Chris Lowrey
SHAWVILLE Sept. 18, 2017
Shawville Councillor Bill McCleary has announced his intention to run for mayor of the municipality.
McCleary has served on Shawville municipal council for the last four years, and decided to run for the big job earlier this month.
He said he thinks that the experience he has in municipal politics should make him an attractive candidate for electors.
“I take an interest in it and I think I’m the best person for the job,” McCleary said.
In addition to sitting on council for the last four years, McCleary served as pro-mayor for the entirety of his term, which he said has familiarized him with the ins-and-outs of mayoral responsibilities.
He also said that he has a good relationship with the other councillors, which will make his job easier should he win the race.
“We have a very good council and we get along well,” he said.
But McCleary knows that if he gets the job, there are plenty of tough files to deal with.
“There are more streets that need paving than money to pave them,” McCleary said.
Despite the fact that Shawville’s infrastructure needs are growing, McCleary said the municipality’s finances are in good shape.
As a result, McCleary said that if he is elected, he will push the riding’s federal and provincial representatives for money to help out.
But McCleary said the surplus itself could be the biggest barrier to securing federal and provincial funds. The higher the surplus, the less likely it is for the municipality to get funds from other levels of government.
“It falsely creates the impression that people are overtaxed,” he said.
As a result, McCleary said the town might have to dip into the surplus. If that has to be done, McCleary emphasized that the money would have to be spent “wisely.”
McCleary also pointed to his experience operating Bean’s Service Station in Shawville for 12 years.
“That’s even better experience than municipal politics because it’s your own money that you spend,” McCleary said. “You’re stingy with your own money, so I plan on being stingy with other people’s money.”
McCleary said that one of his priorities if he is elected is to get a sidewalk built on Hillcrest Avenue. McCleary said that many youngsters use this stretch and it needs to be safer for them.
As for his campaign, McCleary said he’s going to keep it sensible.
“I’m not going to shake your hand and promise to do 15 things that I can’t do,” he said.

Caleb Nickerson
MRC PONTIAC Sept. 18, 2017
The race for warden of MRC Pontiac is heating up and another candidate has officially entered the competition.
Linda Davis currently resides in Clarendon and has an extensive resume in both politics and the public service. She has worked in a variety of positions in the federal government, from ministerial liaison officer for the Department of Multiculturalism and Secretary of State to a federal contract negotiator.
In 1994, she took her expertise to public office, becoming the regional councillor for Kitchissippi ward as well as regional chair for what was then known as the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton, representing roughly 26,000 people in her ward and 800,000 in the city as a whole.
“I think I have a very particular set of skillsets that could be very useful at this junction in our history,” she said. “This is the first time there is a directly elected warden so this is an opportunity for the people to have their say and I’m a great believer in democracy.”
Though she has lived much of her life in the nation’s capital, Davis has strong ties to the area and purchased her home in Clarendon in 2011.
“I’ve come from the Pontiac, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, we settled here in the 1820s. I have many, many relatives that are in the area,” she said.
Davis asserts that one of the major advantages of the region is its proximity to a major urban centre like Ottawa.
“I think it’s amazing that we’re beside such an economic giant, in fact, it could be our employment centre,” she said. “We should be shoring up the people that are going back and forth, who are commuters.”
Davis stressed the importance of working with different levels of government to ensure that more money is allocated for local infrastructure and the Pontiac’s main artery: Hwy. 148.
“We need someone who can go in, who’s comfortable speaking in English and French, to the provincial representatives,” she said. “Not just our local representatives, we have to be able to elevate it and take it up and put more pressure at higher levels.”
She also said she would work to attract new residents to the region and strengthen the community ties to the local police force. Davis concluded by emphasizing the importance of working with local officials and stakeholders to strengthen the region as a whole.
“If you’re the head of a regional council, you’ve got one vote. It’s very important that you rely heavily on your team,” she said. “You have to have people that can think outside the box because what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. You can’t put all the blame on the provincial and the federal representatives. The local people have a very strong role to play.”

Chris Lowrey
MRC PONTIAC Sept. 18, 2017
Former Calumet Island Mayor Pierre Fréchette has announced his candidacy for the MRC Pontiac warden position.
Fréchette’s intention to run was known by some a couple of weeks ago but it will be official next week when he completes the necessary paperwork.
Fréchette served as mayor of Calumet Island from October 2016 to May 2017 when he abruptly resigned his post.
He said his decision to run for warden stemmed from a desire to help people in the region.
“I have an interest in serving the folks from the Pontiac and making sure that people feel they have a warden in this position that is dynamic and wants to get things moving,” Fréchette said.
Although he did acknowledge that many mayors on the MRC Council are there for the right reasons, Fréchette called into question others on council.
“During the time they were there, they seemed to have given up on the Pontiac,” he said.
Fréchette’s primary focus as warden would be to get the Pontiac back in good economic standing.
“The Pontiac has had some rough times, if I may say, for a number of years,” he said. “My priority is the economy.”
He plans on consulting with residents who come from all walks of life. Fréchette said that everyone from people in the education system to retail workers to tourism entrepreneurs have valuable input that can help the Pontiac move forward.
He also pointed to his experience as a director of labour relations where he negotiated collective agreements for unions. He said those interactions will help him bridge disagreements and help council come to a consensus.
“People seem to forget that the MRC is a collection of 18 different municipalities,” he said. “So you have to work together to get to a consensus and come up with priorities.”
Fréchette also said that he will be judicious with what he promises to voters.
“I don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver,” he said.
“Some more recent candidates seem to be over-promising elements that don’t fit or have yet to be proven as priorities for the Pontiac,” he said.
Despite the fact that his experience in the political arena is relatively limited compared to the other candidates, Fréchette said he’s not worried.
“I have yet to find a book titled How to Become a Mayor,” he said.