Alliston Herald’s picks for municipal council

October 15 2010
NEW TECUMSETH – As promised to readers in last week’s Weekend Herald, the time has come for us to present our picks for municipal council candidates.
Last weekend the selection criteria used for The Herald’s choices was published in the same space, so we won’t go into great detail on that in this space.
If you missed it, please click here to read our criteria.
We are not listing anything negative about the candidates we didn’t select, only the qualities for the top picks that make them stand out.
It bears repeating however that these are merely our choices and this slate is in no way intended to sway our readers’ votes. It’s more importantly that you take part in the process than vote for candidates endorsed here.
We have prepared slates for both Essa and Adjala-Tosorontio, but space limitations have forced us to run those in this coming Tuesday’s edition of The Herald as well as online on our website. Look for them there early next week.
Mayor
From top to bottom, in New Tecumseth for mayor there is clearly but one choice. Mike MacEachern is a good and popular mayor. He’s been a strong voice at the county and will continue to be one which is needed (if we need a county government at all). We have issues with his council “team” mentality, but if even a few of the rest of our picks are elected, that might not be a problem this term.
Deputy Mayor
The deputy mayor’s race is definitely just two horses and both are good choices. Rick Milne has been a popular deputy mayor and even mayor in the past and we see no reason to pull the chair out from under him. We do wish he would pull it up to the table more often. Milne is a tremendous ambassador for the town but needs to crack down on the business of the municipality.
Ward 1
There’s only one choice for us: Bob Marrs. He has a tremendous track record and we must admit we were floored when he wasn’t re-elected before. The people who live in Ward 1 could not find a more dedicated, community minded individual to represent them. If Marrs is not elected, it would be a true shame.
Ward 2
While Gord McInnes would be an effective councillor, incumbent Jamie Smith gets the nod. Smith has proven himself an effective councillor and brings a great deal of intelligence and common sense to the table.
Ward 3
There simply is no other choice for us than J.J. Paul Whiteside. Here is a man with more municipal experience than all of the incumbents running for re-election combined. He has a sharp pencil and knows how to use it. He will be an invaluable watchdog when it comes to the town’s finances and an asset to the council table on just about all municipal matters.
Ward 4
While Fran Sainsbury brings a wealth of experience as a former councillor in Whitchurch-Stouffville and Clearview to the table, Geoff Ball would make an exceptional representative and add a lot too. He has led the town’s accessibility advisory committee for the past four years and done a great job. It’s time he had a voice at the council table. This one’s a tough one though. It’s hard to go wrong here. 
Ward 5
While we liked the down to earth manner of Frank Forrest at the all candidates’ meetings, we cannot forget the dedication and track record of Donna Jebb as a former councillor and support her bid to return to the chambers. The caveat is, we would like to see her step it up a notch as far as being a “voice” for her ward at the council table. We don’t question her dedication and commitment and she is a voice for the agricultural community too. She just needs to speak up more.
Ward 6
Our pick is former Tecumseth Township (when it existed) councillor Iain Mackay. New Tecumseth council doesn’t need another “team player” and Mackay will be caustic enough to stir things up. He has integrity and our implicit trust. He still has an uphill battle beating the “King of Beeton” for the position. Richard Norcross is well liked and has a great deal of support in the community.
Ward 7 Constituents have a healthy list of good candidates from which to choose for sure. It boiled down to Shira Harrison McIntyre for us based on our criteria. No, she isn’t a long-time resident, but she is intelligent, incredibly organized as has been our experience. She has a passion for the community and doing the right thing. That’s good enough for us.
Ward 8
Similarly in Ward 8 Jim Stone has always been passionate about Tottenham and is often the voice of reason at council and sometimes even a thorn in its side. We have no problems with his track record and would welcome his return. It is unfortunate that the ward boundary changes mean we are losing either he or Jess Prothero, but that’s just the way it worked out when they both chose to run for the same Tottenham ward this time around.
These are merely this newspaper’s choices.
Again, it’s more important that you get out and vote for your choices on Oct. 25.