More reflective on their political roles than on resolutions of their own, township councillors nonetheless have a few targets heading into 2012. Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan does not normally make New Year’s resolutions because he finds himself constantly looking to change things and move forward as soon as he can and he does not wait for January to do so. When it comes to the township he hopes to continue on the task of fiscal responsibility and looks forward to the number of developments in the area including the new housing development in Breslau and revitalizing the downtown of Elmira.
“Across the township we want to continue with our whole mantra of better communication, and I am looking forward to the new community guide that we are developing for this spring.”
Coun. Bonnie Bryant of Woolwich’s Ward 3 has given up on personal New Year’s resolutions, saying she never really keeps them. As a councillor, however, she hopes to develop and organize a heritage committee.
“I would like to see us preserve the heritage in our beautiful township before it is lost.”
Ward 1’s Coun. Allan Poffenroth plans to lose some weight in the new year, complaining he enjoyed too many treats over the holiday season. Poffenroth has some lofty goals for the township, including a zero per cent tax increase for residents of Woolwich, but he admits that it may be hard to pull it off this year.
“We are anxious to keep spending down somewhat, and I hope that we don’t need to increase the taxes this year. If we must have an increase, I hope it does not go above two per cent.”
Mayor Ross Kelterborn of Wellesley is trying to stay healthy and admits it is harder to do so at his age but he continues to walk three kilometres every day.
For the township, Kelterborn hopes to replenish some the reserves that were tapped during the spate of infrastructure projects funded by federal and provincial stimulus spending. He admits it will be hard to restore the reserves to their 2009 levels but that is his prime objective for this year and the rest of his term as mayor. He also hopes to keep tax rates low over the next year.
“The economic situation in the Region of Waterloo is as good as it gets, but there have been some hardships and I believe we are going to have to learn to do more with less.”
Wellesley’s Ward 3 Coun. Jim Olender hopes to stay healthy and fit in the coming year. When it comes to the township he hopes to keep moving forward with improvements while at the same time staying fiscally responsible to ratepayers. He’s also looking forward to finally getting underway with township’s new strategic plan.
“I would like to see the completion on a multi-sports pad in Wellesley. We have been trying the get that rolling for some time now and it would be great to see in completed by the end of 2012.”
For colleague Herb Neher in Ward 2, a new year brings a renewed sense of duty to the township. He hopes the public is more informed about where the township and council are heading, and he wants to ensure residents get the most out of their tax dollars, making the most of the services offered.
“We are developing some very specific short and long-term strategies for the township that I would like to see accomplished this year. I would like to see the township perform more like a business with goals to reach year after year,” he said.
