OPINION Marshall, Bonnette offer best choice

Several weeks ago when the municipal election campaign officially began, we urged residents to find out all they could about the candidates, their platforms, views and plans for the future of this town. As the campaign winds down, we hope voters have heeded our words and done their homework in order to cast an informed ballot Monday, November 13. As is our practice, we will be offering our opinion as to which candidate we, as the leading source of local information in our community, believe is best suited for the job. We do not make this selection lightly, and we do not offer this opinion to influence the electorate. In each edition in this space-- the editorial-- we offer an opinion on the issues of the day that affect the residents of Halton Hills. To remain silent about the individuals seeking to lead this community for the next four years would be shirking our responsibility. Today, we offer our view on who we consider are the best candidates for the job of Halton Region chair and Halton Hills mayor. We will list our choices for the other positions in Friday's (Nov. 3) edition. There are four candidates-- Brian Burton, Gary Carr, Brent Marshall and Robert Plaschka-- running to replace chair Joyce Savoline. Burton dubs himself the "businessman/engineer with the green disposition". Carr is a former provincial Tory MP , turned federal Liberal and now seeks a municipal seat. Marshall is a 30-plus year employee of Halton Region having served the past eight years as Chief Administrative Officer. Plaschka is a Burlington businessman. In our view this is a two-man race between Carr and Marshall as Burton's environmentalist bent (his idea of waiting until 2029 to build an energy from waste facility at the region landfill is simply foolish and short-sighted) and Plaschka is a virtual unknown. Carr has proven to be a political opportunist and with his history of flip-flopping parties we wonder whether he truly has a desire to serve the residents of Halton or simply keep a job in the political arena. Marshall, a longtime Acton resident, offers the best choice for region chair. He has an intimate knowledge of the workings of the Region, is well-connected politically, has been a major front man and behind-the-scenes worker at the Region for many years and as a Halton Hills resident will ensure the needs of this town will not be brushed aside at the regional council table. As for the "race" for the job of Halton Hills mayor there simply is no other choice than incumbent mayor Rick Bonnette who has had a solid first term as mayor and a distinguished 24-year history on council. He has shown to be decisive over the past three years, led the charge to save Georgetown Hospital's obstetrics unit, restored calm to what was a fractious town staff and, when he erred (as in not consulting farmers during provincial Greenbelt Plan discussions), quickly learned from his mistakes. He is passionate about this town, cares about its future and fosters a team concept to council instead of a dictatorship. Challenger Robert Heaton has run an unfocused, bizarre, conspiracy-behind-every-door campaign that is simply not credible.