By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON November 1, 2011 – When an editor writes: “That’s what we all look for in our municipal representatives”, you tend to lift your eyes and see who they are talking about. In this instance they are talking about Burlington’s Joe Lamb, who sits as a Councillor on the Whitestone Municipal Council up in the Parry Sound part of the province. Lamb is reported to have told his council peers to hold off on pursuing a new $1.7 municipal building. It was a welcome breath of common sense.
This is the part of the province Joe Lamb spends his free time in and where he sits on the municipal council. Why isn't he in Burlington?
The report, which appeared in “cottage Country” that Joe passed on to us, goes on to say: “These are relatively trying times. Provincial and federal spending sprees the area took advantage off just 12 months ago have dried up. In fact, routine grants and growth initiatives from upper-level governments that have existed for more than a decade are dwindling. Austerity is replacing prosperity, and responsible governments are reacting by holding back.
“It’s time to plan, to seek reasonable and realistic architectural drawings for a new fire hall and municipal building that’s not too big, but not too small. It’s time to lobby behind the scenes and in public for that provincial and federal funding, and create community enthusiasm.
“Eventually, with constant pressure, purse strings will open up, community support will grow, and Whitestone will have one, maybe two, new buildings to be proud of.
“In the meantime, residents can be proud of a council that shows restraint, doesn’t overspend in a rush of excitement or panic, and measures the pros and cons of temporary buildings, renovations and construction.
“We do not have community buy-in on this project. We do not have community support on this project,” said Lamb Tuesday. “There’s a short-term fix to this. (The fire department) thinks they need a bigger building – and they probably do – but I think the fire department is willing to play ball with council on this one.”
That’s an awful lot of common sense and it comes from a Council member who lives in both Burlington and Whitestone. We wondered why Joe sent this to us. Is he positioning himself to run locally next time out? Which ward does Lamb live in?
