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Sjoerd Witteveen has wit- nessed two monumental changes in his lifetime. Tfie first: the transformation of Markham from a rural town to a more sophisticated city. The secohd: the digitizhtion of photography. Wmeveen retired last week after 37 years of work as a pho- tographer for the Markham Economist Sun and its sister papers. including the Stouflvflle Sun-Tfibune. Witteveen came to Canada in 1970 from Harlingen. the Netherlands and began study- ing journalism at Ryerson Poly- technical Institute. where he met his wife. Averill Maroun. He began working at the Markham Economist 8: Sun in 1977. Back then. Markham was a small. rural place) he said. “Most of the land was agri- cultural. Hwy. 7 was a two-lane road. There were a lot of gravel roads at the time.” Wltteveen began his ioumal- ism cameras aa'eponer. but after three or four years. he started focusirgg onrphotography. ‘ making it walkable and bicycle-friendly. He saidMainSu'eetfi'om Hwy.48tothedown- town cone could be like that. He also'wants knowledge-based workers employed in town. He was not shy in voic- ing his opinion that Wtchurch-Stouflville should have sat down with representatives from York University earlier this year who were looking in the region for a location to construct a satellite campus. _ TERRIIlE’ IDEA Attracting knowledge-based workers can- notbsedonebybqwnsmqgcennes “That's a terrible way to fill up the employ- ment lands.” he said. A newcomer to politics. Neufeldt-Fast is seeking the mayor's chair because he cannot At th'at dine. pfiotbgi‘aphers Mayoral hopeful wants more walkable, bike-friendly town BY SIMONE IOSBPH sjosephé‘yrmgxom Change in focus during 37-year career ToseeSioetdWittmenSplmtquw. gotoyutregionxomandddnon photogalleriesonoflickr.comlphotos/ fotofrysk49/1hete’salsoavideobyukk lwanyshynoanteveen'snmmesof hiscateeratyorkmgioncom In fad. he ran the newspa- per’s darkroom. working in a white lab coat. still used darkmoms and chem- icals to process film. By the late 19905. cameras started using digital files. “It is cleaner. My clothes don't smell.” he said. “Digital is like a watershed. as far as I am concerned. Our company embraced it wholeheartedly." Witteveefi pfefers using digi- tal equipment over the equip- ment from the days of the dark- When Witteveen started the job at The Markham Economist Sun.hewaslivingin1bmnto but moved to Thomhill in 1982 and still lives there. He has enjoyed having a vari- ety of subjects to shoot. CHECK IT OUT “It’s not just sports It’s not work part-time as a professor and local coun- cillor. If he wins. he will quit his day job. For democracy to truly work. he said. everyone has to be able to have the opportu- nity to run for public oflice. But the reality is you must be independently wealthy. retired or have a second income in your household. which narrows the field of candidates Neufeldt-Fast would also like to bring back the environmental as well as an and culture committees. both of which were disbanded in 2007. NeufeldtJ-‘ast first garnered public atten- tion two years ago. when on behalf of the local Mennonite community he criticized the War of 1812 Freedom of the Town event because it “Right now. will I be able to pay the mon- gage on the mayor's pay? We'll see." he said. "No years ago. councillors tried to give themselvesapayhlkeofmoxemanwper cent. They settled on 18.65 per cent over two years The mayor received 16 per cent over The flaw. he said. was the recommen- dation came from a sitting councillor. not an independent committee, something he would like to see created. if elected. "it looked as if it was about them and it just politics. I got to take pic- tunes of everything." he said. “Sports Was always fun to do. You don't have to tell them to be themselves.” he said. However.» spdrts photog~ raphy emerged as one of his favourite aspects. Rugby is one of his favourites â€" “You can see their faces and shoot without helmets.” He also enjoyed taking pho- tos of Pope John Paul [I when he toured Canada in 1984. thowdoeshewamtobe remembered as a photographer and employee? “As a person who loved to take pictures and worked hard to take great shots for any kind of assignments, not just the great ones.” At a retirement party held in Unionville. Regional Councillor Gordon Landon presented Wir- teveen with a plaque signed by Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti to congratulafe Wittgveen. His very first editor â€" Sun- 'Iribune columnist lim Thomas â€" attended the party. along with many fellow photographers. reporters and editors. wanting to show their respect and admi- ration. Neufeldt-Fast first garnered public atten- tion two years ago. when on behalfofthe local Mennonite community he criticized the War of 1812 Freedom of the Town event because it did “not reflect a historically accurate picture" of Stoufiville. lie has since gone on to be one of the library's biggest advocates and has recently called out local businesses and government for not installing bike racks and lanes 'Ihe married‘father of one. does much of his adwcating for policy change on "Miner. He has 6.634 tweets and 710 followem He learned about the capability of social media during 20l0's Arab Spring. a wave of demonstrations. riots and civil wars. Its power. he said. is its ability to get timely Photographer Sjoerd Wittcveen is hanging up his camera with well-wom lens to retire after 37 yea: as a photojournalist. But snapping shots for personal pleasure likely won't feel the same as shooting photos for seven community newspapers and the yorkregioncom Witteveen is certain he will contin- ue taking photos even after he retires. information out there. something the munici- pality failed to do during last December‘s ice storm. He also uses it to test out ideas» But when it comes to its influence for this election. "I don't think in the end it will make a big diflelence". Other candidates officially running for ofice are: Ken Ferdinands (Ward 1); Maurice Smith (Ward 2); llugoT. Kroon (Ward 3); Rene de Holly Fullager. James Peter Liams and lim Priebe (Ward 4); Michael Humphreys. lain Lovatt and Tbm Vthers (Ward 5); Rob Halgrave, loanne laimuzzi. Senthuran Pam- masamy (Ward 6). Fullager and Liams registered this week. The election takes place Oct. 27. For more information. go to www.townof~ wsca/ elections website. he admitted. “I liked interacting with people and seeing the pictures afterwards. You always get this jolt of joy in the process I still get that when I see my pictures in print or on the screen.” BIG 0N mm SYAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE With filesfmm Iim Mason