Meaford council held its inaugural meeting yesterday following the recent municipal election.
New mayor Ross Kentner, acclaimed Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney, and councillors Steven Bartley, Tony Bell, Brandon Forder, Harley Greenfield, and Robert Uhrig declared their oaths to office and shared a few words during the meeting at the Meaford Hall on Monday.
Bartley was the first to declare his oath and says it was a honour and privilege while also extending thanks to his supporters and family.
“In 2014 I ran for council to make this municipality a better place to live and I believe we have done that,” says Bartley. “Now I pledge to the best of my ability, to work with staff, the council to make this municipality the best there is in Grey County.”
Bell followed suite in extending thanks to those who helped in his campaign in running for council.
“I look forward to working with you all. This is my third term and it is humbling when I consider the faith and the trust that people put in someone called Tony Bell,” he says.
Newly elected coun. Forder took the stage and says he appreciated the unique opportunity to serve the municipality as a councillor.
“Over the next four years, our community will have to navigate through some real challenges and many tough decisions will have to be made,” says Forder. “Being a municipal councillor is a serious responsibility and it is one I do not take lightly. As a first time councillor, what I may lack in experience right now, I can assure you I will make up for it with my disciplined work ethic.”
Following coun. Greenfield’s declaration of oath to office, he says residents are going to see considerable changes in Meaford over the next four years.
“In the urban area, we have more residential development proposals than we have, I am going to say ever had and that’s going to mean changes,” says Greenfield. “Hopefully these new residential units will mean more population. More population should translate into more dollars coming into our municipality and I am hoping those dollars can stay here, I am hoping they will inspire new shops, new services, new stores, new employment, and some new taxes too.”
The other new coun. Uhrig says he looks to Meaford’s past, present and future. He says with the past, when there were turbulent financial years for the municipality, he thanks those who helped turned the situation around. In talking about the present, he says he was excited to be on the stage with his elected colleagues. By referencing he future, he says the efforts they are taking is all for the future generations living in Meaford.
“I have worked with many of these people through my various organizational volunteerism in the last four years and I am really confident that we will work well together as a team,” says Uhrig.
Keaveney says she is delighted to be returning to her role as Meaford’s Deputy Mayor and will work hard to earn the trust she feels she has been given.
“The next four years are going to bring much change to Meaford, just as the last four brought our new library, school, nursing home, new businesses to our main street, and many new residents,” says Keaveney. “Our first and possibly most important task will be to create our community vision and determine our strategic priorities. This direction will guide every decision we make going forward. During this term, we will see new developments going forward, for example one will bring much needed attainable housing units to our community.”
Kentner rounded out the inaugural meeting with receiving the chain of office and talking about the municipality and his new council.
“Today you have my commitment to work hard to build on the solid foundation laid by Barb Clumpus during her two terms as mayor. Her legacy includes this marvelous hall, the Meaford Culture Foundation, our new community school, the campus of care taking shape, and the new library and parkette,” says Kentner.
He says his campaign called for a slight alteration of course, with the municipality not being the same as it was when he ran for office in 2018. He adds as a possible result of the pandemic, Meaford saw $100 million in building permits in 2021, while also experiencing a 4.5 per cent growth in population since 2016.
Kentner adds if the Ontario pumped storage project goes ahead, the $4.5 billion project could be in operation by the end of the decade.
“So a course alteration is needed to ensure that we manage growth we know is coming as best we can,” says Kentner.
He says the decisions council will make over the next four years will be felt by generations to come, as they must strive for protecting the agriculture industry, aiming for a vibrant downtown, and meet housing needs for people of all ages and at various stages.
“We will unpack each of these things that taken together, make Meaford the place we love, the place that gives us pride in our past, hope and confidence in our future,” says Kentner.