The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 17, 2014 | 6 Oakville voters have lots of choice in this municipal election with 68 candidates vying for positions on local school boards, Town and Regional councils and, of course, the mayor's of ce. Oakville remains a wonderful, `livable' community full of opportunities and with a bright future. Yes, there are issues and you have told us there are plenty. They include airplane traf c over the north end, those who say taxes have gone up when separated out of the total regional tax picture, a struggling downtown, and hotspots in Bronte, speci cally Bronte Village Mall parking and the Wyecroft Road crossing over Bronte Creek to Burlington. Mayoral incumbent Rob Burton says he has these items on his radar for action and has proved himself on other issues, such as increases in local recreation facilities, green space, tree canopy and transit. Most residents appear happy with snow removal, road maintenance and other levels of service. Challenging Burton are Gordon Brennan, Mary Kennedy, John McLaughlin and Greg Warchol. None has any record on council and that is an issue for us. Kennedy presents as the grassroots voice of local residents. Warchol is a lobby voice against uoridation of the water. Brennan offers an apparently balanced approach with a call to negotiate, not litigate. McLaughlin has spent much of his campaign challenging Burton. Whether you agree with his leadership style or not, Burton has a track record in the mayor's of ce -- something none of the other candidates offer. That doesn't mean they wouldn't be effective in the role, it's just we believe holding a council seat rst is an important step before aiming for the mayor's of ce. It's easy to be an armchair critic, but much more difcult to roll up one's sleeves and get to work. Many voters aren't familiar with the challengers, who have not mounted extraordinary campaigns that would turn them into household names. Burton hit the campaign trail hard. His hefty bid for the mayor's of ce demonstrates his unwavering interest in the town. He has a track record and voters know him. We believe Oakville residents would be best served by re-electing Burton based on his experience at the table. However, we'd offer that Burton should take notes from this election. There are challengers, indicating that people are unhappy with the status quo. There is a very important role to the mayor's job and that is working with people -- consensus building. It is key to nd a way to work with people in all circumstances. The issue that has caused the most acrimony with Burton's detractors is his way of doing business, albeit business-like and brimming with political savvy. This election may present the greatest change and challenge to Burton. For despite advancing a slate of incumbents with whom he can work on council, it's uncertain whether all incumbents will be successful in their bid to return to their positions. Should there be new faces around the council table, we would hope the business of the town can still be advanced positively and all work together. Editor's Note: At the end of election day, we all owe each candidate a vote of thanks for running, for caring enough about our great town to work for it, for us, to make it better. Now, don't forget to cast your ballot Oct. 27. Our endorsement Editorial T E C H S A V V Y S E N "Connected to your Community" I O R S 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 118 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS A group of tech-savvy seniors from the Colborne Computer Club at the Sir John Colborne Seniors' Centre visited Oakville's Javelin Technologies for a demonstration of 3-D printing and 3-D animation this week Pictured here, from left, John Brown and Alison McLaughlin of Javelin speak to the club members. | photo by James Hoggett ­ special to the Beaver Advertising Director DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Re: Air traf c top concern in Ward 5, Oakville Beaver, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 I am disappointed. But I am hopeful. I am disappointed with the way press releases are being issued during the election campaign. (Last) week there were two such announcements from the Mayor's Of ce regarding idle development sites and airplane noise. While the issue of the lack of action at Bronte Village Mall is very real, I can't recall a time during my term on council when a press release was issued when council asked for a report. We normally wait until a decision is made and action will be taken. While I fully support the intent of the request for report, I do question the timing of the press release. The issue of airplane noise is another very real and important concern. The issue impacts the ability of Oakville residents to live in peace and quiet. I know it is an issue that has frustrated many because the skies are regulated by the federal government and dealing with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (federal) has been challenging for them. But why didn't council appoint a task force on the issue ­ composed of councillors and citizens to report back to all of council? The mayor's press release references success achieved in Richmond, B.C. The City of Richmond created a Citizens Advisory Task Force to report to their council on the issue. Incumbent compelled to respond to story Letter to the Editor SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution The mayor's press release announced a MAG (Mayor's Advisory Group) on the issue. A MAG does not report to council only to the mayor. As a councillor, I do not see these MAG reports. This issue is one where we should follow Richmond's lead with a task force that provides information to all of council and the public. I am disappointed that voter turnout is normally so low for municipal elections. Voters have become cynical about politics in general, and these recent actions by the mayor only serve to make people more cynical. But I am hopeful that Oakville residents will see past the politics and take the time to inform themselves about the issues in the campaign before casting their ballots. At the recent Oakville Chamber of Commerce 60th annual Chair's Dinner, Peter Mansbridge, CBC Chief Correspondent said, "It's usually the municipal level that gets the lowest turnout rate and yet the issues that municipal governments deal with are more connected to individuals' lives than any other level of government. Every election is a very important time. It's our basic right as individuals living in a democracy. We get to vote in and out the people that we think will do well for communities." I am hopeful Oakville residents will follow Mr. Mansbridge's advice and vote for those who will do well for our community. Pam Damoff, Oakville Town Council incumbent Ward 2 CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.