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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2003 THE NEW TANNER GRAPEVIN WOOL STORE? No word exactly on what is be- ing planned for 11 Main St., South, but the building owners, a Rockwood couple who don't want to be identified, confirm they've rented the store to some- one with plans for a wool and knitting supplies and lessons business. The owners bought the prop- erty that includes an upstairs apartment in July, and are cur- rently renovating the interior of the store. KNOX LUNCH If midway fries aren't your idea of fair fare, check out Knox Presbyterian Church for its soup and sandwich luncheon on Sat- urday, September 20. Weather permitting, you can ° enjoy finger foods, hot dogs, homemade desserts, soups, sand- wiches and beverages on the church's front lawn --a great spot to watch the parade. Lunch will also be served inside the church, beginning at 11 a.m. The Ladies', Aid has run the popular luncheons for the past six or seven years as a commu- nity service. Last year was their best ever when they served more than 100 customers. GOLFING FOR SENIORS The Acton Seniors' Centre can expect a Christmas cheque from Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh's annual golf tournament. At their annual Christmas par- ties, seniors at the Acton, Georgetown and Milton centres will accept cheques for $1,000 from the eighth annual tourna- ment, held last Monday in Georgetown. In the first five years, Chudleigh's tournament raised more than $45,000 for North Halton seniors. In the past two years, the riding association has taken over running the event as a fundraiser for the soon-to-be- called provincial election. JUNIOR MAYOR If six-to-16-year-olds ran city whall, would there be more civic holidays, would the potholes get fixed and would taxes go down? Mayotal candidate, Halton and Ward One Councillor Rick Bonnette is testing future voter trends with a Junior Mayor con- test, asking youths to. say what they would like to see in Halton Hills if they were mayor for a day. "Sometimes, out of the mouths of babes you get good ideas," Bonnette said, adding the contest should help generate interest in November's municipal election. Entries can be dropped off at Bonnette's booth at the George- town and Acton fall fairs, or e-mailed to rick@rickformayor.ca The top five entries from Geor- getown and Acton will receive prizes from Godfathers Pizza. CITYTV ATHLETE Congrats to Acton High ath- lete, Kaitlyn Andrews of Georgetown, who was featured last week as Citytv's Athlete of the Week. Andrews earned some much- deserved major market publicity, and a nice Citytv gift pack, for her outstanding achievements in discus throw, shot-put and jave- lin events at recent track and field events, which included two Golds and a Bronze medal at a national meet in Kitchener, and two Golds at a provincial meet. Andrews said her first time on television was "very exciting," and she was "actually very sur- prised," to be selected for the program, although she knew her neighbour had passed along her name to a friend who works at Citytv. McKNIGHT HONOURED Roasters have plenty of mate- rial to work with as they prepare to celebrate the retirement of veteran Town employee Ron ' McKnight, at a roast/tribute/ben- efit on November 14, at the Acton Legion. McKnight officially retires from his public works clerk post on September 30, after 35 years with Acton and then Halton Hills, in a career that earned him praise for his dedication and good-natured dealings with the public. McKnight has also been a Rotarian for 22 years, and the Rotary Club of Acton is spon- soring the party, along with the Town's works department. Proceeds from the event will help purchase a new motorized wheelchair for McKnight. Tick- ets are $50, and are available at Alexanian Carpets, the works department, or from any Acton Rotarian. COFFEEBREAK CELEBRATION Fifteen years of coffee, Chris- tian conversation and women's fellowship will be celebrated on Wednesday, (September 10) at Bethel Christian Reformed Church. The church will celebrate its CoffeeBreak program with a tea social from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m., and women are invited to dis- cover the Bible in a non-threatening, comfortable environment. The church provides a Story Hour ministry for three-to-five- year-olds and a nursery for pre-schoolers. What's Your Beef? Put it in a letter to the Editor! Deadline is Tuesday at noon. SPICE DANCE: Members of Halton Hills Dance Camp strutted their stuff to music by the Spice Girls during Camp's production of We're All Stars on Friday , August 22 at Acton Community Centre. - Ellen Piehl photo. 7 After much thought, consulta- tions with family and discussions with friends, I have come to the decision to enter the race for coun- cillor (Ward 1) in the upcoming municipal elections. I'm sure this will come as a surprise to many readers but it's something I've been considering for years. The timing seems right this year. Our youngest daughter has fin- ished her undergraduate degree. So, for the first time in more than 12 years, we don't have children in university. This gives me the freedom to-pursue other interests. A little over a year ago, we sold our warehousing/distribution company, which freed-up a sig- nificant amount of time. Having talked to past councillors, who I consider to have done a good job in the position, I'm confident I have the time and energy to prop- erly serve the people of Ward 1. If Thad any doubts, I wouldn't be in the race. Obviously, there will have to be some changes in this column. I have thoroughly discussed this with Publisher Tyler and Editor Coles. For the remainder of the municipal campaign, all candi- dates will have an opportunity to present their platforms through the news department of The New Tan- ner. As far as provincial or federal governments go, it's gloves-off as usual. Discussions are still ongo- ing as to how to handle the regional councillor and Halton Hills mayoralty races. After the election, should I be successful in winning, we foresee few problems with the column continuing. The mayor, regional chairman, M.P. Reed and M.P.P. Chudleigh all have columns, which are printed in local papers. There.will be some subjects which might have to be passed on be- cause of confidentiality, but I expect those to be the exception rather than the rule. Ihave often said that municipal government is the best value we get for our tax dollars. Like other candidates, I too was shocked at the proposed 10% increase in taxes next year. Current council- lors have made it plain that that idea won't fly. Still, much hard on will have to be done on the Up and Running! The Way 1 See It Mike O'Leary budget by the new council. I am confident I have the experience and local knowledge to contribute to those debates. There are no formal political par- ties in town council. Quite honestly, if I was going to be in a position where I would be required to parrot the party line, I don't believe I could do it. I certainly couldn't write about it. The words would stick in my pencil. I believe, on the other hand, a town councillor can and should communicate with taxpayers. That would be my plan. One thing I will write about closer to the election day is the dismal turn- out we had in the 2000 election. Wards 1 and 2 (Acton) had a 38% voter participation. In other words, 62% stayed at home. (The entire town had a 39.2% voter participa- tion.) That's a horrible result. Our town is facing significant chal- lenges. With provincial and regional governments downloading, you have a right to be concerned about your property tax bill. But I don't think it's enough to just carp about taxes. Your vote does count. This year's municipal elections are on Monday, November 10". Advance polls (watch this paper for details) will be held on Saturday Novem- ber 1 and Wednesday November 5. Please mark your calendar and be sure to vote for the candidate of your choice. Although I've worked on election campaigns in the past, this will be my first try at elected office. I'm sure we'll make some mistakes but ask for your indulgence. We'll get through this together. I look forward to a spirited and energetic contest where new ideas can be brought for- ward for consideration. I trust there will be a candidates' night and ask you to come out to hear and meet the candidates. Not just to listen but to bring forward your concerns with Town government. At federal and provincial levels, the backroom boys set the party platform. With > local government, you can bring issues which affect all of us to the fore! But, as the old saying goes, first you have to show up. Mary and I moved here more than 28 years ago. That was one | of the best decisions we made in our married life. Acton has been a wonderful town to live in and raise our four daughters. Even though our town is going through a ma- jor growth spurt right now, 1 believe we can maintain the friendly, small town atmosphere we have enjoyed all these years. Acton needs strong representation to maintain its unique identity. There are significant problems facing us. I look forward to dis- cussing these with you during the campaign. I've always been an Acton booster. A lot of that comes from being involved in volunteer activi- ties. I always got more back from volunteering than the effort ex- pended. I've been involved with St. Joseph's Knights of Columbus for over 20 years. I served as a member of the Acton Business Im- provement Area (BIA) for 15 years -- two of those as Chairman. At various times I have helped out with the Acton Food Bank, the Acton Agricultural Society, the Acton Figure Skating Club and a short, extremely successful stint as a coach with the Acton Soccer Club. I was also a member for 13 years of the Acton Citizen Consul- tation Committee, an advisory group of citizens to the police, half of that time with Const. Bill Rid- dle. With those experiences as a background I look forward to the challenge of being a councillor. Mary and I ran our own business in town, both wholesale and retail, from 1982 until last summer. Pre- vious to that I held a variety of sales and management positions in cor- porate life. The most recognizable would have been my 12 years with Hallmark Cards where I was a na- tional sales manager. In that capacity I opened hundreds of card shops. I am very familiar with the problems inherent in managing and succeeding in small businesses. Over the weeks to come I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. See you on the cam- paign trail. az.