The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 9 Places I've Done Time by Clifford Francis It's getting close to voting time. I just got notification this week on where I have to go to vote. As a matter of fact, I received two notices. The first one was telling me to vote at the school, and the second was a correction notice telling me not to vote there. The problem is they both have my name wrong -- the cards read, "John Francis Clifford," instead of "Mr. J. C. Francis." I am sure that will cause problems. In the last local election I was not on the voters list, but my mother who had been dead several years was. Thankfully one of the candidates noticed I was not on the list and got me on. The same thing happened in the last federal election. I was given notice that if I wanted to vote, I could do so in Brooklin, but if I wanted to vote early in the advanced polls I had to go to Port Perry. That is quite a walk from Orono. Eventually everything was straightened out and I got to vote in town. This term I was going to throw my hat into the ring and run for local council, but it never happened. I procrastinated too long and missed the cut-off date to register. Being a politician isn't easy. Sitting on the fence and leaning both ways is hard work. And talking out of both sides of your mouth at the same times, is also not easy. Not being truthful at all times would not be easy for me either. Some folks had given me money to help my campaign if I had run. But the money they gave to me was well spent. I went to Delaware, Ohio for a week to the horse races and had a grand time. Election year is always great for local charities. The politicians are at all the local functions buying up things for sale. I keep my eyes open and see this happen. Some politicians are generous, other just like the limelight. One fellow bought a jam for $1 at a local function and had his followers taking pictures of his generosity. I soon told him he had "outdone himself spending a whole dollar." Others I talk to love their community and are out doing all kinds of community work. Where have they been for the past four years. Maybe they just found love late. Wednesday past, they had an allcandidates meeting at The Pines Senior Public School. Very well attended -- 272 people, plus most all of the candidates for local and regional council in Ward 4 and all questions were answered. Like one guy said after the meeting, "We all lied as honest as we could." Funny no one asked about fixing the roads or keeping chickens in backyards in Clarington. Get out and vote and then you have the right to complain later. CHRIS BROWN The first question at the candidates meeting came from an audience member representing the firefighters association. The question was how the candidates felt the proposed new fire station for Newcastle should be staffed. Chris Brown said, "We have to LOCAL COUNCILLORS make sure everyone is safe," and he felt the station should be built on Highway 2 West, rather than the preferred location, next to the Newcastle Aquatic facility on Rudell Road. For the question, "What have you done to prepare yourself for a seat on council?" Brown answered that while he did not have a long history of business experience, because "I'm not that old," he said he did know what the youth want. He did say he would bring his journalistic integrity to the job. Durham CLEAR, a Durham Region environmental group, sent questionnaires to all of the Region's candidates in mid-August, on a wide range of environmental issues. Ward 4 candidates have a poor showing on this survey, since the incinerator is the largest issue of this election, according to a member of the organization, and he wanted to know why. Brown said he was undecided on a number of issues when he filled out the survey, but since then he has done some research and he is now in favour of incineration. On the question of what candidates will do to assist small business in Ward 4, Brown stated, "I want to set up a liaison group so small business can go and talk to them." To attract business to the area, Brown said the red tape at town hall has to stop, and start-up businesses should get tax breaks. The question was raised regarding the proposed wind turbine farms in the Kirby area, and what candidates would do to ensure the safety of their residents. In answer to this question, Brown said he was all for the renewable energy produced by wind turbines, but health studies need to be done. "If it is okay, then let's do it," he said. An elderly gentleman from the audience asked candidates what they were going to do to keep cars from parking on the sidewalks. It is difficult to walk on the sidewalks and impossible to get by the cars with scooters or wheel chairs, the man said. "What are you going to do to clean up this mess?" he asked. Brown said cars parked on the sidewalk should be ticketed by Clarington's by-law department. On the question of how escalating public sector salaries can be controlled, Brown said, "Let's freeze wages all around." Salaries should be tied to the municipal debt, according to Brown. "When the debt goes down, the wages go up." Clarington's solicitor had concerns with the agreement the municipality was offered by the Region to host the York/Durham incinerator. Four of Clarington's seven council members voted to not hear what those concerns were. The question from the floor was, "Will you re-open the vote to hear those concerns?" To this question, Brown answered, "We learn from our mistakes." A gentleman in the audience said that a survey of his neighbourhood suggested we didn't need green bin and blue box pick-up every week, rather we should go back to garbage pickup every week, and green bin and blue box pick up every other week. Brown said he likes sorting his waste, it makes him feel good. Only with every other week garbage pick-up will we be able to reach the zero waste target, according to Brown. The last question of the night came from a member of the audience who asked the candidates, "Tell me your number one issue." Brown responded, "Taxes are too high. I will vote against any unbalanced budget that causes taxes to go up." ROBERT JACKSON Robert Jackson has lived in the Orono area all his adult life and has operated his own heating and air conditioning company for the past 20 years. On the question of how the proposed new Newcastle Fire Hall should be staffed, Jackson said provincial guidelines have to be followed, and he hoped the station would be completed as soon as possible. Jackson feels his 20-year business experience has prepared him for a council position. "I know the price of things," he said. "When I get to town hall, I know what things cost, so we won't be taken for a lot of money on the tendering process." Clarington is at the mercy of the upper tier government on the proposed incinerator issue, according to Jackson, "As long as it is done right," was his answer to the question as to why he did not respond to the Durham CLEAR survey. To encourage small business in Ward 4, Jackson said the red tape at town hall has to be cut. "Business won't even try, because they know what they are getting into," he stated. Jackson also promised to walk potential business owners by the hand through the Municipal Planning Department. On the wind turbine issue, Jackson said he is for wind turbines as long as the studies have been conducted. Setting up a permit program for future wind turbines would ensure no turbines would ever be built in Clarington, Jackson said. "Blocking sidewalks is terrible," Jackson said. "You call me, I LOCAL CANDIDATES see page 10