him.« If we have any criticism of Attersley at all, it is that we would like to see the e'nthuslasm he has. for Whitby infused into the 6gion. He has the ability to iead effectively and while we must state that his primary responsibilty is for the town, he shouid also assume a greater leadership role at the region to the benefit of al1 Durham ratepayers. REGIONAL COUNCILLOR GERRY EMM At the beginning of this term, Emm was handed the biggest job at the region - namely the chair- man of Durham Regional Council's public works committee. This is an onerous task and some local politi- clans have said that he is not as effective in the role as he could be. In fact, many have said that one of the reasons that the construction of the Pringle Creek Corbett Creek Diversion Sewer was deferred was because he did not use his position and its potential influence to fight for the project., However, he seems to be growing into the job.' Emm is the longest continually serving member of Whitby Town Council. During his 13 years or soI on the scene, he has learned all the ropes of local politics and ls fully aware of all the many issues -facing both local and regional-councillors. Emm has many positive attributes, the main one being that he is truly a full-time councillor. He is aiso fairly visible in the community and can be seen about town more than other coun- cillors. All-in-all, Emm is an active member of council and Is attentive to its work. REGIONAL COUNCILLOR TOM EDWARDS Edwards is an avowed socialist and more than any other member of council is affected by his personal political beliefs., This Is not to say that he is ineffective. Edwar. ds' primary concern rests with. the "people Issues" that come before bôth local and regional . council. He Is a good speaker and when addressing his favourite issues (predominately social ones) one cannot help but be impressed with his sincerity and honesty. At the regional council level, Edwards- is ham- pered with a major disability. As a representative of the Canadian Union -of Public Employees (CUPE), he is forced to declare a conflict-of-in- terest on practically every personnel matter to be dealt with. His knowledge in the field of labor relations could be a major asset to both the town and the region if it Were not for this situation. This is his first term as a member of regional council and he seems to have a good grasp of the issues facing it, especially in the social services area. Given time, he could be a top-notch regional politician. COUNCILLOR ROSS BATTEN Batten, who represents the North Ward on council, is the only rookle on the seven-man squad. Despite this, he has been given the responsi- bility for the 1982 town budget, a surprising honor for a man with so little political experience. How- ever, a more precise judgment on this performan- ce in this area cannot be made until the budget document is made public in a few weeks. < Batten is well-informed, intelligent and ar- ticulate and shows good potential, and has yet to make any serlous political mistakes. As mentioned previously, Batten is the new boy on the block and while he is striving·diligently to overcome this he stili suffers from the freshman syndrome. As time goes by, he should become a strong voice on council. COUNCILLOR JOE BUGELLI Of ail the members of council, Bugelli is probably the best politician. The West Ward Councillor always seems to be on the right side of every major issue and is nim- ble-footed enough to get what he wants without offending other members of council. He is probably the most ambitious member of council and it woùld be of no great surprise to see him sitting in the mayor's chair in a few years. Bugelli is also Intelligent and articulate and seems to have a solid grasp of ail the issues facing the town. Not only is he eager to pursue development Issues, but also has a healthy interest in people Issues making hlm a weil-rounded political voice. His only major drawback ls that.his private in- terests demand a lot of his time and if he had more time to devote to municipal affairs the town would probably be alot better off. COUNCILLÃ"R JOE DRUMM Drumm is council's other avowed socialist and in many respects his approach to local affairs is more pragmatic than Edwards'. He is also a fighter and is totally unafraid to .speak his mind on any issue even when his opinion is contrary to everyone else's. He is also net afraldto take on the developers and make life difficult for them if he doesn't like something. Perhaps the East Ward councillor's only stumb- ling block ls that he is not as good a public speaker as other local politicians. While Drumm's honesty, sincerity and interest ls more than ap- parent, he sometimes has difficuIty in expressing himself well. He is attentive to the work of council and the needs of his constituents and is a solid asset to the town. COUNCILLOR BARRY EVANS The pigeon dropping and gaudy mural fettish Evans has shown of late.has probably not enhan- ced his position on Whitby Town-Council. . The centre ward councilior is not only the only lawyer on council, but he ls one of the few with a university education. Of ail the members of council, he has the most academic training and is probably the closest thing to a true intellectual on that body. Evans is highly intelligent and when coupled with his legal training he can be a fierce opponent in debate. However, he does not always use his training te its best abilities. He is probably the least politically ambitious member of council and lnstead of pursuing a high political office, he would probably prefer to seek a position on the bench in the future. Evans is not without ability, but at times he 'does not seem (publically, at least) to use his talents to the fullest. His potential effectiveness is as good or better than any of his colleagues and if he applied his talent with vigour he could become a power to contend with. This is how we see these seven men. We are net saying that they should or shouild not be retur- ned to office this November. We believe that this decision lies solely with the electorate. However, they suffer from the same human faillngs as do the rest of us (including the members of Fourth Estate), and ail we have attempted te do is offer our readership seme inslght into their political performance te date. ~ .~... - ---,-*"----- ,.-~--* -.---...---,..--..-.--..------*-.....~ .