New warden eager to tackle full workload

POLITICS: Cal Patterson took over from Tony Guergis on Dec. 8
By RAYMOND BOWE Barrie Examiner
Simcoe County’s new warden knew he’d have several irons heating up in fires all over the province. That’s just the nature of the job.
Cal Patterson, 62, was acclaimed as warden on Dec. 8, becoming the first politician from Wasaga Beach to hold the post since it was created in 1843.
As a county councillor for 12 years, Patterson said he’s been around politics long enough to know the warden’s job would demand his time.
“In my first term as mayor, I worked full-time as well, so I’m used to it,” said the retired financial officer from a Penetanguishene manufacturing company. “I plan to do the job that’s expected of me.”
For now, that means getting his face seen and his message heard.
Patterson’s first duty as warden was an Internet event in Collingwood, where he was raised, followed by a trip the following day to Horseshoe Valley to discuss developments in Tay and Adjala-Tosorontio townships before another meeting at the county administration building in Midhurst.
Patterson’s January schedule is already full.
“I’m definitely going to be busy,” Patterson said, including a variety of media obligations that will present him to county residents as the new warden, following a three-year term by Springwater Township Mayor Tony Guergis.
“I’m taking a positive spin on everything,” Patterson said. “One of the things we need to do is talk to Queen’s Park about our growth plan.”
The province rejected the plan, but councillors have decided to appeal the decision.
Each local municipality has its own concerns, Patterson said, but he said it’s his job to gain influence at Queen’s Park through local MPPs.
“Hopefully, we can have a positive outcome on (them) listening to what our needs are,” he said.
Provincial politicians reconvene in February, so Patterson said that gives him time to get up to speed with local politicians about their specific issues, “so I feel more comfortable moving ahead at the Queen’s Park level with the ministers.
“I don’t think they’ve looked at (the growth plan) closely enough,” he added.
Patterson says the province needs a better grasp on Simcoe County’s growth needs.
“Penetang, for example, and the (population) numbers they (the province) gave them, after spending millions of dollars on infrastructure just recently, I think their population right now, or soon to be, is higher than the numbers they’ve given them,” he said. “It’s just things like that they need to take a look at. It’s probably just an oversight and looking at the bigger picture and not looking at the individual municipalities. But I think a lot of that can be sorted out.”
Patterson also wants to improve communication at the county.
“We have to remove the fracture that’s been there,” Patterson said, adding he believes that’s happening already following recent meetings with officials from the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. “We’ve willing to work together into the future.”
Trash was the bane of Simcoe County in 2009, but Patterson wants to change that in 2010. The new waste management steering committee — including input from staff, councillors, the public at large, and the federal and provincial governments — could be part of the trash solution.
“We’ve got to look at the short-term and the long-term — I think this is a positive direction,” he said, adding a warden’s job is to weigh the present and the future.
Councillors voted this year to abandon controversial landfill Site 41, which was being developed north of Elmvale, following staunch public opposition. However, trash is still being created, and officials say it needs to go somewhere in the meantime.
“I’m sure there are solutions that we’re going to come up with.” Patterson said. “That’s going to be a big job for those involved. You can see the daylight in the short-term, but it’s about the long-term.”
County councillors approved the 2010 budget which included a 2% tax increase, which Patterson said is in line with the tough economic times.
“There are obviously some things that are going to be held back,” he said. “We have to be aware that there’s only one taxpayer. When you look at the deficit that the province has, the issues in the economy and the unemployment, the county plays a big role in that in terms of social services. We have a responsibility there, too.”
Roads and bridges are always big-ticket expenditures for Simcoe County, but large projects on tap for 2010 include expansion of the county administration building as well as the Georgian Manor project in Penetanguishene.
“They’re huge capital items, and there are grants available, too, especially with Georgian Manor, but hopefully that will be coming soon,” Patterson said.