WHTrBY FflEE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1988, PAGE 15 MPP-A-llan F urlong: one year after an election win By Mike Johnston > t was a -littie more than a year ago, -on Sept. 10, 1987, that David Peterson's Liberals swept to one, of the biggest majoity govern- ment victories ever in Ontario, winning 95 of 130 seats in the provincial election. One of the Liberal victors that da was Oshawa lawyer Allan Frong, who took the seat in the newly created riding of Durham Centre. A year later, Furlong, 46, no longer classifies himself as a rook- je politician. "Once my offices were in. good shape, I was in geod shape,"'says Furlong, who'recalîs he worked out of bis home and car, for .the first few weeks he was in, office. The Free Press recently went te 'Queens Park te get a flrsthand look at -a day in Furlong's rôle as MPP for Durhami Centre. His Queen's Park office is lo- cated in the Whitney Block, aà group cf offices located at the corner cf Wellsley and University Ave. across frem Queen's Park. It was net until the end of Oc- teber that Furlong had bis Que- en's Park office in the block, formerly used by the Conserv- ative government. 1Furlong admits bis flrst couple of months were a learning exper- ience, net enly fer hlm, but fer bis staff. "ETven getting furniture teek time,' says Furleng who, when he weuld flrst appreach civil ser- vants., weuld be identified with either Durhami West or Durham East. "This was a brand new riding te them but they ahl know where it is now,.' says F'urbong, whose day usually starts the night be- fore, reading briefs. IBriefs are almest a way of life for many pliticians, says Fur- long. They receive a brief, frem their staff on a certain meeting or tepic before they attend most functiens; they receive briefs froni ministers on certain decisions; they must read briefs befere at- tending mest meetings; and they are briefed on any problems or concerns at their censtituency of- fice. Furlong and his executive as- sistant Judi Longfield usually leave Whitby' for Toronto at 8 a.m., either in one, car or in separate cars if one has te be left *at the Pickering GO station'in case of a late night for either cf them. "Even_ travelling' is productive finie,"says 'L.ongfieldJ, who has .mastered the drive inte Toronto and knows which roads -te take when Hwy 401 is busy and which reads will be empty at certain tumes. "Allan has a phone in his car,. and he is able te return many calîs on the drive either inte or outofT'oronte." Furlong, teday (Wednesday, Sept. 14) is sitting on the select committee fer educatien during the legislature's summer break. The cemmittee is in the middle of hearings en the cencerns and expectations of Ontario's educa- tien systeni. .Unlike the legilature which begins sitting at 1:30 p.m. and ends about 5:30 p.m., (except for Thursdays when the legislature begins sitting at 10:30 a.m.) cern- mittees sit mornings and after- noons, five days a week. "t is actually easier around here when the house sits because you can get work done in the mornings," says Lengfleld. t is now 12:30 p.m. and the committee is just wrapping up its morning session, half an heur late. The committee.has heard con- cerns and crîticisms of the edu- cation system frem beth teachers and interested parties. ONE 0F the many duties of Liberal MPP Allan Furlong is attending events within the Durham Centre riding. Here he looks on as Lia Meraw, 5, a native Korean, places a torch ini a holder at the Whitby General Hospital. Contmuing care patients on the second floor of the hospital heard from Furlong and regional councillor Tom Edwards about the five Whitby residents attending the Olympics. Each group must present a brief te the committee befere ad- dressing the niembers, and each niember is expected te have read the brief the niorning, or night, befere the meeting. The committeé will resume sit. ting at 2 p.m. and Furlong now makes his way thorugh the hobby of Queen's Park and across te bhis effice where Longfleld has wait- ing a sandwich, diet cela and banana.' Queen's Park has a dining room, but Furlong says hie has enhy had finie te eat there five tumes since he was elected te, of- fice. Lunch tinie begins with the return of phone caîls, folowed by the scheduling of appointments. Furhong, Longfiehd,' and Mikld Miller, anether staff member, al have separate cahendars,-and ahI mark down finies and places fer the varieus engagements Furheng is being requested te' attend. The requests net only corne freai groups in Durham liegien, but aIse from gevernment mini- sters whe ask Furleng te, attend events on their behalf. Besides cheesing- a picture of his famuly for a Christmas card (he decided te let bis wife Mary cheese the picture) teday, Furleng is asked te scheduhe tume te be at bis constituency office while jug- gling time with bis family. Most of his appointments are usually made at bis dewntown Whitby office in the mernings, er Sunday nights, but lately there has been an excessive number of cahîs and requests te speak te Furlong. "This is a really strange rid- ing," says Longfiehd, whe explains that every caîl te the constituency office is logged, and each probhem or concern is compiled into a sep- arate file. "More than haîf ef the calîs are about the Workmen's Compen- sation Boardi," says Longfield, now asked te, check the number of calîs received about the lack of expansion at 'W bitby General Hospital. She reports that the effice re- ceived less than 20 phone calis on the matter with four of themn "not particularily favorable" te the hospital. In ahI, Furlong received 97 phene caîls and letters about the hospital with some of them from individual members of the Whitby Kinette Club. Longfield and Donna Lohnes, Furlong's constituency assistant, go through every piece of cor- respondence that- goes through the office every day. "Fifty per cent Donna can handie on lier own, 25 per cent I can handie and the other 25 per cent goes through Allan," says Longfield. Furlong says one of the high- lights cf his first year in office was bis selection te the education cemmittee. "If there is one area of gev- ernment I have learned more about it is education," says Fur1long, whe - - expects--- te. bave--a Te that end, he will be setting up meetings at which people from different polIs in Durham Centre will be invited te attend te express tt'eir opinions. Besides bis, twe -offices, the Province has aIse rented an a- partment for Furbong in Toronto. "Lt was a choice between hotels and an apartment and I chose the apartment because I can easily go te it when I have te prepare for somethinig," says Furlong, who receives almeet $40,000 a year plus an adcitional $13,200 tax free for his duties. But Longfield notes that before being an MPP, Furlong made substantially. more money as a lawyer. "Semetimes it would be easy te say that, when peeple cali up to say Allan is living off the public trust," says Longfield. As fer Furleng, as cf this mo- ment, he would run again for the Liberals in Durham Centre. But, he adds, "a whole hest cf things might happen" before the next election is called. AIBERAL MPP Allan Furlong looks. over briefs on his Queen's Park office desk, with executive assistant Judi Longfield (middle) and legisiative assistant Mikki Miler (left). STOP SMOKING ~j LOSE WEIGHT qi3 wit h DR. B. 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