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jccf z mmrtfcmi99i v j j i jr vr 0jfj st comment email address thetribistarca comments at party meeting unfortunate comments made from the floor reform party under a at last weeks reform party meet- spotlight with our cover ing in vandorf have stirred up a age of the meeting we hornets nest of controversy much of the backlash from the reporting of this meeting has been directed at this newspaper it must be reiterated that we pride ourselves on fair and accurate reporting we know that the reform party does not stand for racist points of view a brush the party has been tarred with since its nationaliza tion we also realize that the com ments called out from the floor are not the platform of the reform candidate there is a fringe element in every political party people with singular agendas intermingled with those of the mainstream under the heat of a fervent cam paign rally not understanding the medias role or from sheer igno rance statements are often made that should not be said sensitive issues are often highlighted in the glaring light of misconception and innuendo the tribune was not putting the what transpired in van dorf it is obvious that comments like those were in fact taken com- made are not indicative of pletely by surprise by rightminded individuals and we must be certain to judge our candidates on what they offer not what someone in their crowd shouts out stouffville tribune 6244 main st stouffville ont l4a1e2 905 6402100 905 6492292 classified 905 6402874 fax 905 6405477 publisher patricia pappas general managereditor andrew mair editorinchief jo ann stevenson director of advertising debra weller retail manager mike rogerson classified manager stacey allen distribution manager barry j goodyear administration vivian oneil operations mgr pamela nichols questions news andrew mair editor joan ransberry kathleen griffin mike adler reporters sjoerd witteveen steve somerville photographers julie caspersen copy editor retail advertising joan marshman catherine dunkeld classified bonnie rondeau real estate joan marshman distribution arlene maddock reception ruth le blanc the stouflvihe tribune published every wednesday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publish ing and distribution group of community newspapers which includes ajaxpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance brampton guardian burlington post cityparent collingwoodvwasaga con nection east york mirror etobicoke guardian george town independentacton free press kingston this week lindsay this week midlandpenetanguishene mirror markham economist and sun milton canadian champi on mississauga news newmarketaurora erabanner northumberland news north york mirror oakville beaver orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hilbthomhillvaughan liberal scarborough mirror todays seniors uxbridge tribune contents cannot be reprinted without written permission from the publisher 0lj after six years moving on to new challenges for six years i have been fill ing this space with my ram- blings and you the faithful reader have never once com plained for that i am grateful but now i have a confession to make the photograph that appeared in this space with my name under it was in fact another person well it was me but a very long time ago i havent actually looked like that photograph since 1988 a person can change a lot in nine years especially faced with the rigors and stresses of a small town newspaper so i am confessing now that the photo above and to the right is in fact me its not a great picture of me i think i have more hair than is shown but you know the camera you gain 10 pounds and lose a whole pile of hair people meet me at the office or on the street and kindly say they enjoy this column but never would have suspected that it was me who was writing it based on my old photo i dont blame them my apologies for the ruse but it was unintentional meted out purely on my own personal van ities i had not been able to accept the loss of my hair and the aging of my face until now i am able to accept them now because i have a new job one that is often accompanied by hairlessness and a few extra wrinkles yes i am leaving you but before you strike up the band i should tell you that im minute with mair an d re w mair not straying far i have been appointed editorinchief of the metroland division that includes the tribune following the retirement of jo ann stevenson i will be around but in time there will likely be someone else contributing to this space perhaps minute with mair will appear else where because im not going that far just to markham and because i will be maintaining my contacts in town i wont make this a goodbye piece as editor and general manager of the tribune it has been my pleasure to work with some really terrific people i am very happy to be able to continue to work and meet with the people who have made my job here so dehghtful a person could not ask for a better staff than the one i have had the privilege of working with for the past six years per sonalities come and go but once a tribe member always a tribe member i am truly fortu nate to be able to keep a hand in at the tribune when a new position is undertaken it is usually in another community with new people as i said i will still be around just in a dif ferent capacity i will also have the added challenge of looking after our sister paper in markham the economist sun it is a fine venerable pub lication and i am honored to have chosen for the position the job is new the photo is new but i hope you will contin ue to call and write with your thoughts and comments thanks for your support time to recognize a classy lady barb murphy for those hovering on the brink of fame the following for mula will help you figure where obscurity ends and celebrity begins you know youre edging towards eminence when you phone someone to arrange an interview and they dont ask you to spell your last name three times people stop you in the cereal aisle and ask what t means a stranger accosts you at the bank and inquires whether mr wallethead has another name barb murphy calls and begs you to submit your deathless drawing for the next celebrity doodle auction true fame alas is contingent upon only one of the above cri teria which accounts for why it stubbornly continues to elude me three years on and not once have i received the call even though i consider barb a good friend apparently im just not in the same league as john travolta robert bateman and keifer sutherland hard to believe i know but there it is of course i could demand to be included purely on the grounds of artistic merit but even i am not that dim wit- ted as a perennial loser at junior pictionary my acumen in the art department could charitably be described as prim itive if not pathetic the unvar nished truth is my work is not so much abstract as appalling despite the fact that i have consistently been overlooked as a potential contributor the celebrity auction is one of the highlights of my sparkling social calendar it is also a trib ute to the vision hard work and enormous energy of its instiga tor whose ability to motivate others without being irritating is awesome join her for j cup of coffee and before you know it youve signed on the dotted line marked volunteer while i stu diously avoid most committees kates corner kat e a i i d e rd ale make an exception in barbs case she is after all unfailing ly forgiving of my organization al shortcomings it doesnt hurt that shes of the now where did i put that list ilk either but most of all shes a pleasure to work with because of her marvellous sense of humor and endearing dispo sition and her enthusiasm for everything she takes on is immensely infectious who else would envision a starstudded evening at an ex- supermarket and be willing to approach everyone from pop stars to prime ministers in her search for the definitive doodle who else would charm cajole and wheedle donations and sponsorships from stouffville uxbridge and wherever else she could get her foot in the door and still leave donors smiling although she may never speak to me again after this col umn is published i hope shell get my priceless prose matted and framed my unwavering resolve to get an original kate gilderdale into the celebrity doodle auction of 1998 knows no bounds and maybe this will finally do the trick as i look back on this years auction the third in a series of one this will be a oneoff event barb murphy april 1995 i think its time to recognize the dedication and determination of a very classy lady along with all the volun teers doodlers donors and sponsors who made the 1997 celebrity doodle auction an outstanding success dont tell me let me guess barb my doodle cards are in the mail i