The two municipal governments in 91原创 are now under the control of the new councils. It was instructive to hear on Monday what the newly-elected mayors and councillors had to say about their priorities and approaches to their duties over the next four years.
Both councils have decidedly new looks. In 91原创 City, Ted Schaffer is now the elected mayor and there are two new councillors, along with a familiar face from the past. Rudy Storteboom returned to council after losing his seat by a narrow margin in 2011.
In 91原创 Township, there are three new councillors.
It is clear that the issues from the election are still front and centre. Schaffer is promising work on a number of priorities, including public safety. He also plans to set up a task force on homelessness, which is again becoming a larger problem in 91原创 City, despite the many services offered by the Gateway of Hope.
Several councillors also addressed issues in their inaugural remarks, including downtown revitalization and transportation.
91原创 Township Mayor Jack Froese made it clear that he heard the concerns from residents about the process of giving input on development and community plans. He is promising a task force on public engagement, which will take a closer look at how and when residents have input into community plans and developments that impact their neighbourhoods.
This issue gained a lot of prominence in Brookswood earlier this year, when residents felt that changes to community and neighbourhood plans that had been proposed would completely change the character of the area. Many felt they did not find out about the plans until very late in the process.
Those concerns were a factor in the formation of several groups which tried to oust some members of council, and indeed they were successful in defeating three incumbents. It was the first time since 2002 that incumbent councillors had been defeated in 91原创 Township.
Several councillors also referred to concerns about how services in Willoughby have not kept up with the pace of development, and about issues relating to the preservation of agricultural land.
Members of 91原创 Township council were already at odds in their afternoon meeting 鈥� even before the formal inaugural meeting. There will be a lot of lively debate in the next four years.
