Post by The East Gwillimbury Express.

 

As we said in the October 1st blog, all Bare Oaks members with a long-term campsite are non-residential tenants under Ontario Municipal Elections Act and are therefore eligible to vote in East Gwillimbury. (visit the blog for instruction on how to vote)

We sent an email to all of the candidates in East Gwillimbury and asked them to send a paragraph or two (max. 1,000 characters) explaining why Bare Oaks members should vote for them. Below are the responses we received in the order we received them:

Tara Roy-DiClemente 

Councillor Candidate

Why Vote for Me?

1. I appreciate the value of having a facility like Bare Oaks in our community – through the visitor dollars, amenities and employment it provides.

2. For the past 4 years, I have been part of a Council team that has delivered historically low tax increases, eliminated debt, and increased reserves, all while enhancing municipal services like our library and fire department.

3. I am the only Councillor to post my expenses & voting record online.

4. I understand the pressures of growth and am committed to building safe, liveable neighbourhoods.

5. I listen to residents, I take action, and I get results.

6. I want Council meetings recorded, archived and broadcast online.

7. I do my research and am not afraid to ask tough questions.

8. I have the best attendance record on Council.

I invite you to visit my website www.tarard.ca, follow me on twitter @tarard or find me on Facebook for more information.

Marlene Johnston

Councillor Candidate

I am respectfully asking Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park residents to choose Marlene Johnston as one of their choices for Councillor.  I have served on Council for many years, beginning in 1985.  I am proud that I was part of a Council that curtailed estate residential growth, thus protecting the most beautiful natural areas of our town before there were strong Provincial policies to assist with this.  I believe that growth should be confined to the four main villages and that natural wilderness areas should be cherished and enjoyed by all as you do at the park.

I live by the attributes of good character, I am a team player with a proven record of encouraging others to be the best they can be, I am enthusiastic and I look forward to taking on the new challenges the future will bring.  www.marlenejohnston.ca

James R. Young

Councillor Candidate

I am excited to be running for Council in the upcoming municipal election in the Town of East Gwillimbury.  I was privileged to serve as Councillor from 1994-2000 and as Mayor from 2000-2010.  Nearing the end of that term, I decided it was time for a break to try new ventures and to focus on spending more time with my growing family.

My hope has always been to see our community progress in an orderly fashion.  I am deeply concerned that this is not happening.  It is important for all of us to know where our local and regional tax dollars are being spent and it is a must that we receive efficient and effective government at both levels.  I want to ensure that our Town Council is accountable and I want to advocate on behalf of all residents of the Town of East Gwillimbury.

I believe that the future of East Gwillimbury should not be dictated by the Development Industry.  Allow me to be YOUR voice by supporting me on October 27th.

I respectfully ask that you “Think Young” once again.

Loralea Carruthers

English Public School Trustee Candidate

Whether or not you have kids in school, make sure that you vote for Public School Trustee!

Public School Trustees are responsible for $1.3 Billion of your tax dollars every year! You need an experienced representative on the board making sure this money is spent in a responsible manner.

Vote for Experience you can Trust!

Vote for Loralea Carruthers for your Public School Trustee

Loralea has served as your Public School Board Trustee for the past 11 years and has brought the views and concerns of East Gwillimbury/W-S to every decision made at the School Board including advocating for 7 New Schools in the riding! Loralea has become a highly skilled and effective advocate for quality publicly funded education always putting student success and well-being first while ensuring a balanced and equitable budget. She is a long-time resident of the area and an effective advocate for students and taxpayers. To learn more about Loralea please visit www.VoteLoralea.ca

Your vote is important. Please vote for Loralea Carruthers.

Elizabeth Tracey

English Public School Trustee Candidate

I am a fair and hardworking person with the best interest of the community families at heart!

If elected I can help the parents and students have a better school experience by representing them and their concerns.

I have the time and motivation to dedicate to the position to help make the classrooms better with smaller class sizes, educational content review with parents by survey, etc.., better busing guidelines/boundaries and also dedicate time to families with special education needs and develop more day-time sports programs.

Many times students cannot focus or concentrate in the classroom and are told by the teachers go to the Doctor, go on medications, go to anger management,

go to a child psychologist and child psychiatrist, etc.. When sports can solve many of these stress & anxiety issues students have!!!

Boys on meds = Men on meds, And I do not agree with this for our population!

Therefore I want to help the parents and families that feel lost in the schools by their children having to sit still for many hours at a time, to implement physical movement activities within the day-time agenda and to also help the children with physical and learning disabilities to be more included by expanding special education. (the rest of the text has been deleted due to the 1,000 character limit)

William H. Petrie 

English Public School Trustee Candidate 

Cool blog!

Good work in providing that. We need a bigger, better voting turn out to

keep our democracy thriving.

I am a concerned parent, former council assembly facilitator (City of Toronto) and

in touch with fellow parents as to the change that’s needed to improve the system for our current and future students. My priorities are bussing issues, providing new modern thinking teachers to the system on a full time basis and addressing the concerns regarding upkeep and the building of new schools as it pertains to developers footing some of the costs. I don’t believe that the current incumbent has her priorities straight when it comes to this position due to her obvious desire to further her own political career at the expense of this position (running in the Ontario election during the school term). I hope your members make the choice for change and vote for william.h.petrie, YRDSB English school trustee 2014.

Thank you for this opportunity

Virginia Hackson

Mayoral Candidate

The Town has made great progress this term with proven leadership.

We’ve kept tax increases to the lowest they’ve been in over two decades. We’ve increased our reserves by 18%. We continue to provide great services and we are debt-free.

I have created a new age of partnership. I have engaged many agencies and community groups work together for this Town and communication with residents is at an all-time high.

I have been your representative at York Region, Chair of the Conservation Authority, Chair of the Region’s Audit Committee, and I am a sitting member of the Police Services Board.

What have I accomplished? Low taxes, no debt, great services, open communication, new partnerships and managed growth with a focus on parks and trail systems.

You elect a Mayor to provide leadership at the Town, the Region, and  the Province. So who do you want to represent you – someone who says she would like to be a leader, or someone who is a proven leader and has the experience to show for it.

Jack Hauseman

Councillor Candidate

Bare Oaks members should vote for me because as a five term Member of Council, successful businessman and financial manager, and proven community leader promoting teamwork, I have the experience, vision and commitment to effectively deal with the many growth related issues facing East Gwillimbury over the next four years and beyond.

My Goal is to create a lean, cost effective local government making best use of the property tax dollars residents entrust to us in the delivery of quality municipal services, to stand up to the development industry by supporting our Official Plan which preserves our municipal identity as a Town offering our residents a choice of different urban and rural lifestyles and takes advantage of the benefits of growth on our terms, building complete communities, a balance of both residential and industrial and commercial growth, while protecting our rural and environmentally sensitive areas from any further development and promoting a bright future for East Gwillimbury.

On October 27th, 2014 elect JACK HAUSEMAN Councillor

www.jackhauseman.com

Caroline Bourret

Trustee Candidate: Conseil Scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud

(1,000 character limit allowed to exceed due to bilingual response)

Merci de cette opportunité de m’exprimer en français d’abord et en anglais ensuite:

C’est à la suggestion de quelques parents d’élèves qui fréquentent l’école de ma fille que j’ai décidé de me lancer dans cette aventure.  Je suis une femme d’affaires qui n’a pas la langue dans sa poche et qui ose dire tout haut ce que plusieurs pensent tout bas. Je dois admettre qu’en tant que recrue, je suis totalement prise au dépourvu par la quantité de courriels, solicitations, entrevues et autres qui résultent du processus électoral. Et je ne suis pas candidate à la mairie!

Je ne fait pas de campagne, pas de publicité, en fait mon budget est 0$ et je suis très confortable avec cela!  Saviez-vous que les dépenses électorales peuvent être remboursées aux candidats selon le nombre de votes pour chaque candidats? Le résultat final est que c’est encore le payeur de taxe qui écope!  Mon expérience en tant qu’auditeure et vérificatrice aidera sûrement le conseil à améliorer la gestion des budgets et à amener de nouvelles idées sur la table.  Les gros chiffres ne me font pas peur, ça fait partie de mon travail normal.  Mon but ultime est d’être en mesure d’aider la communauté francophone à obtenir de meilleurs services scolaires dans la région de York.

I got involved in this campaign because some parents at my daughter’s school suggested that I would make a good candidate. I am outspoken, straight to the point and as a business woman, I am used to deal with large numbers and budgets.   To tell you the truth, as a first time candidate, I am overwhelmed by the amount of email, communications, interviews that the election process involves! And this is not even for the mayor position!  I am not campaigning, I do not do any publicity or advertising, my motto is Zero budget.  Now that I am into it, it seems that it is all about the money! And the worst is that the campaign expenses are reimbursed based on the voting results.   It’s all comes back to the taxpayer getting gouged again! As an auditor and forensic investigator by trade, I am sure I can assist the school board in managing the budget and bringing new ideas to insure better services for the York region francophone.

John Eaton 

Councillor Candidate

I have been a resident of East gwillimbury for 27 years. As your Councillor, I will continue to ensure the growth and land use decisions in our community are consistent with the “Official Plan” and that all components are addressed.  Council has the responsibility of a $34M budget and must respect the tax paying residents of EG by employing sound business principles. I believe strongly in a TEAM effort of staff and Council. My background as a Business Professional for 35 years and my ability to work successfully with people, determine their needs and then provide the solutions, provide me with the necessary skills and dedication to represent the residents of East Gwillimbury.  I will continue to address the KEY ISSUES expressed by the public: FINANCIAL STABILITY, CONTROLLED GROWTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT and GREEN SPACE PROTECTION.  I will work diligently for East Gwillimbury. Please RE-ELECT John Eaton as your first choice on Oct 27th.

Rae Bowie 

Councillor Candidate

I am seeking a council position because I truly care about our town and its future.  I believe that a strong council is created when individual council members bring a diverse set of experiences and skills and each are committed to working together as a team.  My years of experience both as a volunteer and in my working life have taught me that the best solution to most issues are found through collaboration, open discussion and team work.

I am passionate about our town.  As a council member I will be committed to hearing your thoughts on issues and raising them at council and with staff, on your behalf.

My husband Ian and I arrived in Mount Albert almost 35 years ago.   We were drawn by the rural small town community charm of East Gwillimbury to raise our family.   Together Ian and I have owned  successful small businesses.  Currently Ian and partners operate the Rail Yard Wake Park in Mount Albert, which is attracting tourists from all over southern Ontario and creating local jobs.

As an Environmental Technologist by training, I understand the importance of preserving our natural environment and rural area.  As an East Gwillimbury councillor I will consider the impact of council decisions in order to safeguard our natural environment. (the rest of the text has been deleted due to the 1,000 character limit)

Robert Ritchie 

English Public School Trustee Candidate

Thank you for your email. My initial reaction was to answer immediately but I wanted to wait until my website had been completed. Unfortunately, it is not finished but when it is I will email you the site address and your members can decide if they wish to visit.

To answer your question directly, I would not try to convince your members to vote for me or any other candidate.

I would encourage them to educate themselves on the candidates for the various positions and simply vote!

With respect to qualifications, I am a classroom teacher in the college system for almost 30 years. Although a different system, the principles of education are basically the same. To be honest, sometimes there is very little difference between 2nd year students and grade 2 students, especially when dealing with some males…..:)

I worked my way through University as a correctional officer in a number of different prisons. In some respects I value the education I received in those institutions as much as the one I received in school.

In closing, win or lose, I would be happy to come and address your community. When you view my website you will see that I can speak on a variety of topics. Thank you for being interested in the election.

Joe Persechini 

Councillor Candidate

My name is Joe Persechini, and I want to thank the

members of the Bare Oaks community for the

opportunity to address you and present my platform.

Once I am elected, my main priority will be to

manage the expected growth in

East Gwillimbury in a responsible and

sustainable way.

We need to ensure we keep a balance

between this growth explosion and the

preservation of the small town atmosphere,

which exists today and gives our community its

character.

To maintain East Gwillimbury as the greatest

place to live and start a family with affordable

housing for seniors and young families.

To keep taxes in line with inflation and get the

best return for our tax dollars, while key

services are still provided.

Increased growth means more demands on

services, roads and recreational facilities, we

need to manage both properly.

I am confident that, with close to 40 years’

experience in business and community

involvement, I will make a positive impact and

help East Gwillimbury manage the expected

growth properly. Together we can build a

much stronger and more vibrant community.

On October 27th vote for Joe Persechini.

Thank you