Severn mayoral hopeful says change is needed in township

By SARA ROSS THE PACKET & TIMES April 26 2010 It’s time for change on Severn Township council, says Coun. Frank Coyle. “Not many faces change and I think it’s time for change,” Coyle said on Wednesday. “I think it’s a matter of choice. I think the taxpayers need an alternate to look at.” Just one council incumbent, Ward 4 Coun. Karen Marriott, faced opposition in the 2006 election. Coyle, a Washago resident who has served one term on council, has thrown his hat into the mayor’s race. Mayor Phil Sled, who is running for his fourth term, will have served the township for 28 years at the end of the current term. He began as a councillor in former Matchedash Township in the early 1980s. Sled served as deputy reeve when the townships amalgamated into Severn in 1994. He ran for mayor in 2000 and was re-elected in 2003 and 2006. “I think the current mayor has been there a long time,” Coyle said. “What happens with mayors, or anybody in public office, you start out high up on the ladder, yo