Pelham mayoral candidates debate issues
Each of Pelham’s three mayoral candidates has a different take on the most important issue facing the community.
On Tuesday night, more than 200 people attended a debate between the trio, hosted by Rotary Club of Fonthill at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 on Highway 20.
Running to become the next head of council are Gary Accursi, Carla Baxter and Marvin Junkin.
Accursi, councillor for Ward 2 since 2010, said management of growth in town is the most pressing local matter, when responding to one of three questions provided to candidates ahead of the showdown.
He said concerns have been raised by residents about the “changing face” of the town and that it’s vital to “preserve the small town we once knew,” he said before sharing his opinion that development is also crucial to Pelham.
“It revitalizes the community, brings in new families, new businesses and, of course, new taxes,” said Accursi.
“Communities that do not grow inevitably disappear,” added the candidate, also saying residential expansion does create its challenges, such as increased traffic, the need for more municipal services, and new disruptive economies like Airbnb.
He told the crowd he wants to hear from them and their neighbours about how Pelham should grow.
“The process begins with citizen engagement, open public meetings, community design meetings,” said Accursi.
Baxter, a first-time political candidate, local business owner and former Canada Border Services Agency guard in British Columbia, said the financial situation of the municipality is what she is paying the closest attention to, citing debt taken on to build the recently opened $36-million Meridian Community Centre as an example.
“The taxpayers feel the town’s spending is out of control,” she said.
“They feel there has been not enough transparency in regard to expenses, as well as the transactions related to the development of the arena,” added Baxter in response to a question about the single-biggest issue that should be on voters’ minds next month.
She said the current council “lost sight” of what was a “worthwhile project” at first when plans were to consolidate other municipal services as part of the build, saying the local government used “big city ideas with a small-town budget” when moving forward with the complex.
She also said the total payroll at town hall climbing to more than $8 million last year from $6 million in 2013 should be a concern.
Junkin, a former councillor who resigned from his post last November over concerns of ethics and honesty on council, said public trust is the key issue that needs work in Pelham.
The municipality’s finances, as well as a “debacle” he said occurred last weekend over ticket prices for an NHL alumni game held during the community centre’s grand opening, are two matters he mentioned.
“We need to know what’s wrong and how we can stop things like this from happening again.”
Admission fees were part of the plan ahead of the game, but on Friday afternoon, the Town of Pelham announced it would not be charging people to attend.
As a town with 6,800 households, he feels council needs to be more upfront with its residents.
“Governments need to be what you see is what you get,” he said during the debate.
He said there needs to be fewer “schemes” and decisions made behind closed doors, and that the town needs to take steps in “engaging residents in meaningful, full discussions.”
Another issue that filled the room at Tuesday’s dialogue was legal cannabis-growing operations and how they should be handled, as there are currently five federally-licensed facilities within Pelham.
Baxter said the town should adopt a bylaw similar to one recently approved by Niagara-onthe-Lake council, putting a stop to any new facilities wanting to set up in the community.
She also said the issue of guidelines related to “pollution” from growing operations needs to be addressed with upper levels of government.
Next year, the province will allow private businesses to sell cannabis, something Baxter said would not be welcome in Pelham if she is elected mayor.
“I believe, as a town, and from what I’m hearing, that we should opt out of having a retail marijuana store here in our municipality,” she said.
Junkin said he wanted to “apologize” to constituents for how quickly the local cannabis industry rolled out, as it was at the forefront while he was still a member of council.
“I believe, as a council, we were not prepared for this industry coming to this area in the droves that it’s coming in,” he said.
Accursi said legal cannabis industry was dropped onto municipalities with very little guidance on how to regulate facilities at the local level.
“They didn’t give us the tools to manage the grow-ops,” he said, also giving a pat on the back to Health Canada for its strict enforcement of guidelines related to the industry following several complaints to the local bylaw department that were taken above to the federal level.
“I’m pleased to say they came in and enforced the fact that they must meet their strict standards,” he said.
Accursi said Junkin was once considering growing cannabis on his own property.
“I find it interesting that my fellow candidate at the end of the table commented that we didn’t react to the marijuana situation, given he was planning to develop a grow on his farm,” said Accursi. Junkin refuted the statement. “At no time in the past, and in no time in the foreseeable future, have I applied for a medical marijuana licence or any licence to grow marijuana,” he said.
A meet and greet event for ward candidates took place before the debate.