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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,August 17, 2010 OPINION Candidate shortage With less than 30 days remaining for candidates to register to run in this fall's municipal election, there's a disturbing absence of willing participants at both of Halton's school boards. At the Halton District School Board, 11 trustees are to be elected on Monday, Oct. 25 -- four each in Burlington and Oakville, two in Milton and one in Halton Hills. Since candidate registration opened in January, only 10 people have put their names forward for consideration-- three each in Oakville and Burlington and two each in Milton and Halton Hills. The picture isn't any brighter at the Halton Catholic District School Board, where another nine school trustee positions are to be elected, but only eight candidates have emerged-- three in Oakville, two each in Burlington and Milton and one in Halton Hills. If the election were held today, Oakville would have two vacant seats and six acclaimed candidates, while Burlington would have two vacant seats and five acclamations. Milton would record two acclaimed trustees, while Halton Hills would have one trustee elected unchallenged. So, what's at the root of all this apathy? Could the modest annual trustee remuneration of about $13,000 at the public board and $11,000 at the Catholic board-- slightly more for the chair and vice-chair positions-- plus a small constituency budget be driving good people away from what can amount to a full-time job? Or, perhaps it's the sense that ever since the Province grabbed greater control over education's purse strings, trustees feel powerless to effect the changes that matter most to the community that elected them. There is also a third explanation. It's possible that in our increasingly hurried lives, fewer citizens feel strongly enough about the importance of education to actually step up and help make the system better. For our kids' sake, we hope that's not the case in Halton. However, if no more candidates register, then the school boards-- and Province-- will have some explaining to do. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Do you agree with the Ontario government's decision to get into the online gambling business. · Yes (20%) · No (72%) · Not sure (7%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Halton Hills a `desirable' place Dear editor, I was bemused by William Kelley's July 20 letter (Acton resident questions move). First of all, if Mr. Kelley was shocked to see that Achilles Mazda had moved, then he apparently has not been paying attention to the local media in his chosen "small town". The intended move has been reported and known about for months. From my point of view, the absence of a car dealership in Acton is not a problem. I don't know whether that particular dealership was a successful one, but it was clearly seriously congested and frankly I found it to be something of an eyesore. More notably, Mr. Kelley states that he moved to Acton five years ago looking for a small town in which to raise a family. If he wants a small town environment, why then would he complain about the greenbelt restrictions that will tend to keep Acton that way? As a 42-year resident of Halton Hills (Georgetown, Glen Williams, and now Acton), I have never felt that our taxes, service level, and treatment from the Region, were problematic. Nor do I think that most long-term residents in these communities, as well as in Limehouse or Norval, have any concerns about the spectre of a "ghost town". Halton Hills has become a highly desirable part of the GTA as local Realtors seem to be quick to confirm. If Mr. Kelley decides to rectify his mistake by leaving, I suggest it will be his loss. Allan Ewing, Acton Smith played an integral part of the growth and community spirit that we now enjoy. It would be fair to include him as part of the Cedarvale history and at least give an honourable mention to the man who gave much to this town. Derrick Williams, Georgetown Businesses `great' Dear editor, I would like to say how great the businesses in Georgetown are. While recently babysitting my grandchildren, I was able to take them to a free community barbecue on Saturday and the Big Daddy Festival on Sunday. We all had a great time at both events and I thank all who made it such a fun family time. Gloria Buckley and family Georgetown Ex-mayor had vision Dear editor, The June 28 article about Cedarvale Park now becoming a heritage site was nicely done. However, you failed to give credit where credit is due. I was surprised that the original history of how Cedarvale Park was purchased was not important to print. Bill Smith, former mayor of Georgetown, not only had a vision for growth, but was the mastermind behind purchasing Cedarvale Park. He had a keen ability to envision future growth and needs for this community. Despite some opposition, he lobbied to purchase the property for $80,000 and had friends clear and cut the grass so that Georgetown children had a place to play. Mr. Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. MPP's support `odd' Dear editor, I find it odd that MPP Ted Arnott, among others, was there to celebrate the opening of the new licensing office while he possibly did nothing to either support the existing dealer or stop another local long-term business from being forced to close. If so, bravo to our local PC MPP. Paul Madonia, Georgetown The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.