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6 economist suntribune saturday july 20 2002 s stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave stouffville ont l4a 7z5 opinion publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief debora kelly director of advertising debra weller editor jim mason production manager pam nichols distribution manager barry black electronic communications manager john futhey classified manager ann campbell retail sales manager stephen mathieu inside sales manager staceyallen business manager robert lazurko office manager vivian oneil letters councillor took stand by walking out of meeting re politicans not paid to walk out on meetings a column by joan ransberry july 4 there is a first time for everything this i will agree with ms ransberry accused of abandoning my position as witnessed by a standingroomonly crowd of dismayed and bewildered wwtchvjrchstouffville tax payers yes i did indeed walk out to speak out against the bad government as the bells on parliament hill have rung as members of the opposition have filed out in protest against wrongdoings i too filed out of the meeting in protest but i did not abandon my position representing the public and demanding as those in attendance did a fair and hon est assessment of the proposals for the old town hall in stouffville the historic civic avenue landmark yes i will admit to doing that demanding the democratic process be followed as is the right to be heard i made the strongest statement i could and one i hoped would draw attention to the issue as an elected official it is my responsibil ity to listen to the constituents and to repre sent the opinions and needs of the commu nity and taxpayers i heard the public outcries proclaiming its fixed it was predetermined they have sold our heritage they have sold our land mark i felt their dismay conveyed by the crowd ed public meeting and agreed fullheartedly the old town hall should remain the peoples jewel of the downtown core so i acted in the best interest of my constituents by making a strong stand i agree with ms ransberry a public meet ing is the start of a long process this process includes another public meeting to review once again the subdivision plans before going to counl for any decision what i do not agree with is every once in a while the politician is expected to close the mouth over the past five years as council lor ofward 6 with 100percent attendance i have bitten my tongue on many occasions i felt i needed to let the public know i am sympathetic to and believe in the rights of the peoples voices being heard unlike ms ransberry i do not believe politicians should remain quiet and be sim ply refreshing a politician is elected by the people to be their voice and when the people are proper ly represented that i find truly refreshing a quiet politician is an ineffective politician and is in the wrong business fighting for your beliefs is a noisy busi ness at times it is unfortunately unpleas ant but also very necessary to ensure the democratic process is followed if ms ransberry after her illustrious career of political reporting has failed to note this may i suggest perhaps a retirement rocking chair is in order there she can write her memories and use as much creative writing as she would like councillor sue sherban ward 6 town of whitchurchstouffville laws in place for people who dont respect needs of others re no law can force me to be considerate to other drivers letter to the editor by eric a wolf july 13 mr wolfs letter certainly proves why we have to have laws it is because people like him do not have enough respect for their fel low humans to extend common courtesy the parents with children parking spots were extended as a courtesy to people with small children still in carriages just as hand icap spots were first extended as a courtesy to those in need unfortunately people like mr wolf were not considerate enough to honour the desig nated handicap spots and a law had to be passed requiring permits to be issued for use of these spots passing such laws requires a bureaucracy policing and the courts to manage the per mit system ironically this is paid for in part by mr wolfs taxes all of this just because of the lack of courtesy our children were just beyond the car riage age when the courtesy spots first appeared but there were certainly times when they would have been appreciated mr wolfs god apparently is not the same one that created the golden rule thank goodness mr wolf has apparently chosen not to be a parent tomfarrar box grove people who decide to have kids shouldnt ask for special laws re no law can force me to be considerate to other drivers letter to the editor by eric a wolf july 13 i found mr wolfs expression of disdain for unofficially allotted parking spots refreshing i have had three children and never once expected nor did i ever get spe cial treatment because of this fact i thought as a responsible citizen and mother i should look after my children as best i could without thinking or expecting society to pay for my decision to have them it is true carting around a stroller diaper bag etc was no fun but again i did not ask for nor did i get any help from anyone i think it is about time we took responsibility for our own decisions for those who criticized mr wolf stop whining whether we have to cart around children big purchases or like some people humongous purses it was ones own choice to do so the next time a mother with a stroller doesnt think to move it out of the middle of an aisle or sidewalk and runs into me because she thinks she has more rights than i do i will secretly cheer there are people like mr wolf who believe discrimination based on whether or not you have children is unfair kridgley markham valuable school program should be repeated in york region i heard on the news teachers at a public school in stratford are promoting our coun trys history they are starting in the lower grades and it is surprising what these youngsters answer to their questions these are six and seven-year- olds the early citizens and statesmen who laid down the foundation for this wonderful coun try should be remembered along with the cit izens of today who are making such great strides in all areas these children even know who was the first canadian in space i hope other schools take up the challenge mball markham we dont need to encourage impolite behaviour in york region re no law can force me to be considerate to other drivers letter to the editor by eric a wolf july 13 although this was a clever and humourous letter unfortunately the writer told us a bit too much about himself i dont think we need to encourage dis courteous and impolite people in york region we seem to have reached and surpassed our quota perhaps if mr wolf were to strap on a six- monthold squirming little bundle of joy and try to juggle a stroller diaper bag purse or wallet car keys cell phone and various other paraphernalia he might have a different point of view consideration for others be they physical ly handicapped new or just visiting this part of the planet or just having one of those days would make life a lot easier for everyone now my big beef is people deciding to make a right turn when they are in the left- turn lane or even better creating their own lanes to suit their purpose why cant you take that shiny new bmw mercedesjaguarrange roverwhatever and drive a little further to the next available legal turning lane and do it properly and while youre at it signal properly and get off the cell phone york region traffic is congested enough thats a whole other letter without us jam ming it up even further by disobeying parking speed limit traffic signal and various other laws and bylaws the rules are for everyone ann jung unionville letters policy stouffville itibune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the newspaper reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 9 heritage rd markham ont l3p 1m3 fcwlteftfs4esonucorr- v stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 hth1 dde canadian circulations i audit board member ontario press council canadian publications mail product sales agreement 1403419 subscription rates by mail 1 year 6955 fthursdays only how to get in touch with us telephone 9056402612 fax 9052941538 email newsroomeconsuncom distribution 9052948244 distributioneconsuncom classified advertising 8532527 18007433353 9 heritage road markham l3p 1m3 stouffville tribune published every thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ltd group of newspapers which includes the ajaxpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burlington shopping news burlington post city parent collingwoodwasaga connection east york mirror erin advocatecountry routes 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