{"id":7715,"date":"2014-08-13T15:07:42","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=7715"},"modified":"2014-08-20T11:13:27","modified_gmt":"2014-08-20T15:13:27","slug":"and-then-there-were-nine-lessons-from-the-council-vacancy-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/and-then-there-were-nine-lessons-from-the-council-vacancy-process\/","title":{"rendered":"And then there were nine — lessons from the Council vacancy process"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Aurora\u2019s newly re-minted Councillor Don Constable, being back at the table was just like riding a bike. <\/p>\n

After putting himself forward to replace Chris Ballard earlier in July, Councillor Constable\u2019s whirlwind day included his pitch to Council in the late afternoon on why he should join them at the table and, following an hour or so to let the news sink in, he was able to join Mayor Dawe and the remaining seven Councillors at the table that very evening. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no presentations, but we had an interesting one this afternoon whereby we selected a new member of the public to sit as a Councillor for the remainder of the term,\u201d said Mayor Dawe at the start of the July 29 meeting, for viewers in the audience \u2013 both in the Chamber and on television \u2013 that might have recognized a new face sitting in Councillor Paul Pirri\u2019s seat, as the latter Councillor moved to the opposite side of the table in keeping with electoral order. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to your input \u2013 and the rest of us are very jealous because Councillor Constable brought his own cheering section tonight.\u201d
\nCouncillors were enthusiastic in their welcome, and were full of positivity not just for Councillor Constable, but for the other 17 Aurora residents who put their names forward ahead of July 29 for consideration of the vacancy. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe candidates did a great job,\u201d said Councillor Sandra Humfryes. \u201cIt took a lot of courage and putting themselves out there for the community.\u201d
\n\u201cWelcome, as well,\u201d added Councillor Wendy Gaertner. \u201cI am really thanking all of the people who were part of the public process. I know it was a difficult process for many people and I appreciate the participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, Councillor Constable was brief in his remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just happy to be here and I am looking forward to working with all of you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

With a special shout out to his \u201chonoured guests out there [in the audience] in the cheap seats\u201d, further remarks, in public session, anyway, were limited.<\/p>\n

As Councillor Constable prepares for his second Council meeting of his abridged term this week, voters might have a clearer picture on some of the issues ahead. Each candidate\u2019s pitch and subsequent questions from Council shone some light on what Aurora might expect not just from Councillor Constable, but the three candidates who have also put themselves forward for consideration for the municipal election this October.<\/p>\n

Key projects and initiatives are often brought to Council recommended in the interests of providing \u201can exceptional quality of life for all\u201d, an objective in Aurora\u2019s Strategic Plan. As this point has been a particular thorn in Councillor Evelyn Buck\u2019s side since the plan was adopted, she questioned Councillor Constable on what this meant to him, and whether that \u201cquality of life\u201d should come at the expense of the taxpayer. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs members of Council, and a taxpayer, we have the opportunity to certainly find out how our community should be strategized [for] what we do need,\u201d he replied. \u201cThere is nobody better to know than members of Council, staff, and fellow taxpayers. It could be something we would have to\u2026work together at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Buck continued her questions with Svetla Topouzova, who has been a long-time advocate for preservation of Aurora\u2019s natural and built heritage. She asked the candidate whether there is room in Aurora for growth, whether as \u201ca tourist centre or a university city.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ms. Topouzova, it was all about keeping doors open. <\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to see Aurora with more doors open, open for more visitors and tourists,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving said that, I do believe that preserving the mature trees and the parks in Aurora will only contribute to this concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

While most of the discussions that followed in the subsequent Council meeting focused on initiatives that could improve Aurora\u2019s downtown core, there was a prelude to that discussion when candidate James Hoyes came to the podium. Questioned by Councillor Buck on whether he believed the Town and the Aurora United Church should work together on what would be best for the church\u2019s corner lot, he said it was important to be mindful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand it is important to maintain that somehow but I understand the Churches are limited in the funds they have, so something has to be worked out,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe we do need to maintain the history in that corner. I am not willing to write a cheque, but I am willing to look at the options to see what is best for this Town because I believe this Town has a historical significance.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, however, it was left for candidate Harold Kim to get his hands dirty on the question of sewage. When asked by Councillor Buck of his thoughts on building a trunk sewer up to Lake Simcoe, Mr. Kim said it was important to look not only at environmental impacts, but also budget constraints, and finding partners to help carry the burden. <\/p>\n

\u201cThose people whose properties are adjacent to the trunk path should have a say. At the same time, you have to look at the broader picture. With everything you have to be transparent, full disclosure, and let them know the benefits and the risks as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Aurora\u2019s newly re-minted Councillor Don Constable, being back at the table was just like riding a bike. <\/p>\n

After putting himself forward to replace Chris Ballard earlier in July…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-20r","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-11 07:10:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7715\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}