By Pepper Parr
July 14th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
They waved to the cameras once the motion to adjourn was passed – and with that the seven members of Council were off for the summer.
They return to a thick schedule of meetings September 6th.
Some have set out pretty hectic schedules for themselves; others are taking a break.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Nothing specific from the Mayor – she will network with her tribe and shore up the weak spots.
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte
Ward 4 Councillor Stolte is going to hold Pop Up meetings in parks throughout her ward. We lost count at seven locations. They will take place on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Bentivegna plans on something a little more subdued – he will be meeting with small groups of five or six in back yards to listen and to ensure that they know he will be running again.
Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna
Bentivegna is very effective in working a crowd; he plunges right in and makes friendly. He isn’t as available for media – basically he doesn’t respond; he used to – early in his first campaign he posed for pictures and talked about his plans as a city councillor. When he didn’t like what we had to say – he stopped talking.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman
Councillor Sharman is going to focus on his Orchard Park community – it might have to be virtual. He has an annual Appleby Line event that might make it out of the Covid19 social distancing limitations.
Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith will be taking part in a couple of community events. The Rolling Horse Tour d’Aldershot is on his calendar. Summer is cottage time for the Galbraith household.
Every member of Council will begin, or have already begun, looking at their election prospects.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns will be doing some Zoom broadcasting. A usually reliable source told the Gazette that Kearns told him she would not be running for the Council seat even if she lost the attempt to gain the Liberal nomination for a seat in the Legislature.
We all know how that event went – she dropped out the day another candidate threw her hat into the ring.
Kearns can be mercurial at times. Will she live up to the statement she is reported to have made?
The long break gives the people elected to represent the interests of the tax payers time to think about what they have managed to get done and what they want to do with the time left in this term of office.
The achievements have been significant – they set a different direction in terms of the development that is taking place and will take place.
They have also come to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses are of their fellow council members and what they can achieve personally.
Some rude awakenings for several.
For those that decide to run again – most of them will – but they aren’t all going to retain their seats.
The Mayor will run again – she loves the job and, truth be told, there is no one out there who can beat her at this point in time.
Also true – she was the best choice the city had for Mayor in 2018
The budget could trip her up – there are too many changes coming on the expense side. Insurance premiums are going to sky rocket for the municipal sector – and there isn’t much councils can do.
Spending on small items will add up –a reported $100,000 for Rainbow Crosswalks comes under the Mayor’s “want to have”. She used to talk in terms of must have and nice to have.
There are two members of Council with Mayoralty aspirations – both realize this is not their time – 2026 might be.
City Manager Tim Commisso
City Manager Tim Commisso has done a fine job of rejigging the way the administration is to operate and put some very qualified people in place. He has a number of top level positions that will see retirements – Legal and Finance might not change while the pandemic has to be dealt with but once things are secure they will want to live different lives.
Will Commisso renew his contract? Probably not – but his work isn’t done yet.
However, his replacement gets better every day. And a majority of Council thinks she great. Awesome was the word used by several.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
