Cornwallis ready for two-ward race

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This article was published 18/10/2014 (3998 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Voters in the RM of Cornwallis will have new-look ballots when they go to the polls on Wednesday.

Residents will be asked to select two names from a candidate list in their ward. In the past, the RM was divided into six wards, with one councillor being elected per ward.

In September 2013, council passed a bylaw changing the RM to a two-ward system, with two councillors elected from each ward and a reeve elected at large.

Current deputy reeve Heather Dalgleish was acclaimed reeve after she was the only candidate to put her name forward.

In the other two wards, which are divided horizontally by Road 55N (Patricia Avenue), there are races.

In Ward 1, incumbents Ward Greer, Sam Hofer and Kurt Wasserberg are all back on the ballot, along with newcomers Kristy Forrestall and Mike Waddell.

In Ward 2, incumbents Bob Brown and Emil Egert are joined by newcomers Karen Burton and Don Mitchell.

Sam Hofer, who is finishing his third term, said he has been door-knocking in Ward 1 and believes infrastructure is a major issue for many residents.

Hofer, 54, who works for Husky Energy, said roads are a concern. He believes there is an opportunity to turn a tax levy on gravel, a resource the RM is rich in, into funds that are used to maintain and upgrade roads.

“If re-elected, I will work with council to have an RM-operated scale installed. That way the RM collects the necessary taxes and levies based on our records,” he said. “The current system is not working and some roads are not safe to drive on during heavy construction periods.

“It’s just good business for the RM to know the total amount of aggregate that leaves this municipality. That is the only way we will be able to keep our haul roads maintained, and not expect the taxpayer to pay for any maintenance of these roads.”

Wasserberg, 67, who is semi-retired and has served on council for 10 years, said wastewater service in Sprucewoods and Chater still dominates many discussions he has.

“It’s an ongoing project,” he said, adding he would like to see the project cost-shared with other levels of government.

It was an issue Forrestall, 37, who works for Manitoba Conservation, has also heard while campaigning.

“I’ve worked with councils in the past and I’ve seen some really interesting things that are being tried in rural Manitoba and really want to be a part of bringing that to Cornwallis,” she said. “We have to look at the most cost-effective way of protecting the fabulous water that we have.”

Greer, 44, who is finishing his first term with the council, said lack of a septic system is going to become a major problem in the next couple of years as regulations continue to tighten.

“That infrastructure is important for further development,” said Greer, a maintenance manager for Paterson Grain, adding there are current studies being done that will show the most effective and environmentally safe ways to do it.

He also said play structures for children in Sprucewoods is an issue that has been raised.

Waddell, 44, said communication between council and ratepayers is paramount to running a successful RM.

He’ll reinstate the hard-copy newsletter and set up billboards by mailboxes to ensure residents are up to date on council activities and other public notices such as burn bans or bylaw changes.

The manufactured home salesman also wants to cut through red tape he believes is limiting the amount of economic growth in the region.

“We have heard and seen a lot of money spent on affordable housing and the downtown development in Brandon,” Waddell said. “I think we’d be in a lot better shape as a region if we looked to the RM of Cornwallis and made investments here.”

Waddell said there are opportunities for some small housing developments in appropriate areas, but government bureaucracy and an unwillingness to look to the rural area as a solution has been an impediment.

In Ward 2, the southern region of the RM, Bob Brown, 52, has spend 19 years on council.

The area farmer said road maintenance and keeping taxes manageable are the key areas of interest.

“We have to make sure we’re getting the most for our tax dollars,” Brown said. “As for roads, they are always an issue. We work hard and keep an eye on dust control and which products are working the best.”

Mitchell, 65, said he would like to see a concrete plan on how best to maintain and clear roads.

The Century 21 real estate agent said some of the people he’s talked to are concerned there is favouritism when it comes to which routes are responded to first.

“My first priority would be creating consistency of grading and snow removal,” said Mitchell, cognizant that school bus routes must be done first.

He also believes he can bring fresh new ideas to council having never run for public office in the past.

Burton, 42, who lives in Ward 1, is the only candidate who lives outside of the ward she is running in.

However, she works in Ward 2 and believes her background as a communication co-ordinator at the Shilo Military Family Resource Centre is a good fit for a councillor.

The move will provide her with a level of impartiality at the council table.

“I want my personal matters to be handled with neutrality and I think I can give more value running in Ward 2,” she said.

Burton said she’s up for the challenge of municipal politics and that her energy and passion will be an asset for the RM.

Calls to Emil Egert were not returned by press time.

Residents of Ward 1 can vote Oct. 22 between the hours of

8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the RM office, located at 107191 Veterans Way, while Ward 2 residents can vote at the Brandon Hills Community Centre, located at 50159 Road 106W.

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