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page 6 the stouffville sun tuesday feb 18 2003 a weekly newspaper serving whitchurchstouffville a metroland community newspaper 34 civic avenue box 154 stouffville ontario 14a 715 905 6402612 fax 6408778 lan proudfoot regional publisher steve kane advertising manager jlm mason managing editor susan berry cherryl steer sales reps pam nichols production manager subscriptions canada 32year indudes gst elsewhere 8025 year indudes gst reg no 05852 paia email editorslouffvillesuncom 1999 blue ribbon 1 editorial poucy opinions expressed by columnists contributors and letter writers are not necessarily those of the sbuftifesun letters notto exceed 400 words must induce name and phone number phone number wfll not be published requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there is a compelling reason to do so errors wio be corrected if brought to the editors attention we reserve the right to edit or refuse publication of any material submitted advertising policy publisher is not liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement the publisher is not liable for other errors or omissions in any subsequent issue or the refund or any monies paid for the advertisement all claims of error must be mode by friday prior to the next weeks publication no daim will be allowed for more than one insertion h editorial our next mayor its the talk of donut shops and dinner tables across whitchurchstouffville or at least it should be with less than 50 per cent of people eligible voting in local elections one wonders how many people are talking about the next mayor of whitchurchstouffville the only thing thats for certain is that it wont be current mayor wayne emmerson he announced earlier this month he wont seek a fourth term as mayor in the nov 10 election who do you want as the next mayor of whitchurch- stouffville better yet what qualities should the next mayor bring to the council table heres what wed like to see in the next mayor municipal government experience there a lot of qualified leaders in this community but how many know how local council works its a must there is a lot to learn about the municipal act and local responsibilities you can walk into a councillors chair without experience but not the mayors office we believe here are some items that should be on the mayors resume the ability to solve problems whitchurchstouffvilles population will boom in the next 20 years with change will come conflict we need someone to show strong leadership and help residents through some stressful times business experience run the town like a business taxpayers often say wed like to see someone with a solid background in private business combined with government experience lead this town the job of mayor also includes the title of chief executive officer the ability to attract new business to our town some of the thousands of people moving here should be able to work in their new home town we need new industry who is running anyway names abound when the rumours become fact this could turn into a most fascinating election o lash back m toronto daily stab friday october 21 393 j imi i bmg aaa aai i m lojoper- aroent of foster ouiw oitf msra dmontruon t ft bx cattiefflttftthr e4t th homo of kobctcw klbjru a fu4 tojptotwt ynurday afternoon tfce s4t m a plow kju stouffvilles jim rae was 11 years old when his photo appeared in the oct 21 1932 toronto star he was the youngest competitor in the north york plowing competition held in stouffville mr rae was later a town councillor in whitchurchstouffville toronto star files see how grandpa cleans his plate when i was little we always ate everything on our plate stouffville sum b letters to the editot new subdivisions plans still built around cars to the editor on thursday at 645 pm the town of whitchurchstouffville is holding a public information session to review and discuss the planned mauro subdivision on the ninth line north of bramble crescent in the past the town has been criticized for not presenting the information openly or fully to the people for instance why they do not see fit to put the subdivision plans in the newspaper so that all residents can see what is being proposed not just the people within 130 metres of the property this is not a formal presentation or a question and answer session however it is up to you the public to ask those questions and demand those answers because at a subsequent council meeting councillors will just be approving everything saying they have allowed for adequate public input what is evident from these new plans is a total reliance on the car with no small parkettes or bicycle paths allowing fdr alternate forms of transportation dont they get it southern ontario is one of the most polluted and congested areas on the continent i think its time that the developers and planners got out of their cars and started walking and bicycling i think its time that young mothers and children were a part of the planning boards of this town if we are building for the future here then it has to be suitable for those people most involved our children why is it so difficult for these planners and the developers to want to do something decent for this community why is it that the planners ar not taught that the structure of a community has considerable effect on the social and psychological makeup of it crime is preventable at the street design level congestion and gridlock are a product of the design and can be prevented the sole purpose of these subdivisions is to house the people and their cars for community they have to go elsewhere the essence of a small town is that community spirit which is more open and giving and understanding because people have a chance to meet and know their neighbours small parkettes allow this not everybody is willing to invite a complete stranger over to their house however they would have an opportunity to meet them and know them socialize with them and have their kids play with their kids in small parkettes these should be an essential part of every block are the planners only trained to think in straight lines people want to get out of their cars especially at these gas prices these people work for you dont let them forget it tell them what you need randy mole stouffville join the discussion at stouffvillesuncom your opinion is important to us in both letters to the editor and discussion groups on our web site stouffvillesuncom join an online discussion on issues that affect your town come back often for others feedback and more discussion on a variety of topics at stouffvillesuncom click on the stouffville link and read current and archived stouffville news hit opinion to read your favourite local columnists jim mason and jim thomas and please feel free to email editorstouffvillesuncom with your thoughts