Problems continue to plague C-R election gŏđŏ
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Claude Vachon occupies the lone seat at one end of a row of tables set up for a meet-the-candidates event for voters Oct. 15 in the Clarence Creek Arena. The evening event saw more than half of the candidates running for a seat on Clarence-Rockland council boycott the forum in protest over the method of its organization. screaming for infrastructure improvements and our fair share.” the Internet either before on Election Day Monday Oct. 27.
Campeau noted that when he was first elected he had a list of things he wanted to achieve for the ward. He listed success in getting repaving of Drouin Road, along with installation of a fire hydrant system, the current rehabilitation work on the Drouin Bridge and street lighting improvements for the neighbourhood schools among his infrastructure accomplishments during the past term. All that work and others, he said, resulted “with the help of the council” and he recip- rocated by supporting development of new residential projects in Rockland. “I will continue to insist that the city’s budget reflect reality,” said Choinière. The Ward 8 incumbent listed among her accomplishments during the past term sponsoring creation of an official develop- ment plan for Bourget to help guide the fu- ture growth of the village and surrounding area, public acquisition of the old Bourget Train Station building for future community heritage use, and creation of a reserve fund for roadwork for the municipality. Choinière listed development of a com- munity sanitary sewer system for the vil- lage core as one of her goals if elected to a second term. She also wants to see a splash pad project for Bourget along with tennis courts to help expand community recreation opportuni- ties. Diane Choinière (Ward 8)
The incumbent mayor ran through the list of accomplishments credited to his past mandate that were part of a mail-out to residents earlier in the year. He noted that Clarence-Rockland needs to “maintain good relations” with the Unit- ed Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) be- cause of mutual concerns with roads and emergency services, but he added that the City can also choose to opt out of the UCPR if council decides that Clarence-Rockland is not getting its fair share of the benefits in return for the property taxes paid to the counties. “When the time comes, we will assess, and either demand more benefits, or sepa- rate,”Guibord said. “But at least we will have tried.” During his speech Guibord attacked his mayoral opponent, Guy Desjardins, and an- other councillor, Bernard Payer, for bullying and disruptive behaviour during the past year of council sessions. “You have no respect for the representa- tives that the majority of citizens have elect- ed,” Guibord said, adding that the opinions of the two councillors has no value. He then said that he himself still has things he wants to achieve during a second term. “I am asking that you (voters) give me a chance to work with the councillors that you will elect,” he said. Another problem with mailing out con- fidential voter information for Clarence- Rockland’s cyber voting system has re- sulted in City Hall scrambling to revamp the balloting setup for people expecting to either phone-in or cast their vote through New voting glitch
The mailout for voter PIN information suf- fered the same problem as the first mailout which handled the voter ID information. The confidential information was visible through the glassine postal address win- dow of some of the envelopes used for mailing the notices to voters. The company the city contracted with for the cyber vote system was supposed to have corrected the original problem with the second mail-out. The original cyber vote system is now sus- pended and an emergency modified setup put in place to try to guarantee the credibil- ity of results for this year’s civic election in Clarence-Rockland. City Hall is now posting a notice on its website and through local media asking voters to go to either City Hall in Rockland or to council chambers at the municipal office in Clarence Creek to cast their votes. They must bring both of their Voter Infor- mation letters with them along with a sepa- rate piece of photo identification. Any eligible voters who have not yet re- ceived their Information Letters must bring proper I.D. with them when they attend at either City Hall or the Clarence Creek mu- nicipal office. Anyone unable to attend either location may designate a proxy voter but must call the municipal clerk’s office, at 613-446- 6022, ext. 2300, for instructions on doing so. Both the City Hall and municipal office lo- cations are receiving voters from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 22 to 26 and from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day Monday. City staff are trying to set up more secure sites and will post updates on the city web- site at www.clarence-rockland.com.
Luc Thivièrge (Ward 6)
“I ask only that you give me a chance,” Thivièrge said to voters in the audience. “I am an honest and transparent person, and I believe in team work.” Thivierge said he wants to improve the rural lifestyle of the smaller village areas in Clarence-Rockland through review of both their short- and long-term needs and then creating an economic development plan that will help to meet those needs “without compromising the country atmosphere,” which might discourage more people from settling in the rural wards. “I hope to inspire future generations to settle their families in a place that they would want to call home.” “My priority is to bring back harmony,” said Levert. The Hammond resident listed a “solid business background” as one of the assets he would bring to council along with his training in building inspection. He said Clar- ence-Rockland’s infrastructure is “suffering” and that the city needs to work with the United Counties of Prescott-Russell to find a long-term solution to the mutual infrastruc- ture concerns of the city and the counties “that will be good for both parties.” Michel Levert (Ward 7)
René Campeau (Ward 7)
Marcel Guibord (mayoral candidate)
“It’s not just one person that does any- thing,” said the incumbent councillor for Cheney-Hammond.
“Even with all the obstacles we encoun- tered,” said Guibord, “we succeeded in do- ing great things for the community.”
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