by MICHAEL MOORE
Candidate for Mayor
Township of Whitewater Region
To My Fellow Residents of Whitewater Region:
As you may have heard, I will be running for the position of Mayor of Whitewater Region in our upcoming election. I have had the honour of serving this community by providing leadership to our fire services since 1987 as Fire Chief of the Beachburg Fire Department and then as Deputy Fire Chief in 2003 after the creation of the Whitewater Region up until 2017. My three decades of public service were not only incredibly demanding but also very rewarding. For well over 30 years I have dedicated my life to being there and helping the residents of this community when many of them were at their worst, having either lost their home, livelihood, or in far too many tragic cases, a loved one. I did not however do this alone, I had a team of highly skilled and dedicated professional volunteers behind me who represented many of Whitewater’s finest. The dedication of the fire services that I am immensely proud of and had the honour of helping lead can be measured in the hours spent in the summer heat, wearing bunker gear fighting a barn or house fire or by getting up in the middle of a January night to head to an accident on Highway 17 exposing ourselves to the blinding snow and black ice conditions that caused the very accident we were responding to. The cost of this dedication and commitment was not only borne by us, but by our families in missed birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special occasions.
The challenges faced by our departments on the front lines of emergency response were one of many we had to contend with. On the administration side, amalgamation brought about it’s own unique challenges that created a new and larger municipality that altered the dynamics of the Region, shifted priorities and changed the way we allocated resources. I reflect with great pride upon the way we were able to adapt and overcome those challenges and the many that followed by delivering an essential service within a budget that balanced the needs of the community with the requirements of regulatory authorities like the Fire Marshall’s Office and the Ministry of Labour.
My pride in our achievements as a volunteer service and community are the driving force behind my decision to run for Mayor.
There are many challenges ahead for Whitewater Region. Our region faces many expenditures in the not too distant future, such as the multi million dollar upgrades that are overdue for our Cobden sewage plant at a time when the United States, Canada’s largest trading partner is pursuing some of the most aggressive protectionist economic policies that we have ever seen. The current situation regarding NAFTA as well as dairy and other agricultural tariffs will potentially drive the price of dairy products and consumer goods up. Steel tariffs are expected to hit our industries and the construction sector which will impact the housing and employment market and growth in our region. This is the context within which we are forced to adapt and operate.
Promoting sustainable, economic development requires knowledge and understanding of the unique circumstances of our region and the larger provincial, national and international context. Smart fiscal management and responsible spending have never been more important to our region. Sustainable economic development is best achieved by engaging those in the know about business; local business leaders, of which our region has many. It requires input from the many industries that we are home to, tourism, agriculture, hospitalities and other services to name a few. As well, as any business owner can tell you, fiscal management requires being flexible. Today’s financial plans may not suit tomorrow’s economic needs, but our actions today have the ability to reduce what options we have to adapt to tomorrow’s changing circumstances. Under my leadership, Council will not indulge in questionable expenditures that drive our budgets upward leaving the taxpayers on the hook to cover and balance. A perfect example of that is the 70,000 plus Whitewater tax dollars spent on a private consulting firm to review the Fire Services when the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office would have directed and provided the same service for free.
As your Mayor, my municipal leadership will promote the highest degree of transparency, not only for accountability, but to actively engage our fellow residents in the decision making process. The Whitewater website will be upgraded to have easily navigable and accessible directions to find our financial statement, budget proposals, annual reports, council meeting minutes, public acquisitions and the public sale and auctioning of surplus and unused public assets and equipment like vehicles from the roads department and the like. If elected, my council will increase it’s online footprint through social media and the website to not only keep the region informed, but to give the community an additional line of communication directly to council so your voice can be heard on issues that are important. Your voice matters at every single meeting, on every single matter, not just once in four years when it comes time to vote.
Under my leadership we will work towards providing a positive municipal working environment. Since 2014, approximately 25 employees and volunteers have left the service of Whitewater voluntarily and otherwise to take their dedication and skills to other regions and townships. High turnover and attrition are incredibly expensive and can be a difficult thing to stem, but a negative environment can hasten and embolden departures, resignations and premature retirements. Under my leadership, we will fight to keep the talent we invested in developing by promoting and fostering a positive work environment.
I was recently pleased to read that the current mayor is a fellow traveler on the issue of upgrading our vital infrastructure and services like highways and cell phone service. As former Deputy Fire Chief of the Whitewater Fire Department, I have long recognized the dangers of our single lane highway which has claimed many lives. I will continue to push these important programs to the provincial and federal governments rather than letting them gather dust on some municipal wish list. As well, the fact that we have 3 Bell, 2 Rogers and 1 Telus cellular towers dispersed along Highway 17 in Snake River, Cobden and Haley’s Station is insufficient to provide the coverage we need. My experience as Deputy Chief has made me intimately familiar with where these dead zones are in Whitewater and how they impact our community. In addition to dead zones, Whitewater residents who live near the Ottawa River are served by cellular towers based in Quebec which means that 911 calls are routed through Montreal where there is no guarantee that these time sensitive matters will be managed by an operator proficient in English. My council will engage our private partners in the communications sector and Industry Canada to see what options there are to upgrade cellular communications in our area. As well, I will make sure that the safety needs of our community are met by fighting to ensure Whitewater retains all five of our current fire stations.
When Whitewater does something right, it gets noticed. We were host to the World’s Kayaking Championships which attracted competitors and spectators from around the world. I remember a time when we used to host an event called the Grand Old Opry, an event that only not drew massive crowds from around Eastern Ontario, but even drew the attention of the legal team of the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Tennessee who prevented us from using that name. If that isn’t a measure of success, I don’t know what is. Under my leadership, we will investigate how to maintain and bring that level of spirit back to Whitewater to foster and promote a more vibrant community.
In the summer of 2017 I hung up my Deputy Fire Chief’s helmet, but not my dedication, commitment or love for this community where I live and raised my family. In the fall of 2018 I humbly request your support to put me into office where I can put my 30 plus years of experience running a municipal department to work for you as Mayor.
You can follow me on Facebook at “Mike Moore for Mayor” where I would be happy to listen to you and action your comments.
