miltonlifestyle.com

Happy Canada Day Milton

Mike Cluett

Thank you to everyone who came out to the annual Veterans Breakfast at Victoria Park this year.  Every year the Knights of Columbus hosts a pancake breakfast in honour of our veterans.  Its not just on Remembrance Day that we honour those who have fought for our country, those who returned and those who didnt, and it couldnt have been a more perfect day to do so.

MPP Ted Chudleigh (pictured here) as well as Halton MP Lisa Raitt joined members of council Mayor Gord Krantz, Clr’s Greg Nelson (who did some of the cooking) Colin Best, veteran Rick Malboeuf and myself to honour those brave heroes, who without their efforts we wouldnt be able to stand proudly and celebrate our freedom that many take for granted.

After the breakfast there was a brief remembrance ceremony at the cenotaph followed by a parade of veterans leading us to the gates of the Milton fairgrounds.  It was heartwarming to see the support of the community as they marched along with the veterans, applauding them and thanking them for their service.

We then assembled by the bandstand where those in attendance (including myself) reaffirmed our oath to Canada.  Normally there would be a swearing in ceremony for new Canadians, but this year its been done regionally and not locally.

After the formalities concluded, people by the dozens lined up for a piece of Canada Day cake and cupcakes to start off what was to be an amazing Canada Day in Milton.

Another big THANK YOU goes to the crew who organized the days events.  I know many of them personally and many, MANY hours went into preparation for this day and they should be thanked over and over for a wonderful day.  Great job!!

Milton Town Council Salary Increase

Mike Cluett

Last night Milton Town Council approved a citizens committee & staff recommendation to increase the salary of councillors by $5000 to be phased in over a three year period.  First third retroactive to Jan 1, 2012 and the other two thirds on Jan 1, 2013 and Jan 1, 2014.

As Ive stated many times as private citizen, and here again, and then as a candidate for public office and as an elected official, I am not in favour of increasing our salary for the current term.  There was a motion put forward by myself and Councillor Rick Malboeuf last night asking for an amendment to the recommendation to in essence “defer” the increase until the next council.  This way our current council wouldn’t benefit from a decision like this and be as transparent as possible.

This motion was voted down 8-2, with myself and Rick Malboeuf being the only to support the amendment.

You can follow some of the discussion happening on the Hawthorne Villager here.  Many on that forum are in support of such an idea, and oddly enough some of my fellow councillors, while they were private citizens, agreed with me.

Now dont get me wrong.  The increase is small in the grand scheme of things.  I do believe that politicians at all levels should be paid fairly for their work.  There are some days I joke to myself “they dont pay me enough” but I knew that going into this job.

The process was designed to “take the politics out of it” but as council raised their hands to increase their own pay, politics jumped right back in.  I have informed the HR department of the Town of Milton to not apply the salary increase to my pay.  Its a choice I made last year at this time, when no other councillor did the same.  I haven’t accepted a pay increase because I feel so strongly that we shouldn’t be doing so.  You can see in the chart below that my salary for 2011 was the same as in 2010.

This amount is small $5,000 per councillor but amounts to a 17% pay increase for us.  Granted its phased in over 3 years but it still amounts to the same.

What each councillor decides to do is up to them.  I have been consistent through this process from day one and I plan on continuing to be consistent with my belief that this is YOUR money and we should treat it as such.

Now if I chose to run for the next election in 2014, I will accept the salary as it is.  I will let the voters decide whether or not I deserve an increase in pay.  That’s how it should be done.

I’d appreciate your feedback and comments here or on Twitter at @Mike_Cluett

I’ll see you at the doors.

Optimist Walk In The Park

Mike Cluett

Happy Fathers Day everyone!  I hope all the Dads, Grand Dad’s the Dad’s to be had a great time on Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, it was the first annual Optimist Club Walk in the Park in Milton and it was a great success.  Many people came out to enjoy the great weather and the fun activities as well.  There was some cricket for those willing to try…tougher than it looks folks…some great races for the kids, playground and splash pad as well as one of the newest Toronto Blue Jay (and Milton’s own) Nathan DaSousa was on hand to toss the ball around and help kids with some baseball skills.  Councillors Colin Best and Rick Di Lorenzo also attended and had a great time.

Many thanks to the organizers of the event (Kim, Joanne, Steve, Angelo et all) for putting on a great time for the kids AND the Dad’s as well.  Looking forward to next year being even bigger!

 

Administration & Planning Standing Committee Meeting June 18 2012

Mike Cluett

This coming Monday night June 18th will be the Administration & Planning Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall starting at 7pm.

This Committee consists of five Councillors and the Mayor. Committee members review all reports, formulate policy and make recommendations to Council on matters over which Council has authority under the Municipal Act, the Planning Act and other legislation. Recommendations are made in the areas of corporate administration, personnel, legal issues, planning and finance.

The Administration and Planning Committee reviews the operating and capital budgets as well as various financial matters affecting the Town of Milton.

The agenda for the meeting can be found here.

Some of the highlights include:

As always you can watch online on Monday night at 7pm.  If you have any questions or comments for any of these reports, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca

First Annual Indulge Event At Halton Region Museum

Mike Cluett

With the sun coming down on a very warm Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people went to the Halton Region Museum (after a long line up to Kelso Park) to attend the first annual INDULGE event in support of the Milton District Hospital Foundation.

Those in attendance were able to sample food from dozens of local restaurants and wine vendors as music was played on the patio.  It was an amazing event and well organized.  Many thanks goes to the leadership of the MDH Foundation for putting on a wonderful event which I am sure, based on the attendance, will become a regular event.

I cant wait to hear how much money was raised including a number of fantastic items on the silent auction table.  The Halton Region Museum was a perfect location for this event and if you haven’t been able to visit before, I highly recommend you do.  Its a wonderful place with a lot of history.

Again, many thanks to the organizers Helen, Sonya, Anne and everyone else involved.  It was a perfect day and I cant wait for next year.

If youre on Facebook you can view some pictures from Localize Magazine (while youre there, give it a LIKE)  Some great times for a great cause.

Milton Strawberry Fair June 23rd

Mike Cluett

Its that time of year again folks. The best combination is summer time and strawberries.

On June 23rd will be the 32nd annual Strawberry Fair at the Milton Fairgrounds in support of the Milton District Hospital Auxiliary.   For more details you can visit this page.  Thousands of people attend every year for some strawberries and ice cream as well as sample from vendors across the region.

Fun for the whole family – bouncy castles, games, prizes, baking, vendors marketplace, rides, entertainment, strawberries, ice-cream, shortcake and daiquiris all day!

Strawberry pancake breakfast by The Optimist Club of Milton

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience one of Milton’s great traditions and make sure you attend this years Strawberry Fair in support of the Milton District Hospital.