Councillor says it’s time to step up
Doug Measures is running for mayor.
The Clearview Township Ward 1 councillor has represented the Nottawa area at the council table for 12 years.
“It’s time,” he told The Echo Wednesday.
“I believe I have done lots of great things for the residents of the Ward 1 area, and all of Clearview, and it’s time to step up and try for the seat of mayor,” said Measures.
When asked what he would like to accomplish if elected, Measures said he thinks the township is moving in the right direction.
“Leadership is a key thing for the council to move forward and I think we need to create a better relationship between public participation and council’s decisions than we have done in I’d say the last eight years at least. It’s going to be a different council term if I am elected, that’s for sure,” he said.
Measures said he would change the way the meetings are run. He said a focus would be on engaging the public and if the public won’t come to the council meetings, he as mayor, and council would go to them.
He would use a less formal setting to attain an understanding of what it is the community wants.
“We make decisions currently and then we get second guessed by citizens and that’s not very effective. We need better communication with the public so that they know that council is working for them,” said Measures.
When asked what initiatives he would spearhead, Measures said he would continue to foster the relationship with MPP Jim Wilson, who is now Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade in the new Doug Ford provincial Progressive Conservative government.
“The municipality has been served very well by Jim Wilson and now we have an opportunity to make some positive impacts on our community by working with the province,” said Measures.
He made mention of last week’s decision by Ford to scrap the $100 million Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund earmarked for school repairs saying, “ I want citizens to know I am going to be very vocal about keeping SCI as a viable high school in our community. It needs to be supported and… as our community grows we are going to need that high school to grow along with it.”
Measures said he also supports the expansion of the Clearview transit system to the rest of the township.
“While it has had some moderate growth, I believe it is time for the bus to operate across the entire township,” he said.
He wouldn’t commit to saying money should be spent to expand the service but would look for solutions to make it work, and would consider it a good investment in the community as a whole.
In terms of the revitalization of downtown Stayner, Measures is supportive of the plan but says Highway 26 traffic needs to be addressed, something to help the downtown business community.
Measures said he has been considering a move for the past year and has been thinking about it seriously since March but he wanted to put his name in before the July 27 filing deadline to give others a chance to get their papers filed for Ward 1 councillor.
“It’s been my honour to serve as the ward 1 councillor, I hope that by putting my name forward at this time it gives citizens an opportunity to look for a new candidate for Ward 1,” said Measures. “I just hope that people understand that I am putting my name forward because it is time for me to do this. I am in the right frame of mind, in the right time of my life to do this and I come forward with the integrity and the honesty and the experience of my work that I have done as a community member and a cheerleader for our community… and I am hopeful that people will support me.”
Measures is recently retired from a 34-year career at Rogers Television and has lived in Nottawa for 41 years.
