Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj is running for Warden of Wellington County.
She made her announcement last week, and noted that, to date, Wellington North Mayor Mike Broomhead is the only other candidate that she is aware of.
Warden John Green announced at county council on Oct. 30 that after two years in the job, he is stepping down.
Ross-Zuj said she is running to ensure that work gets accomplished. She said there have been plenty of studies over the past two years. “We’ve got the data from Places To Grow. For the next two years, we’ve got to set our growth strategy.”
She said how the county deals with major growth is going to be an important issue. She said if one area takes the bulk of the growth, the county is going to have to decide how it will respond to the needs of that area, and what happens where the growth is small.
She said there are a number of other issues that concern here, included water, health, safety, and rural transportation. She said it is time to set the guidelines so that the county knows where it is headed in the next ten years.
She said sustainability and accommodation are going to be major issues. “We must have jobs,” she said. “Where are the employment lands?”
She noted that along with that is transportation for people in rural areas who need to get to those jobs. She said municipalities are facing huge costs for bridges and when they cannot afford to rebuild them, those roads are closed.
She added that the county should be promoting the entire area, and not focus on any one centre. She said that many people are now staying in rural Ontario, and it is time council works towards new strategies to cope with rural problems.
She also noted there are huge issues with the current economy, and its effect on pension plans, which, in turn, might affect seniors. She said those issues are major ones to cope with. She knows of a widow whose house was paid off in the 1960s but who can now no longer cope because of rising taxes and assessment.
She added that assessments fluctuate widely across the county, which is yet another issue.
Ross-Zuj said she has talked about running with her council and she has discussed running with most of the county councillors “all but two.”
She added of the race that so far is against Broomhead, “It’s nothing personal with Mike. I just want a different agenda.”
