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a ; & MAKE A DIFFERENCE: PART 3 e 2 #4 r f o , § d (s & g & Time to mpaign started ime to get your campaign s § â€" 3 - â€" 3 challenge lying ahead, for whoâ€" € â€" Nominations now ever picks up his mantle, will beé being accepted managinfi costs and kei;epindg taxes 2 + down. Changes mandated from for October election the provincial and federal govâ€" a B ermments are making those goals BY JENNIFER:O‘MEARA fe: s more and more difficult. â€" ascont ie i > c oc Candidates interested in runâ€" Iomegraiuonfiunreranty s fe > }j* ~< on ning for mayors, councillors or ALNWLECK/HALDIMAND e > o es school trustees in the October TOWNSHIP â€"Now: that candiâ€" t yesit election can now put their name dates can step forward for Octoâ€" is ~l %, P fcrward,,Anyone at least 18 years ber municipal elections, Alnwick/ t« M _ old, who‘s a Canadian citizen and Haldimand Mayor William (Bill) 3: : ; m o S a resident or landowner in the Finleyâ€"thelongestservingmunicâ€" iss ‘To> municipality can run for ‘office. ipal politician in Northumberland < z.. _ 229 '.i Nomination forms will be acceptâ€" â€" is ready to hang up his hat. m ©7 3 i ed from Jan. 4 to Sept. 10 at local "I‘m likely consistent. I believe hi P » Lt municipal offices. > in change, but I believe in gradâ€" : e ual ‘change," said Mayor Finley, F E. ® j ‘ C of his SBiyear muntcipal political _ hoe I really hope career. "I don‘t believe in throwâ€" < C e . 3 raatad _ 6s people wilstep The bornâ€"andâ€"raised local boy y "oxk,. j forward. It may not be as was 38 with five young children P . "Ker . . ¢ at home, when somtone on tik 4 R ~< easy as they visualize. If we Grafton‘church aske‘d"hfi to c‘;m- 43 % » *: have a meeting, I spend sider tunning. He a; and in . [ in 8 af f 4 f 1977 he was electedgtt:\‘he Townâ€" [ * »’1& / Iwice as long preparing. ship of Haldimand council. %â€" h | Bill Finley | At the next election in 1979, the _| & i J ¢ ’ ’ big issue in Haldimand was amalâ€". [ . 7 3 gamation. Thenâ€"Councillor Finâ€" â€" W * | Tey opposed the fusion of small i y | cural municipalities and ran for 3 "I really hope people will step reeve on the issue. k y forward," said Mayor Finley. "It "I‘ve always found that as you c may not be as easy as they visualâ€" go bigger the cost gets higher,‘ ize. If we have a meeting, I spend said Mayor Finley. twice as long preparing. I will like= He won that 1979 election and ly have 100 emails to go through." has been the head of Haldimand * S Cobourg. _ Councillor _ Bob countcil â€" followed by Alnwick/ j . Spooner, first elected to the Haldimand Township, after proâ€" school board in 1985 and the lonâ€" vincia]lyébacked amalgamation . | gest serving municipal politician â€"eversince. _ . in Cobourg, wants to inform those Over the following elections, new to the race that campaigning |\ Mayor Finley was acclaimed orhe § is difficult. beat his opponents. In 33 years, "You have to work hard, and | he‘s had a number of people 6 once you get elected don‘t sit | opposehim, but Mayor Finley has $ PEG MCCARTHY / NORTHUMBERLAND NEws _ back and take it for granted," said | no hard feelings. _ GRAFTON â€" Alnwick/Haldimand Township Mayor Bill Finley is leaving politics after being the longestâ€" â€"Coun. Spooner. "And never make I may not agree with them, but â€" serving polifician in the Northumberland area at 33 years. a promise you can‘t keep, Be very everybody‘s got good and bad 4 careful on what you promise." qualities," said Mayor Finley. Finley. load. There are two stimulus fund â€" opposed to paying three to four _ Port Hope Deputy Mayor Jeff The mayor hasn‘t won every _ While a fair bit has changed in _ projects in the works, the Shelter _ per cent of your revenue in interâ€" Lees, Port Hope‘s longest servâ€" b?ttl_e. He supported a proposed â€" Alnwick/Haldimand over three â€" Valley Road rehabilitation and . est, said Mayor Finley, ing municipal politician with 13 Liguid Natural Gas plant north decades, when asked about his the Centreton Library, which may _ "Some of these. (provincial) years, warned those first entering of Grafton, which was stopped legacy, Mayor Finley doesn‘t. require a small debenture. Aside guidelines are crazy. They‘d have _ the political arena that municipal by the Ontario Municipal Board, _point to a building or service.. from those, the municipality has . you in debt over your head. That‘s _ politics is incredibly time conâ€" afzer citizens raised concerns. Instead he talks about a municiâ€" been debtâ€"free for years. not good fiscal management." suming. In a small community, > Ifflyouwgnor Tose, life goes on. I pality that meets the needs of its "Every dollar that came in went He‘s a smallâ€"government politiâ€" _ local politicians can‘t get awa 6 don‘t take it personal," said Mayor residents with basically zero debt _ back out into the community, as _ cian, who has worked hard trying. from the issues & & to keep taxes and spending low. "Go for it, if you‘ve got 40 or | is & NHei 3 : as been failing. the grief you can take," Deputy Northumberland‘s mostâ€"tenured politicians 5 tlrt(!’ll'tfll;llli[; we}rllit"zlmill::s stomach _ Mayor Lees said. "It starts at 6:05 * Port Hope: Daputy Mayor JeffiLees, 13 years, first elected in 1997. dimand‘s lgn "tim mt 1oe en endiiivensete ; +Gabourg: Gouncilior \ 8 time mayor is 70 _ sleep. It never stops. Some peoâ€" | Gobourg: G. Bob Spooner, 25 years, first elected in 1985. now, and ready to retire, l i h I «Hamilton Township: Councillor Pat McCourt, 11 years, first elected in 1996 (missed a term between 2003 and 2006). "TI‘ll do the best I can t.o th ple, nothing n}flkes them happy. * Alnwick/Haldimand Township: Mayor Bill Finley, $3 years, first elected in 1977. end," said Mayor Einle he ‘::;ny Page & » Today‘s ediforial‘ ... a * Municipality of Trent Hills: Gouncillor William Thompson, 23 years, first elected in 1987. not be tunning for feâ€" yl' ‘gfi $ This is Part 3 of our ‘Make a Difference‘ . *Brighton: Councilior ChuckWard, 21 years, first elected in 1989. € : Oct.25,2010, _ _‘ eciechon on series, I"”I"“:“ ‘CI'.‘?’“"B ‘:‘,:1"!;":;"&“:':2 f *« Cramahe Township: D Mayor Jim Williams, 16 years, i i iar 3 municipal politics, leatll § wnship: Deputy Mayo years, first elected in 1990 (missed a term between 2003 and 2008). Mayor Finley thinks the biggest October, 2010, municipal election. ‘ G ~