Penetanguishene mayor tries to put lid on amalgamation talk

By Travis Mealing Midland Mirror

PENETANGUISHENE – Penetanguishene Mayor Gerry Marshall sent an open letter to the media Tuesday to “calm the waters” amidst what he described as unwarranted speculation about amalgamation.

The mayor acknowledged the chatter has been fuelled by his town’s joint transit agreement with Midland, as well as their shared fire chief and chief building official.

But he said it was his recent musings on bringing both towns’ libraries under one CEO that sparked the latest hullabaloo.

“People are emailing me and going, ‘Hey, it’s a clandestine move to amalgamate communities!” Marshall said. “I just wanted people to have clarity on my personal perspective on why I support shared services and why I think we shouldn’t be afraid of them.”

Explaining why he wrote his 700-word message, he noted it is important to make a distinction between his belief in shared services and support for a full-out merger between the neighbouring towns.

“Amalgamating hasn’t resulted in cost savings (elsewhere),” he said, adding he has no desire to initiate such talks with Midland. “At this point in time, I’m not pro-amalgamation. I’m open to the conversation, but everything I’ve read suggests to me it’s not the best course of action.”

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