Finances priority for new Pelham councillors
The Town of Pelham’s debt is a ship that needs to be steered in the right direction and members of the incoming local government are hoping to take the helm once they are sworn in.
Monday’s election wiped out every member of the current council, making way for six new councillors throughout all three wards, and a new mayor.
Marianne Stewart, placed in a Ward 1 seat along with Mike Ciolfi, unseating Richard Rybiak and James Lane, said the issues on voters’ minds weren’t just wardspecific.
“We are so deeply mired in debt and we were never given a clear picture of how it became that way, where our reserve funding went,” she said Wednesday.
In September, Meridian Community Centre, a $36-million arena approved by the current council, opened to the public. Stewart said draining the municipality’s coffers to build the facility was not received well by residents, a main factor in the clean sweep.
“I think it’s total dissatisfaction of how things have been the last four years,” she said.
She said a close look at the town’s finances to determine what took place during the past term is in order.
“We need to find that out then work on a strategy to eliminate some of the debt,” she said. “We need to figure out a way to pay for it without killing everybody on their tax bills.”
One of six councillors-elect with no experience in public office, Stewart said there will be a learning curve and expects advice from staff and other experienced people in the community will be an asset.
“It’s a matter of all of us working together, finding our common goal, what our biggest thing is for all of us, and how to start working through the process.”
Stewart is a former member of the Fenwick Lioness Club and has also served more than 20 years with Friends of the Maple Acre Library.
Ward 2 councillor-elect John Wink said people were “looking for answers” when they voted Monday.
“There’s a perception out there that there hasn’t been a lot of openness and transparency with the current council,” he said.
Learning the ropes of municipal policy and procedure will be a “very big challenge,” something he referred to as “baptism by fire.”
“We’ll have a very short period of time to be effective,” Wink said.
Bob Hildebrandt, elected in Ward 3 with Lisa Haun, defeating incumbents Peter Papp and John Durley, said specific issues in the part of the town he will represent were at the forefront of his campaign — odours from cannabis production facilities, short-term rental properties — as well as the municipality’s financial situation.
“We have to open the books to the public and establish where we are and come up with a five- or 10-year plan,” said the retired engineer.
Hildebrandt said he doesn’t feel a group of rookie councillors, under the leadership of former councillor Marvin Junkin as mayor, will be a challenge.
“We have a friendship already and we have talked about the issues,” he said, noting a common goal of improving communication between council and local taxpayers should be a major concern right out of the gate.
“Until we solve that problem with the town and the people, nothing else will be solved,” he said.
Catherine King was not re-elected to her Ward 2 seat and the other new representative for that part of town will be Ron Kore. Gary Accursi also served as a Ward 2 councillor, but was defeated in the mayoral race.
Junkin resigned from council last November over concerns with how the local government was functioning. He did not return calls from the Tribune for this story.
Chief administrative officer Darren Ottaway has also not returned calls since Tuesday.