Last week I was talking to a friend who was giving me advice about the mayoral campaign in Huntsville. “It will be all about stewardship,” he said. “People want to know whether our political leaders practise good stewardship.” That got me thinking. Is stewardship just another buzz word, or does it really mean something?
During the time I was mayor from 2000 to 2006, we developed and implemented a Strategic Plan for Huntsville. The process included hundreds of community volunteers, wide public consultation, vigorous debate, negotiating funding, finalizing the process and then implementing it. At the end of our first term, community trust was demonstrated by the acclamation or re-election of every member of council. At the end of our second term our total municipal debt was where we said it would be, about five million dollars, and our reserves were adequate. We had delivered on most of the Strategic Plan and, as promised, very close to budget. In my view that is good stewardship.
However, when Claude Doughty was running for mayor in 2006, he said that he had never seen such poor financial management and that our council had wracked up debt that our children would be paying for over the next twenty years. He vowed to change that. He asked for your trust in reducing debt.
So how did he accomplish that when he was elected mayor? The simple answer is that he didn’t. Over the past four years he has tripled our debt to more than fifteen million dollars and he has severely reduced our reserves. Costs for the G-8 projects were way over budget. We have the highest debt of any municipality in Muskoka and our financial position, no matter how you work the shell game, is precarious. Worse, the spending goes on to this very day as if we had all the money in the world. The burden on our children has, in fact, become incredibly worse.
Stewardship is first and foremost about doing what you commit to do no matter what opportunities or challenges present themselves. I believe that I have a much better record of keeping my promises than does the current mayor and that I am prepared to demonstrate. If I am elected mayor, we will identify the full extent of our current financial situation. We will develop a five-year financial plan to stabilize our community, and we will ensure that the public is fully involved in major financial decisions that effect their future. That is good stewardship and that is my promise.
Is ‘environmental integrity’ another buzz word? I would hope not and I don’t think so. It may be a motherhood statement, but there is great truth in the maxim that there is nothing more important than protecting and preserving our environment.
If I am fortunate enough to be elected mayor in October, a strong priority will be to ensure the vigorous enforcement of our existing bylaws, most especially as they relate to zoning, clear-cutting and lake density. I have a concern that we have been lax during the past four years in pursuing sound planning policies and practices. One result of the mass exodus of senior staff from the Town is that for almost a year we have had a skeleton staff in our planning department. We need to ensure that building applications are environmentally sound and that safeguards that have been put in place to protect the environment are enforced.
The year 2011 will also bring an opportunity to review and update the Official Plan of Huntsville. This will give council and the community an opportunity to ensure that our planning policies are up to date and recognize current environmental challenges. As well, the relevant aspects of the Unity Plan need to be enshrined in a revised Official Plan.
Claude Doughty stated recently that the Unity Plan will be more significant than the Official Plan or zoning by-laws. In fact, the concepts of the Unity Plan cannot be effectively enacted or enforced unless they are part of the Official Plan. The Unity Plan, for the most part, is a very effective planning document which will benefit our community if it is given the teeth it needs to be effective. It is somewhat disingenuous of the mayor or council, however, to claim full credit for the Unity Plan. It was, in fact, the Green Plan, initiated by a volunteer environmental organization called LEAF, who developed the concept, researched the funding and brought it to council for support. Once it became apparent that this was going to fly, the project was simply highjacked and LEAF was all but left out of the process. They are, however, the unsung heroes of the Unity Plan. It reminds me of the story of ’The Little Red Hen,’ for those old enough to remember that fairy tale!
During my former term as mayor, I was co-founder of the Huntsville Lakes Council. One purpose of forming this organization was to facilitate the co-ordination of individual lake plans so they could be enforceable, without contradiction, by being included in the Official Plan. The same needs to be done for the Unity Plan.
If elected mayor, I will also encourage the University of Waterloo to utilize its Huntsville campus to include studies and research of specific Muskoka watershed issues, such as the impact of power boat wake action on shoreline erosion, and causes and remedies for algae blooms and growth in local lakes.
I would be happy to hear of any other suggestions or proposals for the improvement of our environment. After all, it is the backbone of our economy and the essence of our lifestyle.
A major plank in my platform for election as mayor is transparency, leadership and public consultation. I respectfully disagree with the author of a recent letter to the Forester, who described transparency, effectively, as a buzz word. To me it is a basic tenet of democracy, which if lacking in governance can lead to very serious consequences.
During the past four years I have been concerned about the lack of effective public input into major issues that effect Huntsville, as well as the growing concentration of power in the office of the mayor.
If elected mayor this Fall, one of my first acts will be to ask council to revise the procedural bylaw to reflect my belief in a full partnership between mayor and council. The current procedural bylaw was enacted at the beginning of the term of this council. In my view it strengthened the mayor’s control and upset the intended balance between council and the mayor. A council I lead will encourage debate, welcome new ideas and foster full participation from every council member.
I will advocate a return to the Committee of the Whole system to ensure that ALL members of council have full input into the decision-making process. This will prevent decisions being initiated, lobbied or influenced by a minority of elected officials prior to a full debate by council.
Private or in-camera sessions of council will only take place when strictly required by law. During my former term as mayor I noted a tendancy to discuss matters in private session, that while perhaps uncomfortable could have been discussed in open council. During the past four years private sessions have increased to a ridiculous level. In my view, it is time to ensure maximum public exposure to council discussions.
If elected mayor I will ensure more public involvement in Huntsville affairs through the establishment of community advisory committees. We will also establish regular webinars to allow online communication with seasonal and permanent residents throughout the year. Further, we will hold quarterly Town Hall meetings to communicate with, and hear concerns from, ratepayers.
As mayor I will work with council to provide strong and experienced policy and political oversight. I will empower professional staff to carry out their duties without micro-management or interference, and I will ensure a transparent and consultative relationship with Huntsville ratepayers.
One of the main reasons I decided to seek election as mayor once again, is that I believe poor decisions have been made during the past four years in relation to our financial future. Mayor Doughty has led a council that has racked up the highest debt in Huntsville’s entire history. He ran for office vowing to reduce debt and he has dramatically increased it. He said we should increase our reserves and he has reduced them.
Obviously, the G-8 initiatives contributed to much of this increased debt. However, no one forced this council to go into debt in tough economic times, in order to get the G-8 goodies that we now have. Huntsville did not have to bid for the G-8 conference; it was handed to us. If the federal government thought this was the best venue for the G-8, then they should have been persuaded to foot the bill for all the costs, including the legacy projects that are a tradition of all such events.
Huntsville’s current financial position is precarious and will be further stressed as we take on the operating and maintenance costs of the new G-8 infrastructure. To finance these costs, in part by increasing our debt and in effect “remortgaging” debt from previous projects that had been paid off, and decreasing our reserves, simply delays the inevitable. It camouflages the real cost to taxpayers and puts a tremendous burden on our children for the next twenty years. As a result, we will have to make some very tough choices in the coming years between levels of service and taxation.
If elected mayor, my financial plan will include:
- Initiating an immediate process to determine the full extent of Huntsville’s financial obligations, including municipal and District debt, G-8 cost overruns, and the realities of maintenance and operating costs for the G-8 projects.
- Appointing a volunteer advisory committee, consisting of Huntsville people with economic experience to work with council to develop a five-year financial plan for our community. The plan will reflect current realities, with no shell games. It will ensure the affordability and sustainability of other priorities, and will help to determine the tough choices between levels of taxation and municipal services.
- Initiating a process to explore and obtain new sources of revenue for Huntsville, including high technology industries, education and knowledge-based research institutions, and promoting Huntsville as a national and international venue.
- Working to create a true partnership between the lower tier municipalities and the District of Muskoka, whereby the majority of municipalities would have to agree to major District expenditures and debt that affect local taxpayers.
- Providing transparency on financial matters with full public consultation prior to major expenditures.
The past four years have been interesting to say the least. Now it is time to pay the piper. If elected mayor, restoring the financial health of our community will be my highest priority.
As I walk around the community I get a great deal of positive comment from people about my candidacy for mayor. The odd time, however, I hear a negative remark which is often second hand. The one I hear most often is that people don’t want an absentee mayor. Well, I would hope not! However, since the comment appears to be directed at me, I thought I should deal with it head on.
It is true that my wife Anne and I have a place in Florida. We have had one since 1997 and, therefore, during all the six years I was previously mayor. For the past four years I have been able to stay in Florida more often over the winter and I have enjoyed it. However, when I was mayor, I went back and forth at my own expense during the winter months and I was here for all necessary meetings. I was always on top of issues, and was in constant contact with the Town when I was away. There was never a single complaint that I was not fully engaged in Town matters 24/7.
If I am elected mayor again, Anne may well spend much of the winter down south. However, I will be in Huntsville in much the same manner as I was from 2000 to 2006. While I will get to Florida from time to time in the winter, it will never be at the expense of my duties as mayor. I will be present to fulfil our mandate and to meet our agenda. When I am not physically here, I will be on top of all issues, which today’s technology makes abundantly possible.
I have about twenty years hands-on experience in elected municipal politics. I am fully aware of the responsibilities that fall to a head of Council. I am equally aware of what responsibilities do not. What I will be doing if I am elected mayor is ensuring that we are running a financially sound ship, that our agenda and Council’s policies are being fulfilled, that Council is fully engaged, and that the public is involved and consulted. That is the real job of a mayor and these will be my constant priorities.
I will not be an absentee mayor. I will be an engaged mayor. I will be an activist mayor. I will be a fully committed mayor. That is my record and that is what I will continue to do.
I am not sure there is much Claude Doughty enjoys more than a good game of cat and mouse. The problem is he always like to play the cat!
It is more than two weeks since the mayor announced at the Fox Lake Cottagers’ Association AGM that he would be seeking re-election. He got great publicity for that announcement in the following week’s Forester, where he stated that for “personal” reasons he would not officially be filing until August. That seemed vaguely strange to me, because once one makes the announcement they are running the tough decisions are made. There is really nothing more that needs to be done, other than in his case walking down four offices from his own, and plunking a cheque for $200 on the clerk’s desk. What personal things needed to be attended to before he did that, I wonder.
Last week Shawn Pudsey, who was the nominated candidate for the Liberals and set to oppose MP Tony Clement in the next federal election, stepped down for health reasons. Then I remembered that Claude had mentioned twice that he had made his decision to run again only after making a trip to Ottawa. My assumption was at the time, and probably still is, that he was there seeing his PR consultants about the mayoral race. But then, in true cat-and-mouse mode, I wondered….. could the big shots at Liberal headquarters have known about Shawn’s pending announcement, and could Claude have been there talking to them?
The mayor’s loyal sidekick, Fran Coleman, is another mystery. My strong guess is that before I stepped in to mess things up, she assumed the mayor was not running again (maybe because he had said repeatedly that he wasn’t) and was giving serious thought to seeking the top job for herself. However, shortly after my announcement, the mayor told Cogeco TV that if I was in the race he might reconsider running. Then more than two weeks ago he confirmed he was in. So why, I wonder, hasn’t Fran filed to seek re-election for District Council? Is she retiring? Given her recent statement that serving the people of Huntsville is more important than seeking the federal conservative nomination in another riding, I doubt it. Maybe, just maybe, she knows something about Claude’s real plans of which the rest of us are unaware!
All of the above is said partly in jest and certainly lightheartedly. After all, it is a holiday weekend! However, it remains true that ready as I am for anyone, I still do not know with any certainty who I am running against. I am sure Claude likes it that way! Next week I am also sure more will be revealed. Will we be able to count on what we have heard? Only The Shadow knows! Stay tuned!
I’ve just had some more great pictures come in from the Campaign Launch – please see a selection below and the whole group has been added to the Facebook album. You can click on the images to make them larger and then just press the ‘back’ button on your browser to return to the main page.
There was a comment concerning the mayoral race posted to a blog on another website this week written by an individual without the courage to identify themself. Although negative to both Claude Doughty and myself, I had to admit it was rather amusing until I got to the sleaze part suggesting issues Claude and I would be debating during the campaign. I will not dignify these issues by identifying them. Suffice it to say the comments were way out of line and totally inappropriate, whether he or she was applying them to me or to Claude Doughty.
However it was useful to me, because it really made me think about the kind of campaign I want to wage over the next many weeks and what it is I ultimately want to accomplish.
I also read the Forester article last week when Claude, responding to a question about “taking me on,” replied that his whole campaign would be about the future, not the past, and not about personalities. I certainly understand and agree with his comment about personalities. While I cannot claim that Claude and I remain friends (we once were), we still share many friends and acquaintances. For this reason, when my wife Anne and I discussed my running for mayor, she was concerned about avoiding a public blood bath. I am sure Claude and Kim had the same conversation.
Where I differ, however, is that the election campaign cannot simply be about our future, as important as that is. It must also be about accountability. It is my sense that the current mayor is skilled at brushing negative issues aside and avoiding responsibility for them by moving on and pretending they didn’t happen. I intend to challenge Claude Doughty on those aspects of his record with which I disagree, as I am sure he will do to me. And believe me, I am ready for that. Of course I am also passionate about Huntsville’s future and I look forward to that debate as well.
I did not enter this race lightheartedly, or without a strong conviction that the next four years need different leadership, a fuller partnership with the community, and a full understanding of the need for transparency and clarity in relation to our financial challenges and priorities for the future. It is a debate that needs to happen and one that will leave Huntsville in a better place, no matter the outcome in October. I have no doubt that Claude Doughty and I will wage an aggressive, but respectful campaign. In my view we must take the high road, but also the whole road, and see where it leads. I am confident that neither of us will tolerate sleaze. Stay tuned!
These are a few of the pictures that have come in so far from the launch at the Legion. Thanks to Jon Snelson for sending these over. I’ve created a photo album on my Facebook page, where you’ll find more pictures. I’ll keep adding them to the album as they come in. Thanks again to everyone who came out – we really had a great crowd!
Hugh's Tweet's
- Have been helping our crew bang in election signs today, Missed the nail a few times and have a sore thumb to prove it!
- The Campaign Kick-Off at the Legion went really well. 230 people came out. Pictures on my website (www.mackenzieonline.ca) and Facebook!
- Just posted new blog. Heading to Toronto tonight for meetings tomorrow. Then back to Huntsville to knock on doors. Full speed ahead!
- I have posted a new blog about the G-8
- I have posted my interview on Hunters Bay Radio on my blog. Would appreciate feedback on the issues and tone.
