Huntsville Doppler reached out to the two mayoral candidates vying for Lake of Bays’ top elected job, incumbent Terry Glover and Linda Thompson.
We asked the candidates why they’re running, what they think is the single most important issue affecting the township, and how they’d address it.
We also asked them to keep their answers to no more than 500 words. Below are their answers.
Incumbent Terry Glover
I am running to be re-elected as the Mayor of the Township of Lake of Bays. I look forward to the next term of council as we have a number of projects started that will make Lake of Bays a little better than it is today.
The biggest issue facing small rural municipalities is the lack of resources to sustain communities. We have many difficult issues such as a lack of housing, worker shortages, health care shortfalls, the opioids crisis, mental health problems, aging infrastructure and climate change. In order to meet all these demands we must collaborate to find solutions.
I will approach this with creative and innovative thinking. We will need to work with many partners and municipalities and may find answers from different cultures or different countries. Having recently solved a problem in this very manner, we purchased a gently used firetruck from a station in the state of Alabama. This solution gave us a slightly used pumper at a fraction of the cost and we now have a great additional fire apparatus saving our taxpayers money and providing upgraded equipment. This new problem solving technique may prove to be the only way to face the ever growing list of challenges.
Linda Thompson
I first discovered Lake of Bays in 1976 working at Spring Lake Motel and Restaurant. In 1982, Barry Thompson and I bought our first home in Dwight. We married in 1985 at Point Ideal. The Thompson family’s legacy as homesteaders in Lake of Bays has kept us strongly tied to the community and we again live permanently in Lake of Bays on the family homestead where Barry grew up.
Over many years of observing and interacting with the Lake of Bays council, I know my proactive approach and experience as a Municipal Leader will lead to stronger financial controls and better resource allocation towards the project and service priorities identified by the community.
I have already been involved in providing input to Lake of Bays Council on items including planning and zoning applications, the Official Plan, roads, short term rentals, and district restructuring. Working with neighbours, I initiated an Ontario Municipal Board appeal in regards to a Lake of Bays Council planning decision in 2003, and provided input again on the same property in 2016/17.
I am an experienced Municipal Leader, having been an elected official for 14 years including 8 years as Mayor of the Municipality of Port Hope with additional experience as Deputy Mayor, Councillor, Chair of Finance, Planning and Development. I served 2 terms as County Warden. Past member of Conservation Authority, Police Services Board, Eastern Ontario Wardens Association (with 1 term as Vice-Chair) and Association of Municipalities of Ontario OPP Billing Steering Committee. Additionally I have 20+ years of management skills as a corporate materials manager, plant manager, production manager, consultant, business owner/operator, and volunteer.
Financial controls and budgeting is the most important issue in the Township. It determines the service levels provided in all areas, including but not limited to: roads, responsible and sustainable planning and development, libraries, community centres, emergency services, and our environmental footprint.
I would address this issue through budgeting policies that include lifecycle costing, strong financial controls, and public input. I will develop clear strategies and tools to ensure capital and operational budgets are aligned with reserves. This will be done in conjunction with a service delivery review with the aim to reduce duplication and create policies which allocate funding to the project and service priorities identified by the community. It is the detailed review and strategies that will give us tools for long term results and sustainability.
This type of review will require responsible municipal management and will need to consider the end user at all times. I aim to manage with clear strategies, policies, and protocols that consider the impacts and needs of customers and taxpayers. When decisions need to be made, I will weight all sides of the issue and seek and consider all input in order to make a solid and balanced decision that benefits the community.
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