Off and running in Collingwood

By MORGAN IAN ADAMS Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin September 17 2010
Four of the five candidates vying for the top political job in Collingwood faced off for the first time in the 2010 campaign, Wednesday night, in what turned out to be a relatively friendly exchange between poltical opponents. Eammon Paterson, Kathy Jeffery, Sandra Cooper and Mike Young answered the questions of Rogers TV’s Politically Speaking host Jacques Brunet, as well as the queries from a half-dozen people who called into the show.
The show’s second segment also kicked off with a ‘streeter’ that asked people about the issues they thought most important in this campaign. Most of the questions centred around jobs, the municipality’s debt-load, and the future of the Admiral Collingwood Place site at Hume and Hurontario.
Brunet even gave the candidates a chance to ask each other questions; rather than use it as an opportunity to score political points, the candidates asked fairly easy queries of each other.
Cooper, the town’s current deputymayor, opened her appearance on the show with a pledge to provide a new style of leadership “than this past term of council… aggressive, and progressive.”
Jeffery, a current councillor, relied on her experience with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, noting that’s allowed her to build a network that can be used to benefit the community.
“I’m armed with the resources to lead our community to greatness, and a sound financial position,” she said.
Political newcomers Paterson and Young both noted it was time to bring new blood to the council table.
“I have no political experience, and I’m probably happy that I don’t,” said Young. “My only agenda is I have the best interests of the town at heart.”
Both men also pointed to the town’s current debt, estimated at about $45 million, as an impetus for putting their names in the ring.
“I’m personally embarrassed at the extent of the debt,” said Young.
However, the two current council members emphasized while the town has spent a considerable amount of money on projects such as the downtown revitalization and First Street, the town has also leveraged several significant grants from the two upper levels of government.
In the case of the downtown, noted Jeffery, the town is spending $2 million in order to get $7 million in improvements to the infrastructure of the core.
On Admiral Collingwood Place, which sputtered after the current term of council rescinded the Heritage Impact Assessment for the project in early 2007, both Young and Paterson said they would both be willing to work with the developer.
Young went as far as noting developer Steve Assaff warranted an apology from the municipality.
Jeffery said it would be her intention as mayor to get Assaff back to the table, while Cooper said council’s decision shook business confidence in the municipality.