Your Candidates - Lanark Highlands Township

Jeff Green | Oct 14, 2010

Ward 6

BRIAN STEWART

Brian Stewart has served one term as councillor from ward 6.

In seeking re-election, he pointed out that taxes have gone up by 30% over the four years he has been on council, and that spending in the area of governance and administration has increased by over 35%.

“I am proud to report that I have not supported the adoption of the budget over the last 3 years and I believe that taxes have reached an intolerable level. I would like to see council operate in a more fiscally responsible and positive manner”, he said.

Brian Stewart grew up on Dalhousie Lake and has been in the area for over 35 years.

He has identified five priorities for the new council.

The first is taxes, which are too high in his view. The second is contract negotiations with the new union.

“We need to ensure that the needs of our valuable employees are balanced with the ability of the township to support it,” he said.

The third is water and sewer for Lanark Village.

He said that funding for the project is not available at this time and council must find an affordable solution.

Fourth is planning and building. The Official Plan has been approved and reviewing the accompanying comprehensive zoning bylaw “is extremely important to the economic development and viability of our township and will be one of my highest priorities,” he said.

Finally, he said he would be proposing “an immediate change” to the procedural bylaw that was recently adopted by council, which gives senior staff at the township the authority to deny constituents the opportunity to appear before council.

“In my opinion,” Stewart said, “it is a complete infringement on your rights as taxpayers in Lanark Highlands.”

JOANNE WHEELER

Joanne Wheeler lived in Toronto until she moved to Elphin when she got married 30 years ago. Since then she has raised a family and worked as the bookkeeper for the family farming and logging operation.

Now that her kids are grown she has the time to devote to township matters, so she is running for the ward 6 seat in Lanark Highlands. “There are a lot of challenges ahead for the new council. Generally the people in our ward would like to see the sewer and water issue in Lanark resolved one way or another. The unionization of township workers will also be a large issue, and of coarse, finding a reasonable balance between services and spending. I think our taxpayers want to see value for their tax dollars.”

Among other local issues in ward 6, Joanne Wheeler mentioned the re-use center. She said, “I am supportive of the re-use centre we have at the McDonalds Corners waste site. Run by volunteers, it keeps a lot of previously loved, reusable stuff out of the waste site.”

In closing she said, “Taxpayers expect a council to function well together, bring new ideas to the table, and respect the opinions of others, and if I'm elected, I feel I can do all that.”