mike cluett

It’s an election year!

Mike Cluett

That was the comment I heard most last night at the special council meeting at Town Hall.

The meeting started early yesterday and I missed the first portion of the towns report on the potential changes to the official plan.  That in itself is a large post and I will endeavour to get that up as soon as possible.  You can find information on the official plan from the town’s website here.

The second portion of the meeting was the towns report on the Boyne Survey.  Again, a lengthy post and I will come out with more details soon.  Here is the link to the town’s site for more information.

The item that quite frankly, I thought would be lost in the shuffle was a report from staff on the application for market adjustments in pay for non union town employees.  This category includes town council and if it had passed as written, it would have been the fourth salary increase in four years for town council.  Members of town council are included in this category and according to Mayor Krantz last night, they are caught in a “lose-lose” situation. 

You would’ve had to be under a rock for the last 2 years to NOT notice our economy wasn’t doing so well.  Many people have lost their jobs, and companies were closing their doors including major employers in Milton.  Yet through all of the cut backs and job loses, one industry managed to make MORE money over these 3 years.  The public sector.

Milton CAO Mario Belvedere outlined to the gallery and to council last night the methodology of how these pay increases come about.  A citizens committee reviews the salaries and benefits of similar sized cities and towns in the GTA (when you look the report in detail you will see exactly which ones) and then comes up with an increase for Milton.  Some of these municipalities have increased the salaries of non union employees by over 3 % and some a little lower, so Milton chose 2%.

The idea behind it is employee retention.  The fear of someone quitting the town of Milton and going to work for Ajax or Mississauga is so strong they want to ensure they are paid well to keep the quality of workforce here in town.  Don’t get me wrong…I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. 

The staff at the Town of Milton is top notch and probably the best at what they do. 

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say they should be paid more for what they do.  Unfortunately we are faced with something called an economic reality…the bottom line.

There are those who feel that council members should be paid more for what they do.  Most of them being members of council.  The job of town councillor (of which I am running for) is a part time position but I am under no illusion that it will be part time hours.  My eyes are WIDE open on this.  Dealing with the public, going out to events, answering emails and phone calls takes time.  I work full time, as most council members do, and that keeps me busy.  My two children and wife will also keep me busy, but they understand what I’m doing and are fully supportive.

Town councillors in Milton are among the lowest paid elected officials in Ontario.  Should they get more?  Possibly.  Can we do it now?  Quite frankly, no.

Again, its that nagging little thing called the bottom line that SHOULD stop a lot of spending like this.

Councillor Greg Nelson put forward a motion to pass the 2% increase for non union employees and exempt the increase for town councillors.  This as you would assume caused a lot of discussion.  Jan Mowbraysaid the increase was so small (according to her numbers it amounts to $43 / month) then why bother making the changes.  My response would be, since its so small town councillors wont notice the difference.

Councillor Schau commented that she’s worried that given the lower than the average salary might deter some good candidates from running in the election.  Candidates, like myself, should go into this with eyes wide open.  I’m not looking to run for a part time position for the pay.  That isn’t the motivator behind my candidacy.  If it was then I should just quit.  The salary for the town council position is roughly $27,000 per year (with some of that being tax free).  If someone is running for this job for the salary….they’re running for the wrong reasons.

Its about leadership.  Just imagine if a motion like this was put forward at the beginning of the term?  What would our numbers be like if the 3% from 2008 and the 2.5% increase from 2009 were limited to say 0.75% or 1%?  How much money would the town have been able to save?  “Nickels and dimes”, as they have been described my some members of council over the years, add up.  Would a limited pay increase caused a massive exodus to other towns and cities from staff workers?  Highly unlikely.  But the “nickels and dimes” would have added up to savings.  Voters in town would have seen council take a leadership role and feel that the bottom line was being addressed.  Only a few current council members actually take note of costs of items that pass every month.  It should be the majority of council looking at the bottom line.

With people in the private sector having to deal with salary cut backs and no increases to their salaries, its hard for them to accept the almost automatic pay increases of public sector workers.  This doesn’t help increase their confidence in elected officials.  It’s just one of the factors behind record low voter turnouts the last several years.

As I left someone made an interesting comment saying that no one on council brought up the provincial governments recent freeze on public sector salaries (albeit the provinces “freeze” has more holes in it that a sponge).  Discussion was had on the issue for about 10 minutes and eventually passed and will be finalized at the next council meeting.  This means our current council has only had 3 pay increases in their last term instead of 4.

Regular readers of my blog will know I’ve talked about the other pay increases ad nauseum here and here.

There will be those who say the pay increase was small and wont amount to much, but for me its about leadership and confidence.  My only issue with it, it took 3 years and the fact its an election year to finally bring it out.

Milton needs to elect leaders around the council and we have an opportunity on October 25th to do that.  If you are one who believes it needs to change, it’s up to do get informed, ask questions and get out and vote.  mike@mikecluett.ca if you have any questions.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Enumeration Forms Have Been Mailed

Mike Cluett

Just as a reminder to everyone, if you havent already received them, the MPAC Enumeration Forms have been sent out to homes in Milton.  Some may not receive this form as they are sending it out to people who’s information might be outdated or incomplete from the last time.

This is the form thats used to help update the voters list for the upcoming municipal election on October 25, 2010. 

When you receive the form, you are supposed to verify that all the information is correct such as address, occupancy status and what school board you will be voting for (english / french – public or seperate).  If everything is correct, sign the form and return it to MPAC by June 1, 2010.  If there is any incorrect information, make the changes and send it back to them as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, or if you havent received this form, call MPAC at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722)

Dont miss out on your chance to vote on October 25, 2010!  Have your say!

I’ll see you at the doors.

It’s About Communication

Mike Cluett

This time I put on sunscreen.  I had an opportunity to go knocking on some doors before the Community Services Standing Committee at Town Hall last night and I spoke with some people who live on Barr Cres.

Some people I talked with were “amazed” that I was out this early knocking on doors introducing myself as the election is a few months away (October 25, 2010)  I replied, its what they can expect from me as their town councillor as well.  Although it seems like a daunting task to many, its part of the job that should be done more often.  This is just one way to get people engaged in the community and aware of what is going on at Town Hall.  The municipal level of government touches our lives more directly in many cases that others and residents should know whats going on and how future changes will affect them in both the short and long term.

What were they talking about?

Those who I did speak with brought up their main concerns as safety in our streets.  Almost everyone I have talked to in this area brought up the fact they try to cross the street to the park on the west side of Thompson Road but almost always have to take their cars, because there isn’t a real safe place to walk across.

The Town is working on getting a light set up at Thompson and Louis St Laurent but even that wont help in the short term.  A lot of the residents I’ve spoken with would relish the idea of a crosswalk.  There are some on the west side of Thompson who feel the same way as they need to go to the Metro plaza but again, have to take their cars instead of walking 200 m.  Main reason?  Safety.

I will definitely be bringing this to the attention of the traffic department of the Town of Milton as it seems to be a growing concern.  People should be able to walk across the road instead of taking their cars…it just makes sense.

Another topic that was uniform among everyone I spoke with is communication.  They would appreciate more information from the town.  As Rob told me, that’s what my councillor should be doing.  From when road construction will begin to discussion on official plans its important people stay informed and get involved.

If elected, my pledge is to continue using my website and blog as a communication tool for residents to stay up to date on whats happening.  With the Boyne survey (south of LSL) now in the works, eventually bringing another 55,000 new residents to town, people need to know whats going on and have a say in those plans.

I also ran into Audrey who was out enjoying the nice weather as well who just moved to Milton a few months ago.  “I LOVE IT” is what she told me.  Milton is a great place to live and will continue to be a great place to live.  I introduced her to a great site called The Hawthorne Villager to introduce herself and her family’s business as well.

If you haven’t visited or read through the site, you should.  You will probably find a few of your neighbours online.  Its just another way of bringing our community a little closer together and help continue make it a great place to live.

I’ll see you at the doors.

Mutt Strutting and Sun Burning

Mike Cluett

I had a busy weekend planned  for the family as we had Miranda’s second birthday party at Pat’s hotel (Four Points Sheraton Meadowvale…cheap plug) with family and friends coming out.  Of course she was spoiled with lots of clothes and toys (her favourites being baby strollers and a tea set)  Pat and I spent a good part of Sunday night having tea parties.

The other part of our weekend was yesterday and the Oakville Milton Humane Society put on the first annual Mutt Strutt at the Milton Fairgrounds.  One word can be used to describe the day…success.

The weather looked like it would put a damper on the event but as the morning continued until the afternoon the clouds made way to a sunny, warm afternoon.  Families came out with their pooches to take part in a fundraising effort and to help raise awareness of the local humane society.

For years the society was known as “Oakville & District” which caused quite a bit of confusion for us as Milton was always part of the district, but many people didn’t know it was.  They have changed their name to Oakville and Milton Humane Society and with this event, helped people realize what exactly it does.

There were so many dogs of all kinds, shapes, colours and breeds that lined the fairgrounds.  The registration table was lined with people and their pledge forms and some of the totals were staggering.  I cant wait to see how much they did raise.  Halton MP Lisa Raitt, Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh, Mayor Gord Krantz and Regional Councillor Colin Best kicked off the event and led the group of dogs in either the 5k walk or the shorter one around the fairgrounds.

The food was amazing as the ever popular Troy’s Diner was there with hamburgers, hot dogs and other tasty deserts. Troy’s large inflatable COKE bottle was the first thing most people saw and hearing comments from people walking in, “HEY, Troy’s here!”  You haven’t had a burger until you’ve had a TROY’S burger.

The walk wasnt the only part of the day as there were demonstrations from professional and amatuer dog owners showing off their canine tricks, like frisbee catching and dancing.  The day could only be described as a success by those who attended.  Speaking with a lot of people there, I heard that they cant wait for next year.  A big congratulations goes to the organizers of the event…well done.

Taking advantage of the great weather, Anthony and I decided to head out and go door knocking on Freeman Trail…until he ended up at his friends house.  Then I lost my volunteer because in his words “this is more fun Dad”

With the good weather I was able to talk to a lot of people  who were working on their cars, cleaning out their garage, or just sitting on their porch reading  a book.  Most people I did speak with were shocked that I was out early in the year, seeing how the election is in October.  There are a lot of homes to visit and Ive been getting an early start on the campaign trail.  My commitment is to knock on every door in the ward personally and speak to as many voters as possible.

Its not just for the election, as one of my campaign promises is to continue to visit the doors in between election campaigns.  There are a few people from residents to political vetrans who think thats a tall order but its part of the game and what our elected officials SHOULD do on a regular basis.  In many cases, your councillor and local level of government has the most impact on our day to day lives from by laws, property taxes and other services.  Your councillor should be accessible and most times are peoples first phone call. 

Some of the issues that were brought up during the day was traffic problems at Louis St Laurent and Thompson Road and the need for some kind of cross walk near the Metro plaza so people on both sides of Thompson Road can safely cross the street.  Traffic lights at LSL and Thompson Road are in the works and staff are doing counts to make sure they can make that intersection a safe one.  In order for it to happen, we need to keep up the pressure and your council representative needs to speak out on your behalf.

During that part of the afternoon I got ready to go home with a few future lawn sign locations and some commitments from people that they will indeed come out to vote for me on election day.  Their support is humbling and I look forward to speaking with more as the months, weeks and days go on.

The one thing I did forget during the day was sunscreen as Anthony and Pat reminded me when I got home.  My head, face and arms were quite red and I didnt feel it until later in the evening.  Must remember to keep some in the car.

Over the next day or so, I will endevour to get some pictures of the event posted for my site.  Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Election Information

Mike Cluett

I just finished updating my Election Information page for the municipal election.

Among those changes are the date.  The elections were normally held in November (usually the second Monday of the month) but thats been changed to the new date of…

MONDAY OCTOBER 25th, 2010.

There were a number of reasons behind the change as to make the voting hours happend during Daylight Savings Time, and to avoid the hustle and bustle of Halloween as well.

As I have previously posted, there are changes to the ward boundaries as well as how your councillors will be elected.  Milton has gone from a 4 ward / 2 councillors per ward system to an 8 ward / 1 councillor per ward system.

If we apply these changes to the last election, Rick Day only would have been elected for our ward, while Brian Penman and myself would not have made it.

While knocking on a few doors recently, I discovered close to 80% of of those I spoke with were NOT aware of the changes and didnt know who their current councillor was.  Voter turnout is always an issue with the last few elections showing a disturbing trend of going down each year.

Lets try to make 2010 buck the trend and have more people vote…more people engaged in the system and being involved in the process.  Email me mike@mikecluett.ca if you want to know more about getting involved in this years municipal election.

I’ll see you at the doors.

New ward system in Milton

Mike Cluett

I had a chance to attend the open house of the Milton Toastmaster’s Club last night and it was quite a success.  Not only were there lots of current members there, but also a large number of interested people, like myself, to see what it was all about.

It was a great event and it was capped off with a presentation by Gary Mull about how to be not just an acceptable speaker, but an exceptional speaker.  As someone who is in the sales profession, I always keep my mind open to new ways to make presentations even if some of the ideas and skills I already have.  The more you hear about them the more chance of you using them are.  I like to call them the “a-ha” moments.

If you were ever curious on what the Milton Toastmasters are all about, I urge you to attend their meetings as a guest (every Tuesday night at the Royal Canadian Legion in Milton from 7:30pm to 9:30pm).  You will be surprised to know who members of the Toastmasters were in the past.

While waiting for Gary to speak I had a chance to introduce myself to a few people there and some recognized that I was running for council.  Inevitably the question comes up…which ward?  I proceed to tell them Ward 6 and I’m usually met with a “huh-like” stare.  For years Milton has been divided into 4 wards with two councillors in each ward representing them.

Recently the ward boundaries in Milton have been changed becoming effective for the 2010-2014 term of council.  This isn’t the first time I have run into people not knowing where ward 6 or any ward for that matter.  Outside the original news story about the changes, nothing has been said since about the changes by the Town of Milton.  I think the Town of Milton staff needs to do a better job in educating voters on the changes as much as possible.  Before you know it, election time will be here and people will be scrambling to figure out where they are and how to vote.

This past January a number of candidates, including yours truly, made the trek to Town Hall to file our nomination papers to become candidates in this election.  So far there are close to 20 people who will be asking Milton voters for their support over the coming months to represent them around the council table.

In the past couple of weeks, I have also had a chance to take advantage of the nice weather and knock on a few doors in our ward to introduce/reintroduce myself as the candidate for the area.  I was actually taken aback as to how many people remembered me from 2006 and even further still, how many people had my old magnet on their fridge almost 4 years later.  If you’re a parent of a kid in school, magnets are a must.  Stay tuned for that.

I also found most of the people I spoke with didn’t have a clue about the ward changes or which ward they lived in.

What ward do you live in?  Do you even know that the wards were changed?  Every one in town seems to know about the Milton Sports Centre expansion and the speedy design and construction of the arts & entertainment centre (that’s a discussion for another time) but hardly anyone knows what ward they live in or who their councillor is.

Part of the responsibility of the candidates for election is to educate the voters on where they live, which ward they will be voting in and (hopefully) garner their support and vote on Election Day.

I will be doing more entries as the days/weeks/months go on reminding people that things have changed for this election, thanks to the provincial government, which include a new date for the election.

October 25, 2010.  Mark that date in your calendar, as I have of course, as the date for the next municipal election.

I am running for the local council position for Ward 6 which is encompassed by the following boundaries.

NORTH:  DERRY ROAD

SOUTH:  BRITANNIA ROAD

EAST:  FOURTH LINE

WEST:  THOMPSON ROAD

If you click here, you will see the map of Ward 6.  If you live within this boundary, I am your candidate for council.  There are other positions you can vote for (regional council, public/separate school board trustee, mayor, regional chair) but more on that later.

If you want to see the ward boundaries for the entire Town of Milton you can visit www.milton.ca and find out where you live, and which ward you live in.

I’ll see you at the doors!

***UPDATE*** Laura Steiner from the Halton Compass has a Milton oriented blog as well.  She recently did a posting on the ward boundary changes thats a good read too.  Thanks Laura!

http://miltonviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/follow-changing-ward-boundaries.html