milton election 2006

I can’t say that I’m surprised that the bulk of the emails that I (and I assume most of the other candidates as well) have been receiving recently have been on the proposed Pristine Plant and how we as candidates feel about it.

Here’s just one of those emails from Andrea…
***
Hi,

As a concerned Milton resident (and voter!), I just have a couple of questions regarding the proposal by Pristine Power to build a power plant in Milton.

Are you for or against the construction of a new power plant in Milton? If you are against it, what will you do to stop it from happening? What can residents of Milton do to stop this from happening?

Thanks very much and good luck in the election!

Sincerely,

Andrea

***
This is just one of the dozens of emails I get daily on this issue. Here is my response with some additional comments.

The Pristine Power Plant is something that has got many people in Milton worried because there is a lot of information floating around and has caused a lot of concern. To my knowledge the body that will make the decision on which of the 3 proposals out there belongs to the Ontario Power Authority. Thats the agency of the Ontario provincial government. The decision is expected on November 15th, just 2 days after the municipal election.

Its my understanding that if/when this particular site is approved, it will go through a rigorous public information process where input will be given by the Town of Milton, Region of Halton and of course the residents in the affected area. The Town of Milton is a consultant in this matter but the final decision goes to the Ontario Power Authority and the province of Ontario.

At the final council meeting last Monday, Town Council put forward a motion to oppose the Pristine Power proposal, unanimously. I for oneapplaude them for coming out with such a clear statement. All the facts are not in at the moment and the Town of Milton has a report from Pristine Power for review (its a HUGE document) and was given only 30 days to review. I have been trying to read through the document myself and its quite the chore believe me.

To answer your question on what my position on the matter, its quite simple. I want to make sure that if has to go in, that the public gets a chance to voice its concerns and gets all the information needed on potential health issues that might arise, how it will affect the local economy and the quality of life for the residents (mostly Ward one residents) surrounding this new venture.

I agree with many others that we DO NOT want it THIS close to homes when there is a fully zoned area just north of Milton that would be the Towns ideal location, instead of near homes and farm land. During my campaign over the past few months I have talked about Green Growth and the protection of our natural resources. If there is any proposal out there that goes against this, I will oppose. Plain and simple. If while I’m out knocking on doors and the majority of residents in the area disagree with the proposal, as your elected representative, I will oppose.

There were some public meetings back in September regarding this proposal and they got some public input. As your town councillor I will make sure that your voice is heard at the table when it goes through the approval process. As I have promised since day one of my campaign, I will continue to knock on doors, use my website and my blog as a form of communication. This is all assuming that Pristine Powers proposal is the one chosen.

I, like you, am very concerned about the new power plant and I am looking for as much information as possible. The final decision is not councils to make unfortunately, but we can be a loud voice at the table. If elected I will do my best to ensure the residents of ward one have a voice and that their concerns are heard and acted upon.

Lets hope for the best on this one. If you have any other concerns, please feel free to let me know. I hope to count on your support on Election Day.

Best regards,
Mike Cluett
Candidate, Ward One Town Council
(905) 878-1327 Home
mike@mikecluett.ca
www.mikecluett.ca

There is an information session being held on Monday October 30th at 7:30PM at the Milton Sports Centre. Please take some time to attend and get more information.

Speaking of information, there is an all candidates meeting to be held November 1st at 7PM also at the Milton Sports Centre, run and sponsored by the Milton Rural Residents Association. Click on the MRRA website for details.

Finally there is another all candidates meeting at the Agricultural Museum held by the Halton Compass on November 2nd. Please email me for more information on that as well.

I look forward to meeting you at these events to answer any questions you have of me and to get your input on other issues that affect us in Milton.

On a personal note, it’s Pat’s birthday today and I’d like to wish her a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY and another Thank You for her help in the last few months, keeping me on track, being my biggest supporter and for her paitence throughout the campaign.

I’ll see you at the doors.

Also known as Milton Town Council.

For those who were able to attend last night’s Town Council meeting, you were treated to a show. Talking about 500lb gorillas and bunches of banana’s (yes there were real ones there) and how outraged they were about the proposed Pristine Power plant issue.

It was nice to see some of the other candidates for council attend as well, some the first time in a long time. Attending these meetings on a regular basis has served me well in understanding how the process works and what is involved in beiexperience that will help me in the upcoming term of Milton Town Council.

Back to the show…

They (the councillors involved) waited until the final council meeting before the election to put on a display of outrage, anger, and at some points humour. For those who watch council meetings on TV Cogeco, you’re in for a treat. Some of the comments I heard that this was Councillor Day’s best rant to date. It made me wonder … why haven’t we heard this before?

Why did it take the last meeting of town council to spark such energy and enthusiasm to perform as he did? It must have something to do with his comments that it might be “his last time at the council table” so he probably wanted to go out with a bang.

To sum up last night Milton Town Council officially and unanimously took a stand against the Pristine Power proposal. Where we as a town go from here is unknown at this point, but at least it made for good theatre.

Other things that came up from this meeting is that the Mayor’s Legacy Fund (which last year raised $125,000 ) divided the proceeds to the Milton District Hospital in support of their latest fundraising goals for a CT scanner) and the Trails Advisory Committee as well. It’s nice to see dollars raised go to such great causes, especially the hospital.

And in the spirit of theatre, here’s an email I received just after that meeting.

***

Mike,

I just came back from the council meeting and I don’t know if I should be laughing or crying. The theme of the night from a number of councillors was “please save my job” as the theatrics went overboard! Is this the council we want to represent us that brings bananas into council chambers???

It’s finally nice to see some of our elected officials with a fire underneath them. That fire was caused by a yellow sheet of paper circulated by Rollie Willis and candidates like you who have been doing the job THEY should have been doing for the many years they’ve been on council.

Count me in as one of your supporters. You knocked on my door a couple of months ago and took the time to speak with us. I really like your approach to issues and you’ve given my wife and I a reason to vote FOR you instead of the other candidates.

Good luck for the remaining days of the campaign!

Martin

***

That sums up the reaction from the crowd last evening. Our current councillors, who some stated last night feel they might not be there next time, are fighting for their political lives.

As the email stated, I have been knocking on doors for the past few months to give people a reason to vote FOR Mike Cluett.

I’ve been talking about issues that are important to you…neighbourhood safety, green growth, taxation, and communication.

Since I launched my website back in May I have had over 3000 hits and counting. Many people view my blog on a regular basis, and for that I am very appreciative. Some send me emails of support, some of which I have posted on the blog.

It is very humbling to see the amount of support I am getting on this campaign and I do look forward to serving you as town councillor for the next term.

There will be a MEET MIKE night coming up soon, and the details are being worked out. Once it’s ready, you will be the first to read about it.

I’m off now to continue to knock on doors. There are 20 days remaining until Election Day and it’s even more important now to meet as many of you as possible. If I don’t get a chance to speak with you directly you can always contact me via this blog, email at mike@mikecluett.ca or phone me as well.

I’ll see you at the doors!

Saturday was a very busy day. I was out in the Barclay Circle area with Pat and Anthony (who now has a great ice breaker at the door) “Hi…my daddy’s running for town council” and he hands them one of my brochure with a big smile on his face.

I think he’s got a future in this….lets hope!

Many of the residents we spoke with yesterday were familiar with me because of the stop sign issue at Barclay Circle and March Crossing and it made me feel really good as people remembered the hard work we put into it.

My lawns signs are being put up at an ever increaseing rate and I even have people stopping along the side of the road to pick one up for their lawn. Keep them coming!!!

If you would like a sign for your lawn email me signs@mikecluett.ca to show your support.

Rain seems to have let up a bit, and its back to knocking on doors…22 days to go before election day.

I’ll see you at the doors.

I received a very nice email from Michelle who lives in Ward One.

Hello Mike,

I am just wondering if you can tell me if you would be looking at issues regarding our childrens parks if elected. We spend a lot of time at the parks with our children and we hope that some changes will be made as Milton continues to grow. We live on Barclay Circle and we are definitely in support of you as a candidate that understands our communities needs.
Best of luck on election day.

Thanks,
Michelle

She was one of the many residents on Barclay Circle who helped me with a recent stop sign issue this past summer.

My response…

*****

Hi Michelle,

Thank you very much for your email and your support.

As for parks, I have made that one of my 3 major points on my campaign under Green Growth. I hope to work with future developments to ensure we have enough parks and green spaces for us to enjoy and to provide a safe place for our young children to play.

We have a lot more growth to come and we need a voice on council who will speak up for young families alike to make sure we continue to build communities and not just places to live.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you and I hope to serve as your councillor in the next term.

Take care,

Mike Cluett
Candidate, Ward One Town Council
mike@mikecluett.ca
www.mikecluett.ca

*****

What had happened was the Town of Milton found out there were some stop signs installed by the developer that werent included in the Town’s records and therefore not covered in the towns bylaws. They did some traffic studies and found that the amount of traffic in the intersection didnt “warrant” any stop signs and planned to remove them. They put up a large sign in the area telling people by a certain date these signs were to go.

That didnt sit welll with both myself and many residents in the area. I immediately canvassed several homes and found the feeling was unanimous almost. I had worked with the Town of Milton and made a presentation to one of the committee to see if we can keep the signs where they were. Long story short I made my presentation to council and it was accepted and the signs remained in place.

Here is a link to the Milton Canadian Champion story. I have included the text below.

It seems to be a common thread in this municipal election of the importance of a councillor (or future councillor) to live in the ward they represent. This way they can gain a deeper understanding of the issues they face on a daily basis, because they deal with them as well.

I really do apprecaite your emails of support. While I dont post all of them, they are VERY motiviating to make sure I keep getting out there to visit during the election campaign. Its something that I promised to do when I started and its something that I promise to continue to do as your town councillor before the next election campaign.

If you would like a lawn sign to show your support, email me at signs@mikecluett.ca

I’ll see you at the doors. Heres the article…

All-way stop near park likely to remain
Proposed removal nixed by committee
Melanie Hennessey
Jun 20, 2006

A proposal to remove an all-way stop at the intersection of Barclay Circle and March Crossing was given the red light by a Town committee last week.

The matter went before the community services committee, which decided to go against Town staff’s recommendation and instead support keeping the signage in place.

A report from Director of Engineering Services Paul Cripps explains his staff recently noticed the all-way stop had been put up by the subdivision’s developer. The signs were actually erected several years ago.

Subsequently, staff completed traffic counts at the intersection and, based on those numbers, found the stop signs aren’t warranted. “A review of the three-year collision history at this intersection indicates that there have been no reportable collisions,” the report says.

It goes on to note that, “During the counts, numerous children were observed crossing the roadway to utilize the park and further that they could safely cross as there were adequate gaps in the traffic.”

However, Yates Drive resident Mike Cluett argued that the high volume of children crossing the road means the stop signs need to stay in place.

“During the spring and summer months, the amount of pedestrian traffic increases throughout the day and the removal of these stop signs can pose a risk to the people, mainly children, who use that park,” he told the committee. “

The removal of the stop signs can impose a risk and confusion for children who have now been accustomed to these safety rules that they have learned.”

Cluett, in conjunction with the residents in the area of Barclay Circle and March Crossing, requested that the stop signs remain installed.

Cripps said staff is afraid motorists in the area will begin to ignore the stop signs, creating a dangerous situation if a child assumes the vehicle will stop.

He said he spent an hour at the intersection one day and of the 122 cars he saw, only 56 stopped, 25 made rolling stops and 41 didn’t stop at all.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Day put forward a motion, which the committee endorsed, to retain the all-way stop at the subject intersection. It also supported implementing an all-way stop at the intersection of Bennett and Armstrong boulevards.

The matter will now go before town council for consideration June 26.

Melanie Hennessey can be reached at mhennessey@miltoncanadianchampion.com.

Picked a great night to put up lawn signs. After knocking on some doors I decided to get my hands dirty a bit and a bunch of us put up some signs on supporters lawns and at the key intersections. I think they look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

If you would like a sign for your lawn to show support for Mike Cluett drop me an email at signs@mikecluett.ca

Lets hope this rain lets up a bit.

I’ll see you at the doors.

I received an email this weekend. Many thanks for the support!!!

I’ll see you at the doors.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to send you an email to let you know of one of the candidates for the upcoming election. His name is Mike Cluett, his website is www.mikecluett.ca.

I know him from working on the school council last year, him and his wife helped out with movie nights, etc. They have a son that goes to Hawthorne Village. They also got involved in the portable issues that went on.

He lives in our neighborhood, right on Yates Drive, so he is very familiar with what is going on around this area.

So vote for him! Just kidding, but if you do choose to, great choice!!

Have a great weekend,
Andrea