December 13, 2024 Stratford Times CONTINUED FROM FRONT “This year will be an exciting time as administrative staff settle into this new space. I’d like to thank county staff for their continued hard work, dedication and patience, particularly during the construction.” Kellum thanked each of the four delegates who wished him well in his new position before he took his oath of of- fice. Those delegates included Perth-Wellington MP John Nater, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae, Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and St. Marys Mayor AI Strathdee. “T’m proud of the relationship we have with Perth Coun- ty,” Ritsma said, congratulating Kellum ahead of his of- ficial appointment as warden. “I think about the shared ueements that we have that are a benefit to our residents oth a benefit with regards to the services they provide and the cost efficiencies. . e do have challenges and I think collectively we need to continue to work with our federal and provincial counterparts to meet the needs of our residents in Stratford and Perth County ... whether Foe housing, homelessness, infrastructure costs, or polic- nel want to congratulate Rhonda Ehgoetz as the former warden for her tremendous leadership and certainly her strong leadership throughout the county,” Strathdee said during his remarks. “ ... Congratulations to the new war- den and ... we looking forward to continuing to work to- 519-949-1080 L PARR. 3982 Perth Line 26 PLUMBING HEATING RMECHANICAL.COM St. Pauls gether to make the region better.” All four delegates expressed their condolences over the recent passing of Perth South mayor and former Perth County Warden Jim Aitcheson, who died after a brief battle with cancer on Nov. 21. Kellum also spoke about the impact Aitcheson had on him while working together on county council. “Jim was a wonderful colleague to have on council and he will be deeply missed by all,” Kellum said. “He served in this role as warden of Perth County for three years during the pandemic, which were some of the most challenging times we’ve seen in our region. I learned a lot from watching him and I hope I can live up to the hard work of Jim and all the past wardens who have served in this role before me. West Perth deputy mayor Dean Trentowsky also took his oath of office as the 2025 deputy warden during the warden’s election after being acclaimed to the position. Trentowsky was appointed by West Perth council to serve on Perth County council in 2022. During the election ceremony, president of Perth County’s Past Wardens Association and Perth County Coun. Bob Wilhelm presented Ehgoetz with her second past-warden pin marking the end of her second term as warden. The election of Perth County’s warden and deputy war- den is held annually. County councillors were given an opportunity to put their names forward for the positions at their Nov. 7 meeting. As only Kellum put his name for- ward for warden and Trentowsky put his name forward for deputy warden, both were acclaimed to the positions and an actual election was not held. In previous years when two or more candidates from county council have put their names forward, a vote of county council is held during the warden’s election cere- mony to appoint both positions. : i ROYAL LEPAGE Ene Si. Swattora UIUUULINNAAAAL LAN North Perth deputy mayor acclaimed as Perth County warden for 2025 COUNTY WARDEN (PERTH 4 COUNTY PHOTO) North Perth Mayor Doug Kellum was’acclaimed as Perth County warden and West Perth deputy mayor Dean Tren- towsky was acclaimed as deputy warden at the annual Perth County Warden Election Dec. 5. pon’ BN STRATFORD 646 e 1 know the paper is free, but can 1 get a subscription anyways?” Yes. We understand that some people might like the convenience of the Stratford Times arriving at their home (located near or far) through Canada Post, so we do have subscriptions available for this purpose. The price for a subscription is $51.43 + GST = $54.00 To subscribe, please e-transfer granthavenmedia@gmail.com and include your full mailing address in the comments, or send a cheque with mailing address to Grant Haven Media, PO Box 2310, St. Marys, ON N4X 1A2.