October 2010 - The Bulletin Magazine

KATHARINE PARSONS: seeking position of Councillor of East Gwillimbury
YES
Over the past three years I have issues that led me to communications with the council
members. Two which affected most of the residents (For example: the Mount Albert
water bottling plant on the Moraine and the peaker plant sites in the town).
When a resident has a problem and wants to find the councillor who is “responsible” for
their area, the answer is to contact all the councillors and mayor and hope for the best:
“Catch-as-Catch-Can.”
I tallied all of the phone calls and emails that I sent to them over the past three years.
Results:
When all council members were contacted, 56% of the time, the response rate was 0%.
The average response rate when all council members were contacted was 18%. This means that more than half
of my communications went unacknowledged and a resident can hope for an answer less than 2 out of 10 times.
However, when I contacted a specific councillor, the overall response improved to 1 out of 3 (33%). This is still
low. In half of the attempted contacts, the response was 0%.
Does this mean that a ward system would improve the sense of accountability on Town Council? Perhaps. But
remember, in around half the communications – to either the whole council or to individual ones – the response
rate was 0%.
Why? I attended the consultant’s workshop on the ward system, and Dr. Williams had excellent pros and cons
(I posted it on my web site at www.katharinevotes4you.ca under the DOWNLOADS tab). Other small
municipalities have ward systems. Four out of 5 council members live in Holland Landing and one lives in Mt.
Albert. Does this lead to the subdivision councillors being uncaring about the more than half of the Town that
JOHN HAYES FOR EAST GWILLIMBURY COUNCILLOR
I am John Hayes and I am here to ask for your support in the upcoming municipal election. I intend to be very specific about my
stance on the following issues.
I believe in property rights. When you have to pay the mortgage, pay the upkeep, pay the taxes, then you should have a say in what
others want to do with your land.
I support improving the quality of water in our communities and its delivery. You shouldn’t have to stop all other water uses just
to have a shower.
I support small business – cut the red tape and speed up the approval process – How could Lowes (big business) get their approvals
in seven months whereas the farmers market approvals took three years?
I believe council meetings should be held during the evening so the public doesn’t have to take time off work to keep up with
municipal affairs.
I remain a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility and promise you that I will aggressively look
after your tax dollar.
I support traffic calming in our residential streets – lets make it safe for our children to venture
out of their homes.
I support being proactive on the environment. Just thinking green is no longer enough. We must
walk the walk not just talk the talk – We have to minimize the impact of the tens of thousands of
new residents that have been slated for East Gwillimbury.
If any of this strikes a chord with you – please give me your vote. In exchange I give you my word
that I will keep you informed over the next four years as to exactly what is going on and how it
may impact you. I will do this in plain simple language through a column in The Bulletin.
You can email us at johnhayes.councillor@gmail.com or drop in at Blackwater Golf Course –
21889 Highway #48, Mount Albert, Ontario, L0G 1M0. Please visit my web site
www.johnhayescouncillor.com to view my full political platform. Let’s work together…
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