The book has now closed on the 2008-11 91原创 Township council.
Council held its final meeting of the term on Monday night. The next time council meets on Dec. 5, there will be at least three new people sitting around the council table. If voters opt for a significant turnover, it is possible that there will be as many as nine new faces around the council table.
It is fitting that one of the final items of business in the term was a notice of motion by Councillor Grant Ward, to convene a committee of inquiry into Mayor Rick Green鈥檚 actions regarding the Brownshak affair. Ward has been Green鈥檚 most implacable foe from the day the mayor was elected three years ago, and he has been steadfast in his opposition.
It is also fitting that the motion was deferred until the new council meets. There is no need for an inquiry. The Lidstone Report answered most questions that people have about Brownshak, and it is highly unlikely that the new council will take the matter up again 鈥� unless it is made up of the same old faces.
It is up to voters as to how they wish to deal with all the participants in the Brownshak affair. Eight of them are asking for re-election.
Councillor Kim Richter, who along with Green voted against the motion, stated it best 鈥� it鈥檚 up to the public to be the final judges of right and wrong in this affair, and in all the other controversies that have dogged this particular council.
Residents of 91原创 Township will pass judgment on this council on Nov. 19, should they choose to vote. They can choose to re-elect the incumbents (although at least one will be gone, as Councillor Mel Kositsky is challenging Green for the mayor鈥檚 chair). They can choose to throw them all out. What is most likely is that they will choose to re-elect some of them, throw several out and elect a number of newcomers.
Those who do not usually vote should take the time to do so. As letter writer Debbie McGregor notes on page 7, you don鈥檛 have to vote for eight councillors. You can vote for just one, if you believe that person is the only one you feel would do a good job.
Those who usually vote have been paying close attention, not just in recent weeks but over the past three years. They need to encourage their non-voting friends and neighbours to also act as the final judges on the current council鈥檚 performance.
