Note: No Councillor or candidate for election to Council can promise to do anything for the electorate. As individuals, Councillors – including the Mayor – have no personal authority except that which may be delegated to them by resolution of Council. Council makes its decisions as a body, and the authority to govern the municipality belongs to the group. Councillors typically have limited involvement in the day-to-day operations of the municipality. They do, however, have a unique opportunity to influence the direction of the municipality, and to provide leadership in the setting and achievement of specific goals and strategies.
As your Mayor for the next four years, I will seek to advance the following goals as priorities for the Municipality of Whitestone:
■ Open, Transparent Government
It is extremely important that ratepayers be actively involved in determining the kind of municipality they want Whitestone to be, and the nature and extent of the municipal facilities and services they want. This means that public consultation and debate need to take place on an ongoing basis, not just during the election periods every four years. It means that ratepayers need to have access to their Councillors, and that Council needs to provide opportunities such as town hall and “committee-of-the-whole” meetings for them to provide their input into planning and priority setting.
It is also extremely important that Council enjoy the confidence and trust of the ratepayers. I therefore believe Council should conduct its deliberations and make its decisions as openly and transparently as possible. Very few matters need to be decided in camera, and when they do (because of confidentiality of personal information or solicitor-client privilege, for example) the decisions taken should be communicated openly and fully.
A lot of unproductive speculation, rumour, innuendo, and criticism can be avoided by open communication and full disclosure. There is a saying that “folks are down on what they’re not up on“. When we don’t know what’s going on, It’s just human nature to assume the worst, especially if we think someone is trying to keep the truth from us.
That said, it is equally important that ratepayer input be fully informed by the facts and well reasoned. In the past couple of year, Whitestone (like many other political jurisdictions) has seen a proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, especially on social media. This kind of dialogue is antithetical to good governance and threatens our democracy. It is also destructive to the community, as it pits neighbor against neighbor. It is particularly disappointing to see elected Councillors – who should know better – encouraging in and participating in this unacceptable behaviour.
The new Council Council will need to recommit itself to the principles enshrined in our Municipal Code of Conduct, and will need to receive training in its practical application from our Integrity Commissioner.
The new Council will be tasked with reviewing and updating both Whitestone’s Strategic and Official Plans. Our Strategic plan defines the kind of community we want to be and sets out our high-level objectives and priorities, beginning with an analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Our Official Plan and Zoning By-Law set out policies for land us and development. Both of these reviews will provide opportunities for public input at the committee level and at public meetings.
■ Effective Management of Municipal Programs and Resources
In a small municipality like Whitestone, we can’t afford to waste any of our limited resources – be they financial, facilities, or human. We need to be “firing on all cylinders”; i.e., committed to getting the best value for the money we spend, and the most effective results from the programs and services we support. .
Let’s be clear: Council is responsible for the effective management of the day-to-day affairs of the Municipality. That doesn’t mean that the Mayor and Councillors should be running the municipal office, grading the roads, or supervising the dump sites. But they are responsible for ensuring that these activities are carried out efficiently and effectively by competent staff. To do that, Council needs to have in place performance objectives for itself and for staff, along with processes to continuously measure and improve performance against those objectives. That may sound complicated, but it isn’t really – it’s just good management!
Perhaps our biggest potential for management improvement is in the area of human resources. We can’t afford hiring mistakes, and we can’t afford to micromanage staff. We need to “get the right people in the right seats on the bus” (to quote Jim Collins, author of the management classics Built to Last and Good to Great). And we need to create a culture in which every member of staff wants to come to work every day because they believe they are making an important contribution to the community and have the respect of those they serve.
■ Fiscal Prudence and Responsibility
No one (at least no one I know) like to pay taxes! But what really gets me going is seeing my tax dollars wasted on unnecessary expenditures or on expenditures that, for whatever reason, don’t produce the intended results.
Fortunately, Whitestone has an excellent record of fiscal prudence and responsibility, as confirmed by our annual financial audits for the past several years. Your Council has been able to make some strategic investments in municipal assets that will stand us in good stead in the future as we continue to grow and evolve.
I believe it is extremely important that we take (i) a balanced approach to meeting the physical, economic, and social needs of all Whitestone residents, both permanent and seasonal, and (ii) a long-term view that recognizes the growth of our Municipality that accompanied the pandemic and can be expected to continue in the years ahead. In this regard, we must keep in mind that Whitestone is an integral part of the wider Parry Sound District community, and that most of our challenges and opportunities are shared with our neighbours. Increasingly, we will be called upon to work together with those neighbours to address common needs, and pursuit of an isolationist agenda will put our independence as a municipality at risk.
Protection of our Environment and Quality of Life
With its special combination of forest, lakes, and farmland, Whitestone boasts a unique natural environment that attracts vacationers and folks looking to escape the pressures of big city life. We can’t afford to take that environment for granted. And we can’t afford to sacrifice the quality of our lakes and rivers in the interest of attracting large-scale development such as exists in much of Muskoka.
Some of our lakes are already at or near capacity in terms of development. It will be important to maintain and enforce high standards of development (zoning and building) in our official plan, and to monitor water quality throughout the Municipality.
Whitestone also boasts a vibrant sense of community that continues to attract year-round and permanent residents to locate here. We must therefore continue to invest in programs, services, and facilities that will make Whitestone a viable place to live for people of all ages.