Cooper concerned with debt, divisiveness within council

By MORGAN IAN ADAMS Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin October 8 2010
Sandra Cooper says she’s the candidate to lead Collingwood into the future.
After two terms as deputy-mayor, and two terms as a councillor, Cooper says it’s time for her to take the step to the next level.
“I have the experience,” she said.
Her biggest concern is the amount of debt the municipality has taken on these last four years. She also cites a need to change the style of leadership at the top.”I will respect varied opinions,” said Cooper. “My style is to make an informed decision, and walk away at the end of the meeting and continue to show respect to one another.”
The last four years, says Cooper, have been fraught with “personal vendettas,” which has resulted in a divisive council.
She also says public opinion needs to be respected, citing the 2,000-name petition that came forward early in the term urging council to move ahead with the Admiral Collingwood Place project, and the 1,500-name petition supporting restaurant patios on the main street to remain beside buildings.
“It’s difficult enough to get a petition with 50 names; these were such overwhelming responses, and they fell on deaf ears,” she said.
She also wants to move forward with the Georgian College site, “and support the college to provide the skills and opportunities for better jobs.”
On the county side — with the mayor being one of the municipality’s two rep-re s e nt at i v e s at Simcoe County — Cooper believes a regional approach needs to be taken on job creation and attracting industry and business. She noted while a major industry such as Honda can locate in Alliston, surrounding municipalities such as Collingwood can take advantage by attracting spin-off businesses.
“There may be a corridor through Bradford designated as employment lands, but we can also benefit from that,” she said. “We can’t compete with the Chinas and Indias… but there may be opportunities by encouraging businesses that add value.”
 On the population front, based on numbers being touted by both the province and in the Simcoe County growth plan, Cooper says it may not be a bad thing that the town’s permanent population gets capped at around 30,000.
“Do we want to be a community of 50,000? Do we have the infrastructure in place for our benefit, and the benefit of our neighbours?” she asked. “We need to have well-thought-out growth, and controlled growth.”
Cooper said having a plan for growth affects much more than just municipal services, and includes health care services such as the hospital, and hospice.
There also needs to be a long-term plan for “some kind of (multi-use recreational) facility” in the community, and a commitment to start building reserves.
She also wants to see a renewed commitment on the part of the municipality to engage young people.
“We talk about young people not being interested in the election process. How can we engage young people in the community, and get their input on their wants and needs?” she said.
Cooper also wants to hand the job of chairing the town’s finance committee back to the deputy-mayor, and continue to build upon the urban design standards recently approved by council.