Newly elected councillors had a few thoughts to share at the Dec. 1 inaugural meeting of the Town of Minto.
Ron Elliott
For Elliott, it was a night of the future, while not forgetting the past.
He was pleased to see the turnout. “It’s fabulous to see the interest in the Town of Minto.”
Elliott thanked his wife and family for their help. “Without their support, I probably wouldn’t be here tonight. I really appreciate that.”
“I want to thank all the voters, too, that came forward. I certainly appreciate it and how good it feels standing up here in front of you again. It’s a good feeling and a privilege. I thank those who voted for me, and those who even voted.”
He said that in looking at all the council pictures at the back of the chamber, “There’s some pretty good people … even going back to the original councils that helped to integrate the Town of Minto. We had some really good people and this council has a real challenge to match what they did and create a future that is even stronger. If we can do that, then we are going to be successful.”
Rick Hembly
“Number one, I’d like to thank everyone who supported me,” Hembly said.
“I concur with Ron [Elliott]that we have a bunch of great people here to move into the future.”
He thanked the town staff, “because I think we have a tremendous bunch of people here. I think with a couple of additional people as a result of decisions council will need to make shortly, I hope we hire the best people for the positions, because I can’t say enough about the people working here.”
He concluded, “Lastly, I’d like to thank my mother for giving me the tools to be the person I am today. I’m looking forward to the next four years.”
Ronald Faulkner
“Thank you everyone for granting me the opportunity of serving as councillor for the Town of Minto. For various reasons, I chose to run for council. I stand by my commitment to work hard and make Minto a strong, progressive community where our children can and want to live and work.”
He was encouraged and optimistic that Minto has a strong group of individuals on council, and on staff.
He believes the leadership and energy of Mayor George Bridge and deputy-mayor Terry Fisk will allow the town to conduct business in an efficient and transparent manner.
“I will strive to be a team player, yet individualistic when the situation requires and warrants it. We have many challenges ahead, and I look forward to addressing them with zeal and vision.”
“I am most proud of my family, friends, and their support. I sincerely cannot tell you how much I appreciate it … Now the work begins.”
Deputy-mayor Terry Fisk
Like others, he thanked his family.
“I would like to thank the citizens of Minto for the outstanding response we had with this election. We had 56.4% of the eligible voters show up, and I haven’t seen any municipality with that kind of a turnout.
“I think we’re number one in more ways than one – but certainly with the turnout. I think you all should be commended for that.”
He also liked the mandate the current councillors received. “It’s also important for us to know that we are the people you want. To me it is clear that this is the council that you wanted.”
He said work has already begun. “We went through two long orientation meetings with department heads last week. I was really impressed with the staff, the projects, and the things that are happening in this municipality.”
While campaigning, Fisk said he heard more times than he could remember during the campaign – comments that there are too many staff and that the office was a Taj Mahal.
“Just having those two meetings showed me that there is a lot happening here in Minto and we’ve got good people doing a lot of good work. I’m really encouraged and excited to be working with these people.”
Many of them, he said, are young people with their careers ahead of them. He said part of his job is to keep them in the municipality.
Fisk had kept a few of his campaign cards which he intended to distribute to fellow councillors “to let them know what I expect from myself and from them in the coming four years. My main motto was focussed, firm, and fair. I will continue to practice that as your deputy-mayor.”
He said he has been told it is difficult to be fair, and nothing in life is fair. He agreed that while it might be difficult to be fair to everyone in a democracy, “I intend to be as fair as possible on the issues. I am looking forward to this journey and am really excited about this group. Work will get done in a timely fashion, I can guarantee you that.”
David Turton
Turton thanked councillors who served in the past term.
“I believe the last four years were very productive and successful. We accomplished a lot by working together, and I’d like to wish them good luck in their future endeavors.”
Turton also offered congratulations to all those who ran.
“I challenge everyone one of you to continue to be active in this community. Minto needs its volunteers.”
He also thanked those who took the time to vote.
“Almost 60% of the electors came out in two consecutive [municipal] elections. It is something we can all be proud of. For me, it is a privilege and an honour to be on the Town of Minto council for this coming term.
“I promise to represent you to the best of my ability. I am extremely excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to working with the new council.”
He also thanked those who have supported him over the past seven years.
He said being councillor is a considerable time commitment, requiring quite a few evening meetings and time away.
As such, he thanked his family for its support
Mary-Lou Colwell
Colwell said, “I would like my time tonight to also say thank you for joining us tonight on such a special evening.”
“The support we have been shown by family and friends was evident on election night and is evident again here tonight.”
On a personal note, she said, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to the next four years and I promise to work hard during my term.”
To the voters, she added, “I would like to say thank-you for voting in such a dynamic council. We have only met a times so far, but the dedication and enthusiasm is very evident.”
“You have given us a strong and knowledgeable leader in George Bridge. Terry Fisk’s down-to-earth and common sense approach will be a real asset to this council. The councillors are committed and energetic individuals. They each come with their own area of expertise and three have the experience and background to keep the rest of us on track.”
“What I saw most is the desire to work together.”
