Municipal Elections...

[farmaholic]

We have the Reeve's chair being challenged by a Division Councillor and two divisions being challenged. One is an encumbent being challenged and the other is the vacancy created by the Councillor taking a run at the reeve's position...therefore two new guys to municpal politics running in that division.

Nice to see there is some interest.

Overall we are a lucky RM that is fairly well managed. But there is always some beefs.

Might finally hear from oneoff again?

[AllisWD45]

Well run RM here. All have been elected by acclimation. Only exception is a 1 year term in one division were councillor resigned for health reasons. Mostly pensioners on council. Maybe a good thing they seem to have time for this sort of thing.

[sumdumguy]

Some RM's are run by bufoons. Try to run an on-farm business (which they love to extra tax), but almost impossible with jealous neighbours on council. They will make it their business to stay on there just to make life miserable for you and because they have time to sit in the coffee shop, they'll bad-mouth every move you make, every building you build, every new machine you buy. The rest of council eventually stands up for you, there's the problem with some RM's.

[oneoff]

So a councillor doesn't let his name stand this time; but prearranges to stay on as a representative on a couple of boards so that he qualifies for the municipal drug and health plan benefits. Thats confirmed.

or absolutely everyone suspects that councillors tend to get roads past their property built up as a priority. But few probably realize that 24000 cubic yards at 2.00 per yard is a tidy sum for the dirt from the borrow pit. And the figure may have been thirty some thousand yards.. And there was 3000.00 plus for a ditch that taxpayers ended up paying as an extra. Must be a new policy; because always supplied clay cap dirt for even grid roads at absolutely no remuneration. Don't ratepayers think $50,00 dollars (or more) is out of line??????????

My question will be for those seeking council jobs (reeve and councillors) is just how differently they would attempt toconduct council business; because if there an intent to try to conduct public council business as in the past....as far as I'm concerned lets hit bottom with the present regime. It saves interfering with an auction sale or taking a couple of hours going to an advance poll.

[oneoff]

50 grand (mistake is mine)

[oneoff]

FYI The CRA (Fed Revenuers) has ruled that any payment for mileage to councillors is not tax free if payment has been decided by council to be >0.55 dollars (for chucks sake). Anything in excess of that eg 75 cents per KM (not sure now if that was per mile)(but thats how confusion and error creep in) has to be reported as income on administrator supplied T4 tax slips. The news wasn't greeted totally positively.

Anyway; along with $20,000 remuneration in close by RM's it deflates the idea of public service and taking one's turn at representing only the ratepayers interests.

[oneoff]

Municipal politics..........the topic that very few are willing to even mention or talk about. It even takes more than a week before general public first hears or learns that there is a contested election. Is it worth even the slightest investment of voters or "elected" representative's time????

[oneoff]

Who sees the parallels between how municipal politics can and are handled at times...and how a segment of Canada (ie. Eastern Canadian manufacturing, overall economic control and oil related interests) can attempt to benefit themselves at someone else's expense.

And doing so with total disregard for those forced to pay the consequences...before, during and after.