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A 4 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 15, 2003 Incumbent faces three challengers for Ward 2 region By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Ward 2 local/regional race is shaping up as a campaign between can didates as different as night and day but united in concern for their community. Incumbent Fred Oliver is being chal lenged by teacher David deBelle. real tor David Young and local businessman David Lee. At age 80, Oliver is easily the most experienced o f the four candidates, hav ing served on Town Council for 14 years before moving out of town, only to be re-elected to the local/regional seat in 2000 after a five-year absence. Oakville's Police Chief for 26 years, Oliver founded TOWARF (Town of Oakville W ater-Air Rescue Force) under tragic circumstances in August 1954 after two scouts and a leader drowned during the civic weekend when a sudden storm capsized their craft. Oliver has sat on the Sheridan College (now Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning) Board and the Police Services Board, both for six years. He has also served on the O akville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Board, as well as the many committees that come with the job of councillor. He has been an active Lions Club member and volunteered as gener al chair of the Canadian Open. Even after - or because of - this background. Oliver says that he remains deeply concerned about his town and Fred Oliver decided to seek re-election yet again. "I think I have something to offer," said Oliver, adding that a push for sound planning will be a hallmark of his campaign. Among the issues he sees as impor tant to Ward 2, as well as the entire town, are traffic and transit, such as res idential roads being used as short-cuts off main drags. He also wants to see public transit brought to areas where it currently does not run and to have exist ing service improved. Kerr Street's revitalization is like wise high on Oliver's list, a project which he sees as a long-term endeavor for which he hopes the political will remains steadfast. Infill housing must be in keeping with existing neighbourhoods, contin ued Oliver, who plans to keep an eye on all aspects of north Oakville growth so it does not become a burden on existing taxpayers. David deBelle David Young David Lee busing must be taken into account. Young's focus on transportation issues is nothing new, as evidenced by a speech he made during the Oakville Progressive Conservative nomination process which impressed upon listeners the need for better ways of moving "human traffic." Young - who said most o f his com munity service has been in fundraising - also maintains that no mistakes can be made regarding development surround ing the Trafalgar Moraine. "The first step has to be the right step," he said. David deBelle, 44, has been active politically for years, perhaps most notably as the Oakville Green Party candidate in the 2000 federal election. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Oakville Provincial Liberal Riding Association for which he worked on environmental policy and was policy chair for Kevin Flynn's successful bid to David Young, 54, a commercial real tor who has lived in Oakville for 13 years, said he was energized to run municipally after throwing his hat into provincial politics as a contender for the Oakville Progressive Conservative nomination. He lost that nod but, after talking to countless people, found that the con cerns o f many of them had a distinctly local and regional bent. Approached by friends about running locally, he jumped at the chance. "This seemed like a grassroots place to start," said Young, who has been involved behind the scenes with the fed eral and provincial PC Parties for 30 years and is a director of the Oakville PC Association. In addition to seeing Kenr Street revitalized. Young wants to see trans portation issues brought to the fore. Not just roads must be addressed, he says, but everything from pedal-power to become Oakville's MPP. DeBelle is also a citizen appointee on Halton Region's Waste Management Committee. DeBelle's community activities are split between Oakville, where he resides with his family, and Toronto, where he is a public school teacher in a lower income area. He has been volunteer president of the Taoist Tai Chi Society, Oakville Branch, since 1993 and has been a practitioner for 25 years. It was also for the Tai Chi Society at a Toronto club as well as its health recovery centre in Orangeville - that deBelle helped secure funding to make sure both facilities are handicapped accessible. DeBelle has also been active in his school's sports program for 15 years. "I consider that part of my job." adds deBelle, a Canadian national badminton champ in high school. The decision to run municipally, said deBelle, came after many of the envi ronmental issues he pushed during the 2000 federal election assumed new cur rency locally as voters became increas ingly concerned about Oakville's growth. DeBelle. whose letters to the editor have appeared in the Oakville Beaver and Toronto dailies, then decid ed to try and work from the inside as a councillor. *Tm not a one-issue candidate but we need to end this sprawl-at-all-costs mentality," he said, explaining growth encompasses a host of issues from air quality to gridlock. "Development issues will be really big in my cam paign." While some issues north of Dundas Street have been decided, there are many more, like the Trafalgar Moraine's fate, which demand close attention - espe cially important for future generations, he said. "I don't want to sit back and let my kids' allergies reach the level of asthma." said deBelle, who lists Kerr Street's revi talization and school closings as other issues. David Lee, 59 - who runs his own Business Forms and Systems Company and is the father of two children - was a member of the parents committee that negotiated the establishment of Ecole Ste. Marie and in 1988 founded what is now called St. Andrew's Ministry for Separated, Widowed and Divorced Catholics. In the 1990s Lee also served as chair o f the Group Homes Advisory Committee, one achievement being the establishment o f Bronte's Aberdeen House group home. He has also been involved with West Oakville Ratepayers. Lee - an appellant in the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing on Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 198 for lands north of Dundas street - said one reason he decided to run was the lack of any language in OPA 198 regarding air quality. In addition to his "major' environ mental concerns, Lee said the OMB itself needs a make-over, and to do that he'd like to see that body integrated with the Town's Committee of Adjustment and sit as a Regional board. "We have to find new ways of doing the old jobs," he said. "We need to bring governance back to the people and to the community." Also high on Lee's list is steering away from the privatization of local infrastructure, a danger set in motion by the provincial Progressive Conservative government. To that end, Lee wants to keep Oakville Hydro in the people's hands by having its directors elected by hydro users, not appointed. h ij T r a d in g Pu c es HOME DECOR You d o ill have to be a Millionaire... To shop like one! We sel beautiful upscale new & used furnishings on consignment at a traction of regular prices. Featumg a fine selection of Bedoom Suites, Dining Room. Chandeliers. Tables. Accessories, Wall Units & Amores. Sofas. Fine Art. Children's Furniture, Lamps. Area Carpets. Custom & Estate Jewelery, Garden & Outdoor. Lues indude DeBoers. Gtoard, Thomasvfc. Ethan Alen. 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