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McKay discusses priorities

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In Midland
Nov 6th, 2010
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Taxi meters, heavy-garbage pickup on short-term agenda, says mayor-elect
By Nicole Million Simcoe.com November 3 2010
MIDLAND – It’ll be more than a month before he officially takes over as mayor of Midland, but Gord McKay has no intention of sitting back and waiting.
McKay – who will be sworn in with the rest of council during their inaugural meeting Dec. 6 – told The Mirror he is already meeting with members of the new council to try to determine their top priorities.
“This may be a quiet month, but it’s a really critical month as council starts to come together,” he said, noting it’s vital for councillors to determine the issues they want to confront in the days ahead. “We are deciding how the new council will look and what we intend to get up to. It’s a very important period of time.”
McKay said he is “very pleased” with the individuals who will join him around the council table for the next four years.
“It has all the potential that’s needed there,” he said. “There is a mix of people who know how council works, and some young blood. Our challenge is to pull it together and make it a good working council.”
McKay said once he is wearing the chain of office, he intends to address a few of the priority items he focused on during his campaign.
“We are going to make haste slowly. There are a lot of things we have to do, but we have to make sure we have our priorities straight. It takes a little time to figure out how you want to proceed,” he said, noting there are a lot of things council can do in the short term. “I want to do some things successfully, especially in the short term, but we also have to build a good solid foundation for the work over the next four years.”
Those short-term items, he noted, include revisiting the taxi-meter bylaw, taking a second look at heavy-garbage pickup, as well as a “couple of other little bylaws” he wants to consider.
“This is why I am going out and talking to my fellow councillors – to find out what their priorities are.”
In terms of heavy-garbage pickup – one of the big issues raised by residents over the last few months – McKay acknowledged Simcoe County council’s waste management strategy recommends doing away with curbside pickup of heavy waste.
“There are about 90 recommendations in there, so how cast in stone it is at this point I can’t answer,” he said. “My overarching view is zero waste. Whether you take it out yourself or put it on a truck … it really doesn’t deal with the amount of waste we’re generating and how we deal with it eventually.
“That is where the focus has to be, and that will be part of the discussion.”
McKay said he is excited and anxious about officially taking over his new leadership role.
“I am looking forward to bringing council together and making it work effectively for all of Midland,” he said. “It’s getting people to really work positively together and making the changes that are so necessary for the town.”

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