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PAGE' 6, W FiDNISL)AY. At 'GL [SI2i - lIITB' Batten n By MICHAEL KNELL Free PreS8 Staff Roms Batten f eels that lie bias overcome the f reshnian syndrome. After hiifirst eight montha as the north ward councillor on Whitby Town Council, Batten feels that lie is getting the confidence needed to get on with the job. Batten is the newest memnber as council sin- ce lie is mresently ser- ving his first term. The rookie municipal politician said recently that lie spent the first few months doing a lot of listening in an attem- pt to learn more about the town and the way it functions. "II didn't want to get up and shout my mouth off," lie said. 'II want to have something to say. " One of the first problems lie encoun- tered was having to Pop People Pop CASE 0F 12-30 oz BOTTLES $4ý99 & dep CASE 0F Z4-10 oz. BOUTLES' $449 & dep. ASSORTED FLAVORS \Y IWEPRESS long make decisions on the spot. "It takes some time to get used to sitting in a public meeting and making a decision on the spot," Natten said. "Everyone's waiting for you to make a mistake. " During his first few months, Batten was required to cast a vote on issues that had been developing during the last council term and #Li11iL4i~ er- rookie on council this caused him some problems. "I was cold turkey, 1 didn't know what the background was," lie said. However, he is begin- ning to ses his job on council as more than j.ust representing the people of the north ward. He said that he is becoming involved with issues that "do not directly affect the north 1W l ward. " However, the residen- ts of the forth ward "are my prime ares of concern."y Batten points out that he can't ignore the rest of the town since lielias become part of what he described as the "decision making fun- ction. " The 36-year-old Ash- burn resident said that lie hoped to become more accustomed to the Job faster. 'II guess I figured I would probably adjust faster than I did," he said. 'II have accomplished some things but I haven't accomplished everything I thought I would. "1 However, lie feels that he now understands how the system works. As a member of coun- cil's administrative cornmittee, Batten has BROWN'S FOODMASTER BROOKLIIN 655-4521 8:30 arn to 6 Pm Except Thuns. & Fni. Nights til 9 pm been exposed to one of the most complex areas of municipal responsi- bility - planning. "The area of planning is mucli more involved than I thought it would be, " he said adding that his committee's job is probably the toughest of the town's three com- mittees. "When I came on council, I knew nothing," he said. "I feel I am acquirlng an understanding."1 Batten sald that when lie joined council lie didn't have any one goal in mind to achieve. "I didn't have any one thing that I wanted to accomplish."1 However, during the election Batten ran on the platform claiming that resident.s of the nor- th ward do not get ful value for their tax dollar. And it is an issue with which lie is still ex- tremely concerned. "We don't get our full service for our tax dollar," he said. Batten points out that the north ward still doe flot have sanitary sewer and trunk water supply services, is stili suf- fering from inadequate street lighting and the quality of many roads is stili not as high as it should be. The councillor states that while north ward residents are receiving garbage pick-up ser- vices, they have to pay extra for them, unlike their counterparts in the lower parts of Whitby where it is included in the tax bill. Batten is also con- cerned about the almost approved development of Brooklin - a scheme that will see the village explode from its present 1,600 population into a town of 10,500 over a ten- year period He says that "the new people coming in will have to conform to the lifestyle that is there."1 The business area of the hamlet also has to be developed to accom- mnodate the new people that will settie in Brooklin when the project goes ahead. He would also like to see new services and facilities in place to keep pace with the grot h. ($9P THwIDE FOI IDA1,£