The chairmen from 2007 county council will be returning to their posts this year after council held open elections on Dec. 7.
The majority of those seeking to head committees were acclaimed, but in selecting the head of the administration, finance, and personnel committee, council needed to call two votes.
Elections began with the solid waste services committee. Long-time chairman Bob Wilson was facing off against Lou Maieron, who had the job in 2004.
Councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of Wilson, who had held the post back in the days when county council was looking for a new dump, and that issue was so contentious he said he wife asked him “Why do you want to be the most hated man in Wellington County?”
Wilson won the election with all but three votes, causing Maieron to walk over to him to shake hands.
Wilson said of the post, “It’s an interesting job. It’s kind of second nature I should look after the garbage here.”
Wilson said that in his time on county council he had lost two votes in two terms trying to get a warden elected at-large, rather than by county council, and wondered how Warden John Green had managed to get re-elected warden so easily – by acclamation.
The next election was for the chairmanship of the administration, finance, and personnel committee. It was contested by incumbent Mike Broomhead, and committee members Maieron and Joanne Ross-Zuj.
Broomhead and Ross-Zuj were tied with seven votes each, so Green held a run-off, which Broomhead won by a single vote.
Broomhead said, “It wouldn’t have mattered who we chose, Joanne Ross-Zuj or Lou. We work as a committee. We’ve made a lot of progress and a number of changes. The will seems to be there to get the [tax] rate increases down. That’s good for Wellington County.”
Lynda White was returned by acclamation as liaison to the Police Services Board.
The following were also acclaimed:
– Brad Whitcombe, information, heritage, and seniors, which includes the library committee;
– Walter Trachsel, planning and land division;
– Carl Hall, roads; and
– Gord Tosh, social services.
2008 committees
After a brief reception, council reconvened in the afternoon so the committee chairman could meet appoint people to various committees. Those selections were then ratified by council.
Green, as warden, is a member ex officio of all committees.
The committees are;
– administration, finance, and personnel, Broomhead, David Anderson, Ross-Zuj, and Trachsel;
– information, seniors, and heritage, which includes the library committee, Whitcombe, Broomhead, Mark MacKenzie, and Chris White, with citizen members for the library board of Sherry Clarke, Jamie Couper, Debbie Cudney, and Sheila Gamble;
– planning and land division, Trachsel, Jean Innes, Maieron, and Barb McKay;
– Police Services Board, Lynda White, and citizen members Jim Connell, Linda Austin, and one vacant seat;
– roads, Hall, councillor Rod Finnie, Lynda White, and Wilson;
– social services (shared with guelph), Tosh, Finnie, and Whitcombe;
– solid waste services, Wilson, MacKenzie, Ross-Zuj, and Chris White; and
– warden’s advisory committee, consisting of all the committee chairmen.
Agencies and boards
The county also appoints a number of councillors and citizens to local agencies, boards, and commissions.
Those appointments include:
– Tosh, Guelph General Hospital commission;
– McKay, St. Joseph’s health care board;
– Hall, Groves hospital board;
– McKay, Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County;
– board of health, Green, Innes, and Ross-Zuj;
– Maieron, Wellington Federation of Agriculture;
– McKay, MacDonald Stewart Art Centre;
– Trachsel, Wellington County Plowmen’s Association;
– Chris White, doctor recruitment;
– Maieron, Centre 2000 management board;
– Finnie, Guelph Business Enterprise Centre; and
– Green, Innes, and Ross-Zuj, the accessibility advisory committee.
