The Reflection of the Election

The purple haze that had filled my brain has slowly subsided from the landscapes of Caledon. Election signs have been picked up, blue boxes are filled with leftover brochures and those pricy little purple discs I'm quite sure have been turned in to some sort of useful household item such as drink coasters or better yet turned in to pretty little Christmas ornaments to be hung up on our holiday trees. The twinkle lights would catch the silver side of them so beautifully. This is the reflection of the election we've just survived.

The positive in this election was that voter turnout was up. Yup, apathy took a small kick in the ass and the electorate increased the voter turnout by about 12%. That's the good news. The other good news was that the people told its council that they wanted them to stick to the plan. The plan that Mrs. Groves continually insisted didn't really exist or at least, in her mind, needed to be taken back to square one. I for one am grateful that cooler heads prevailed on this. I do believe, though, that protecting the growth plans for Caledon, both residential & commercial, will be an ongoing battle. With highways such as the 410 and the 413 cutting their swaths into Caledon, and with Brampton heavily leaning up against the precious Mayfield Road divider, there will be constant pressure for development.


Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying slam the door shut because that is a completely unrealistic pipe dream. What I am saying is that those who develop here should do so, respecting our official plan and the residents who chose to stand by it. In Caledon we have the best of both worlds, the mix of urban and rural, each must learn to value the other. The next four years will be interesting and important for the future generations of Caledon to come.

So what now?

Well first off, it'd be great to see this council pass a bylaw with respect to election signage. Election signage is a blight. There must be a way to bring this sign silliness under control. This would also level the election playing field more as the signage is one of the single largest election expenses. Expecting to ban all election signage is an unrealistic expectation on my part. I think though, this suggestion I have made is practical and should be given serious consideration by this incoming council.

Next, in an earlier blog I had made the suggestion about the inception of a Caledon Board of Trade. The Caledon Chamber of Commerce is so dysfunctional and their relationship with the town is undoubtedly compromised. When Caledon chose to give the Small Business Centre contract over to the Caledon Community Services (which was a brilliant decision), that to me, was the beginning of the end of any viable relationship between the town and the Caledon Chamber Pot. I had a good look over the membership list of the chamber and I was surprised to see how many of their members actually aren't even businesses located here in Caledon. I truly believe that the Chamber needs desperately to clean out its closets and morph itself into something more useful and functional, not only in their partnership with the town but also for its membership and do what it is intended to do.

We'll also wait patiently for the recount in my home Ward 5 between Kevin Junor and Rob Mezzapelli. I believe though that the count will stand firm and Bolton will have the representation it is supposed to finally have and very much deserves. As for the interview Mister Junior gave in the Enterprise I have a couple of comments to make. Character assassination sounds so James Bond meets Maxwell Smart. Then again KJ is a military kinda dude so I guess its a natural reaction on his part to think there was subversive activities on election day. Anyone who actually believes that some subterfuge organization like KAOS or MI6 managed to swoop down on election day and in a matter of a couple of hours managed to change the vote outcome is just one purple disc over the line. Perhaps KJ should have spent his lunch money eating in Baffo's here in Bolton where he was running in and not over in Caledon East on election day.

And what's up with that Tom Dolson? The guys been swinging his proverbial election machete on Allan Thompson since January and now in his blog he writes "First and foremost I would like to congratulate Councillor Allan Thompson on his re-election. Allan and his family have been long time friends of the Dolson family. I am sure that for the good of Ward 2, and all of Caledon for that matter, we will be able to set aside our differences and work collaboratively." This is coming from a guy who sends his Mother-in-law out to check traffic at the 410 & Valleywood off ramps. A real charmer.

So now I wait to see who it is that told me they were going to deal with me after the election. After all Mr. Clean said he was coming for me, win or lose. Funnily enough I haven't heard much from him but my email box has been filled with some real heart warming words from the stale dated Cupcake who is none to happy with me. Oh these emails are just beauts! Her scribing are words that truly come from the heart kind of sentiments. Perhaps Mrs. Groves should consider a post political career in writing Hallmark cards. Her first customer could be Tom Dolson who will be in need of some lovely Mother's Day cards.

Things will settle down soon enough. Most importantly though the people of Caledon made it very clear to their council that they are to stay the course. Thank you Caledon. Ok, time to get the craft box out. There are Christmas decorations to be made and cupcake icing to scrape up off the landscape.