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The municipal race begins
?Not surprising, we suppose, but disappointing that so few candidates have stepped forward in the early days of the 2010 municipal election (see page 1). We realize there are still more than 40 weeks to go in the campaign, but when even the incumbents are by-and-large unwilling to commit themselves at this stage, it doesn’t exactly encourage the rest of the field to enter the fray.
Although only one man has thus far filed papers - incumbent mayor Bob Shepherd, who wants to continmue to pursue his vision for the Township - we know of three others who will definitely be in the running, although we don’t at this stage know for what position. The key man here is Howie Herrema, who will be seeking either the mayor’s chair or re-election as regional councillor. Sources tell us he’s made up his mind, but won’t reveal his decision until after the 2010 budget is finalized. The stickler has been the family farm near Leaskdale, and whether Mr. Herrema is prepared to spend even more time away from it than he does now. A very difficult decision.
Meanwhile, immediate past mayor Gerri Lynn O’Connor is ending her one-term retirement (or hoping to). She’ll be contesting whichever post Mr. Herrema doesn’t, which has to concern both Mr. Shepherd, who’ll be facing a tough fight against either Herrema or O’Connor, and Jack Ballinger who, if he decides to run for the Region, will be facing whichever of the two Shepherd doesn’t.
Mr. Ballinger, of course, also has the option of running again in Ward 4, which he won easily in 2006. But his continuing presidency of the Legion makes him a high profile and popular poltician, and he probably has his sights set higher than Ward 4. Ultimately, he may want to pursue the mayor’s chair, which his brother Bill held in the distant pre-O’Connor past.
As for the rest of the incumbents, it’s difficult to understand their reticence. Bev Northeast in Ward 1 and Pat Mikuse in Ward 3 have been particularly high profile for their community involvement. Mikuse has obviously enjoyed her leadership role, and we’d be very surprised if she didn’t run again. Perhaps Northeast is weary of fighting against the mayor, but she’s a model of how to represent your ward, and the ward would miss her.
The other incumbents, Ted Eng in Ward 2 and Gord Highet in Ward 5, have received considerably less press. But Mr. Eng took so many tries to get there, we don’t see him calling it quits after just one term. Mr. Highet has expressed dissatisfaction with the process at times, and may have the found the Township puts too many demands on his day-time real estate job. But both have reason to be pleased with their work in their first terms.
In 2006, it took achingly long for a lot of the candidates to come forward. With only a few weeks to go, the entire field amounted to no more than a dozen. In the end, however, the voters had some excellent choices in almost every position.
Let’s hope, however, that the choices emerge sooner this time, giving all of us more time to ask them the right questions. For that to happen, the incumbents need to get off the fence in the very near future.
