Tiny’s Cornell elected Simcoe County warden, Clearview’s Burton is deputy

The 2018-2022 Simcoe County Council. – Orillia Matters photo 

County Council elects George Cornell as Simcoe County Warden

News release from Simcoe County

County Council today elected George Cornell, Mayor of the Township of Tiny, to serve as Simcoe County Warden for 2019 and 2020.

“I am honoured to be elected as Simcoe County Warden for the next two years and I look forward to working on behalf of Council and County staff to advance our services, programs and regional leadership,” said Warden George Cornell.

“We’re a growing County with tremendous opportunities to advance our economy, grow tourism, strengthen our regional infrastructure and improve the health and well-being of our residents. I thank my colleagues for demonstrating their confidence in my leadership and I look forward to serving the residents of Simcoe County.”

As a Civil Engineer, Cornell spent his career working in the oil and gas sector. He joined municipal politics as a Councillor for the Township of Tiny from 2006 to 2010. He became Mayor of the Township of Tiny in 2014 and was recently acclaimed for his second term in the role.

As a County Councillor from 2014 to 2018, Cornell sat as Chair of the Economic Development Sub Committee, Vice-Chair of Corporate Services and on the Grant Task Force Committee and the Governance and Striking Committees. Cornell and his wife Sandy have two children and two grandchildren.

County Council also elected Barry Burton, Deputy Mayor of the Township of Clearview, as the Simcoe County Deputy Warden for 2019 and 2020.

Burton is an independent business owner and was elected as Deputy Mayor of the Township of Clearview from 2014 to 2018 and was recently re-elected to the position. As a Deputy Mayor, Burton served as a member of County Council from 2014 to 2018, where he sat as a member of the County’s Museum Advisory Sub-Committee.

Burton also represents Simcoe County on the Niagara Escarpment Commission. Burton and his wife Lorraine have four adult children and six grandchildren.

Additionally, the County’s Business Section Chairs and Vice Chairs for 2019 and 2020 were elected/acclaimed on Tuesday:

-Councillor Don Allen, Business Section Chair of Performance Management; Councillor Steffen Walma, Business Section Chair of Human Services; and Councillor Lynn Dollin Business Section Chair of Corporate Services.

-Councillor Harry Hughes, Business Section Vice Chair of Performance Management; Councillor Anita Dubeau, Business Section Vice Chair of Human Services; and Councillor Richard Norcross Business Section Vice Chair of Corporate Services.

County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.

Deputy warden vote started with a tie

AWARE News Network

While Tiny Mayor George Cornell scored a simple win in the warden race over challenger James Leduc, deputy mayor of Bradford-West-Gwillimbury, it was a different matter in the contest for deputy warden.

Normally, the candidate scoring the least number of votes drops out. But in this case, although Clearview Deputy Mayor Barry Burton came in first, the two other candidates – Collingwood Mayor Saunderson and Severn Deputy Mayor Jane Dunlop – tied for second place.

Saunderson won the vote between the two runners-up. In a third vote, Burton maintained his position and was elected deputy warden.

The election is by secret ballot, with the number of votes cast for each candidate not revealed in the county process.

New warden vows to bring commitment and fun to county table

by: Jessica Owen Orillia Matters

The new Warden of Simcoe County has one goal for the new term that stands above others: creating unity.

George Cornell, Mayor of Tiny Township, was elected the new Warden Tuesday at the inaugural meeting of county council. Clearview Township Deputy Mayor Barry Burton took the Deputy Warden seat.

“A big part of my job is to bring the county council together,” said Cornell. “We’ve had a fairly significant turnover, with 15 new players coming to the table.”

“Our first priority is to get council working together,” he said.

Cornell is also interested in connecting Simcoe County communities beyond the council table, pointing to initiatives such as the LINX transit system as an example.

“One of my personal objectives, and I’ve heard it from a lot of other councillors, is broadband. We have a lot of rural areas in our county. Our agricultural sector needs it. We need to expand the availability of high-speed internet throughout the county,” said Cornell.

Cornell says he also hopes to bring a little something different to the table.

“We’ve had quite a history of Wardens here, for sure,” said Cornell. “I’d like to think I can bring a little bit of fun and a sense of humour. I definitely bring a commitment to the job and getting things done.”

The position of Warden and Deputy Warden were decided by a ballot vote of all county councillors.

They both will serve a two-year term.

The next meeting of county council will be on Jan. 8 to start budget talks.