Ontario Community Newspapers

Whitby Free Press, 30 Oct 1991, p. 43

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WHITE FR E1~SS~Munictipellelection 19-L OBER' 30; 19914- PAGEAII JUDILONGFIELD 1. What ina a polticlan worth? What puy Incemes would jeu adwocate for cauneillam ovor tbe nadi tbrS e jate? ould mch Increaeh voW in l clsedo o ssson.?Would you psoaImly rernove jourueif fror such a sesson? Would you roftiaean incrumsowhlch lad hem vaow nt such alsessi? A pliticien is .ntitled te, fair remuneration for the services he/she prvdes, how.ver, I do't think thetht.e lected officiai shouid b. charged with setting hie/lier own salery, and would not perticipate mn a ciosed-door session. 1 would support the idea of having a comiitte. composed, 0f a cross section 0f the community struck to.deai with al matters relating to a~y. 2. What rsoaflhlitles do you foel a counciBlor ha@ toaand ividualcontituenta and'towarda tbe population as a wholc? Do you We ther. às suffcient oopportunity for public input? Do you f"e that active mtepayes groups would ho a hlp or a hindrance to Lb. municipal govomnment Eech eiected officiai is responsibie for ensuring (that every individual receives feir and, equiteble treatment by the bureaucracy, and that the. views 0f the. individual are taken ýnta account before. decisions ar made, The saine is true fo/h views of the population as a whole, but decisions flot unique ta my ward muet aiso, b. inithe. best interesesof the commumity. In ail cases,- our elected officiais muet assume respon- sibility for protecting and indeed enIiancing the. quality of life of its residents. -There is, in most instances, edequat. opportunity for input. Unfortunately, tii. procesepoay hasn't been as thoroughY expleined as it siiould b.. Iouid support the. idea of a citiz.nls guide ta clearly outline the. steps thnt siihould b. taloen. Obviously, ratepayers' groupe cen and siiould play a vital roie. They serve as asounding board for, the. politicien and provide a friendly first stop for the. individual witiia concerfl. V yeuOk IICIIat oas at onat, b qxMc joubd c rwovatpositntnha anjorlty of jour contitueuta whlch waj would jeu vote? It reeliy depende on tii. issue. I can tell you tlint I will flgiit vigorouely foruthe wisiies 0f my éonstituentsý, as! long as their wises do'not put the. rest 0f tii. community in jeopardy. I niigiit ultimateiy vote againet it if I feit tiiat ta support the. issue wouid b. flsceiy irresoneible.. Whatever my decision, I would meke every attempt ta ýcommunicate tii. reasons for my vote.- 4.' Do you tbln Whithy'sgvrument hahouai toc mweient l topat? If.m what changes would jas mak? Do jota feel that matera comlng hofore comancishoui ho givesi mone pulIct tlathe conimumity as a whcle? Would jyu advocate that agendas, reporta and background Information ho made avalable to Intersed citions a minimum cf a Çow daja hala'. the meetings at whlch thoy 771 am astrong supporter 0f open, accessible governinent at al leveis. Discussions end decisions n.ed to b. cerried out i ful view. I support tii. idea ,0f a 'media presence' at ail meetings and will actively encouragemorée community involvement. As indicated eerlier, I wouid like ta se. a 'iiow ta' bookiet prepared ta, fecilitate individual involvement. Yes ... Yes... &. Ame ySu timfled wth the pffe and type of development lanWhItby? Ame joSasatlfled t LIt la wefl emcrole ?What prablnahâve jeSemm or do jota forase? G.neraiy, I would agre. that of ail the. Durhiam communities, Wiiitby bas don. by fer the best job in the past. I tink tbat we muet, however, strive for a greater balance in industriel, residential and commercial as e m nt, an effort to more fairly dist*iute the. tex burden. Additionally, I wil figiit vigoroualy to increese Wlitby's voice at the. regional -planning level ta ens'ure tint our fate is not dictated by communities ta tii. east or west. JUDI LONGFIJELD Age 45, resident of Whitby for 20 years Executive assistant to MPP Steve Mahoney 6. NIMBYlmm(mag la mj hock yard) las hecona a com:mepiblem ni muicipal pliltica. What tol e o prevent iL or avid It? The NMBY syndrome i. nut only dengerous, it is ais., counter-p'roductive. I am not certain thattiiere i. eny remedy, otier' than -education and an understanding of botii sides of any given issue. I think tint we muet ail b. prepered ta compromise a littie in an effort ta reacli a solution tint serves the. - -tstgod 7. Whmr do jeu led Lb. bslmSnchold salt WwSn e nL.privala property igte of ividuala and Lb. wd colcie gta of a cammunity or meghhourhod? Do yj e b b.municipal gormeat hould davslop mechanimi. t. maforce dtigerprpeStL7 Mandard.? Again, I would stte clearly tiat the rights 0f the individual muet b. prot.cted ta the extent tint tii.y do not infringe on tii. rigits of others. Asmmbrs of a community, we siiould b. expected ta eabide by the ruies of the. community, that hopefuly have been drefted in the beat interests of the community. If these.iaws are deemed not to be in tiie best- interests 0f the. community, then I wouId, work towards a change. W. must neyer not compiy simply because it doesn't suit our own individual style. I support the enforeément of property standards. 8. Do you foo l tht desiga contrai. .hould ho implemented in smaes o emue that nov construction vithin atlng dovelaped ares conforme t.oe2sting buildings or do you féel that controe prenently In place undor the offciai plan and zonlng by-Iawm mre adequate? - Y.. ... designi controls s3hould b. implemented and enforced. 9. Do you (.1l that the ambience ofthei old coro are. of Whlthy ia important t. the communlty and If mc what specific stops would you advocate to pruesavoIt? I believe that preserving the ambience of Whitby's old cor. is extremeiy important ta this community, and I feel that this sIiould become on. of the major focal points ofd our new cou.ncil. I believe that owners of ail downtawn properties should b. forced ta attend ta their properties, many of them now vacant and sadly in need of maintenance. Downtown merchants must join the fight ta, make our four corners a more inviting place ta shop. I would even consider an arrangement whereby a portion of the property owner's taxes are deferred until1 time of sale, if mAjor repairs and renovations were undertaken. W. niight aiso consider some form of loan, guarante. for similar purposes. 10. Do jeu agras with a troc control by-law which would proect trocs on private asuvoll as public land? On an individuai's residentiai property, there should b. a tre. control bylaw that allows for some flecibility and' common sens.. However, -large tracts of land intended for development should b. subj.ct to a strong tre. control byiaw. I would support a similar bylaw industriel and well. for commercial, public lands as 11. What ls jour vision cf the Whtbj valarfront? How important la public acces.? .I strongly support the. view tint Wbitby's waterfront i. on. of this communiWys greatest assets, and I suppothtii recommend- ations of tiie Ciomnbie Commission and wiil work to assure itsimplementation. 12. Areyou ln faveur of Lthe plana for Lb. Contonnial Builing? EHow .hould IL ho psld foir? I- support tiie plans for the. Centennial Building. It is my understanding tii. mayor iias collected monies from the. devebopers within tii. Town of Whitby and, togetiier witii 9rvnilgrant funds, tiiere will minimal impact on the. ratepayers ofWhiùtby. 13. Do jo e eu a ovaeeortaxed or that gevernment is tee exponsivo?, If cithor, vhat changes would you advecate? W1IRL about a tex freeze? hI hat ara do jeu led DoL significant cuts in earponditures could ho made? Do jeu a- anj are.. vb.re- revenues might ho increasadl WhaL is jour position on market valu. amaceament? Despite tii. fart that increases in local taxes have continued ta, remain b.low tiie level of inflation, I would agree that we are overtae.d and probebiy over-serviced in meny areas. To lower taxes would mean cutting expenditures or raising revenues. Expenditure cutting siiould b. given top priority and siiouid b. combined witii a vigorous . rograin 0f benefit coet analy F. or some time, I have iield tiie view tiiat municipalities siiouid actively encourage.private sector involvement in capital proecte sucii as sohools, iiealtii ad recreational fecilities, ta. naine but a few. SEE PAGE A 12 DAVE WALL 1. Wlat la a poIltIcian vatbWlat psy morasses veuld jeu advoct. for counclilors ro th. tndthtre. jeare? fiauld mch hlucreassh voted lu clased dor .esond? Would jeu pareonalbv remove jourudb friumach a sesson? .Wed jeu refus, an lucreaus bhhlad.hem voWe at mach a sesson? A pliticien's wortii siould b. det.rmin.d first and for.most by: a) tii. ability ta listen ta tue views of otiiers; b) the. ebility ta neoit;c) tii. ability ta act resonsbiyand witii integrity, d) the ability ta demonstrate a iigii level of common sens. and logic. The financial wortii-0f a politicien siiouid b. based on amount of time- required ta do tii. job h. or she was elected ta do. Currenttly, members of Wiitby council are paid $14,648 per year. The iiead 0f coundil (the mayor) i. paid $39,437 per year. An ndditional emount ($21,000) i. peid ta merubers 0f regional council. TI my opinion, tiiese levels are sufficient, tiierefore, I would not support any increae until such time tint ail positions require a fuil-time commitient. b'Any proposed incrense should bediscussed in an open forum, flot b.iind cbosed door. As an elected officiai representing tiie west ward, I would not remov. myseif fimn session tint wes dealing witii tus issue. I would attend and voice my opinions and eny tint I may have froi my conetituents. If a byiaw were ta b. passed incr.azing tii. rate of pay for n councillor, I would not refuse saine. The process aibows for open debate and vote on any issue. When the 'sinoke cleers,' ail sides muet accept the decision 0f the. miqjorityr. This should iiold true on' eny issue tint coMes before council in wiici tiiere are- OPpsgves- - z. What a snllities do yeu fola councillor basl oyards individim consttuonts Md tovards Lb. population as a vhole? Do jota b.d thore in sufficient ocppotunity for public input? Do jota féel that active ratopajoee groupe veuld he a hdlp or a hindrance t. Lb.e municipal govemnment It is impossible ta b. any dloser ta the.' grass roots' tien at the. level of municipal politice. If we as counciilors wiIi not listen ta our local constituent. and art on their beinif, tiien w. are not -fIBling our obligations. It -i. impossible ta please everyone at ail times, iiowever, tiie track record at ti level of government shouid b. mucii higiier tiien at the. provincial or federal leveis. Witii respect ta public input, I do not feel tint there i. sufficient time for the public ta inve their say on some of the more controversial issues tint come b.fore council. The current procescen have an issu. coin. bfore committe. on on. Monday and b. voted on et council tii. folowing Monday. Perinps a two-week délay bringing issues before council could b. considered. Active ratepayers' groupa cen serve a v.ry importent function ta, a Town councillor. By attending these meetings on n reguiarbhuis, we would b.able ta measure the feeling 0f the. public at large with more accuracy tien waiting for tiie 'piione ta, ring.' I have attended two such meetings in the. lest two montiis and would continue ta meke myself aveileble as their respresentative on council 3. lb j e Imevtt jur owu position on a %MpeImm aIecoasoil vas si oc"a ith Lhe marity ebjur consituemts vWcbway vauld jeu Vowe Wiile tiiere may b. exceptions tint I amn uneble ta predict at tus tuie;, et theimncipal level I- DAVID )WALL Age 44, resident of Whitby for 14 years Sales representative believe. we muet truly represent those who eiect us. It siioud b. pointed out tint mSt disagreements b.tw.en elected officiais and the. public arise froin one aide not inving the. sain. information as the otiier. Better communications would, I arn confident, resuit in les. disegreements b.twoen council and the public. In generel, I wouid support a majority of my constituents if we were at oddea on a particular issue. 4. Do=ju th Whitbj gS.«rumnt las boan toc, scvelu the paWtIf S vlat changes wold jeu make? Do jeu boel ibat matters coning hoforo ceuncil hald ho givon more publicitj t. ta. commumity as a vhaie? Weuld jeu sdvacate tuat agendas, reportsansd background information ho mmd avuable t. intorested citisons a minimum of a bey day. ah hael.meetIngsat wicb Lbey vere bdng cumffl Frin the. publices perspective, there would seem ta b. an air of ,secrecy - surrounding WhitbYs governinent. mhe primary reason for this is the meeting tint takes, place imniediately pri o ta ech council meeting vita ot press or public peen. Wtii the exception 0f pronnel matters, I se. no- reason for tiiese closeddoor sessions. Council currently uses every means possible ta notify tiie public regarding matters conung ta a vote. The ietiiode include installation of signe, announcing re-zoning applications on the affected property newspaper advertising and direct letters ta iiomeowners in areas tint may b. affected. The one erea I would like ta, see improved i. the. avaiiability 0f council agenda. If possible, the. agenda, including al staff . reporte and recommendations, b.ing available a minimum of tiiree day. prior ta the meeting would b. desirabie. S. An youscatisled with the pac andt1pef dovlpotI Whitby? Are jeu saisfied that IL in volcntow d What problons have jeu sme or do you foSma? Whitby lise experienced rapid growtii over the. lest fw years. 'This growth, wile necessary, has put extreme pressure on Town services. We ne.d ta expand our fire departinent, add facilities for our senior citizene, increase recreation farilities, ta mention a few. To address tiiese neede, we muet explore other avenues of revenue. Solicitation of additional involvement by developers and the private sector neede ta b. expiored toalnlow Whitby ta keep up witii required services witiiout putting unbearabie pressure on the taxpayers. &. NIMBYu <nt in MY hock Yard) haa hwei a cammon proicm In mundiip atica. WhaL vould ju do t. pavent IL or avoid iL? ý ,,NIMYism- ie somethihg. we ail need ta, deal with. Proper communication and sticking. ta plans -- Whitby.Offician Plan and Durham Region Officiai Plan -- once decided upon, would nileviate a great deai of the confrontation witii tiie not in my back yard' groups. No changes ta tii. -officiai. plane- shouid b. considered unies. a serious tirent ta, health, life or the environinent exista. Another area of concern i. tiie iiandling of garbage. If given the choice of having a local iandfli site whicii would save tii. Town thousands or millions of dollars (thus keeping tawn and regionni taxes down) or inving ta pay iigii dumping and transfer fees ta another municipaiity of the. province, whicii wouid you chaos.? 7. Whore do jota lad Lb. balance shud salu hen Lb. private property rights cf individuals snd Lb. collective rnghta of s communitj or àdeghbourhood? Doejta ou el Lbemunicipal geveraiment siaould develop mochaniimnu t. enforce tighter propertj standards? In cases of personal danger or the violation of municipal, provincial or. federal laws, the collective riglits of the neigli- bouniiood or tii. community muet take precedence over tii. property rights. of an individual. Eisting controls and laws would seem ta b. woring in mst cases. 5. Do jeu bel that design controls uhuld ho implementad lu ome cases t., ensure that nov conatruction within sxisting developed rns conforme t. s2ating building. or do yoeu él thaL contrais preentlj in place under the. officiai plan aud zoing bj-lavm are adequaWe and 9. Do jeu bcd that Lb. ambience of lias aid cor. arez of Whifby i mportant to Lb. communiLy aud if no what spociflc stepa veuld jeu mdvocate tt. premerve IL? The current approach ta, mLinicîpai efection 7 5

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