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Continued from page 5 “7 was very pleased with the election results,” Tom said. “One can never be too sure how you will fare. 1 am very thankful for the outpouring of support.” He described campaigning as “a lot of hard work.” Tom officially became the Mayor of the Township of Scugog on Monday, December 1. “Tt was surreal,” Tom says of the defining moment when he received the mayor’s chain of office. Over 200 people attended the inauguration ceremony. “| was pleased with the turnout,” he said. “It was nice to have the inauguration outside of the council chambers to show off the new recreation centre in Blackstock.” Members of the 2014-2018 council, which is com- prised of two incumbents and five rookies, “come from all walks of life, with a great deal of background knowl- edge on everything from business to heritage to savvy finance to agriculture to economic development. It’s a diversified council with a good representation of the population,” Tom described. A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Econom- ics and Business, Tom is a partner in the 1st Financial Centre in Port Perry. A couple of years ago, Tom and Christine purchased Homestead Furniture and Appli- ances, They hired a manager and retained “the excellent existing staff.” The first-time mayor noted that his education and business background should serve him well in his new role. What prompted Tom Rowett to enter municipal politics? Last October, the issue of the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw led Tom and other Scugog Chamber of Commerce members to attend some local council meet- ings. While there, other items on the agenda piqued his interest. “T felt the township was heading in a direction that many long-time residents and business owners viewed differently,” Tom observed. Through the Scugog Taxpayers Action Committee, Tom was, “involved with the public outcry that the forecasted high tax increases which were not sustainable to residents or businesses. It was my opinion that a more creative approach in finding alternate revenue sources should be pursued.” His philosophy is, ‘stop saying what you can’t do, and look at what you can do.” Some advised Tom to enter municipal politics as a Ward Councillor, instead of going for the top job. But his friend Janna Guido, who also resides in Ward 2, had her eye on that position. After discussions with “the pillars of the community,” Tom was “endorsed and empowered” to seek the mayor’s chair. Self-described on one of his websites as, “a numbers individual and a creative thinker,” Tom is already burst- ing with ideas. “In my opinion,” he stated, “The most difficult chal- lenges of the next four year term will be: solving our Please turn to page 14 ND) | =o ©) aa DIN GR EL@)N IN PORT PERRY “| Feel like a new woman al\Waelloue] le) fut .” Eq Rosario Greco STYLES 21 Wilbur Avenue 905-985-0099 | rgreco@quisk.ca ta new look but the FOCUS - JANUARY 2015 7