After 15 years, MacDonald wants another term
Veteran councillor Bill MacDonald will seek another term in office, he announced Friday, but he is one of the most vunerable, winning by less than 100 votes in the last municipal election.
MacDonald, who once had a nasty habit of falling asleep during council meetings (or was he just resting his eyes) during the early 1990s when I covered Cobourg council, MacDonald has a grocery list of proposals he hopes to support (but strangely did not take initiative on during his tenure). This includes the hiring of a full-time physician recruitment officer, contributing to a new CT scanner for the hospital, a local police force, enhancing post-secondary educational opportunities and updating the town's web site.
Well, since the hospital is a county-wide service, MacDonald can safely support a full-time physician recruiter because Cobourg is only one contributor. The rest of the municipalities would also need to agree. And, with Port Hope in the mix, you can almost guarantee this will be a source of contention. Port Hope is opening its own medical facility and will have its own recruitment plans, as it always likes to do. So, while well intentioned, consider it a mostly empty promise.
As for supporting the local police force, this is an insult to the community. MacDonald has sat on the sidelines consistently during the last term in office while the Cobourg police force imploded. He has supported efforts to have a costing done on OPP service and never said a word of public support for the officers. This promise is pathetic as much as it is ludicrous. His record speaks volumes.
The vague promise to enhance post-secondary education is smoke and mirrors. He might be referring to OUIT representative David St. Charles' proposal to bring a campus of the university to Cobourg. Who knows?
He is also campaigning for the hiring of an economic development director for Cobourg. But, this is a huge waste of money. The county already performs this function and town staff can easily look after any inquiries.
This is a tired campaign from a worn out politician who will take his chances of re-election on the familiarity of his name and little more.
MacDonald, who once had a nasty habit of falling asleep during council meetings (or was he just resting his eyes) during the early 1990s when I covered Cobourg council, MacDonald has a grocery list of proposals he hopes to support (but strangely did not take initiative on during his tenure). This includes the hiring of a full-time physician recruitment officer, contributing to a new CT scanner for the hospital, a local police force, enhancing post-secondary educational opportunities and updating the town's web site.
Well, since the hospital is a county-wide service, MacDonald can safely support a full-time physician recruiter because Cobourg is only one contributor. The rest of the municipalities would also need to agree. And, with Port Hope in the mix, you can almost guarantee this will be a source of contention. Port Hope is opening its own medical facility and will have its own recruitment plans, as it always likes to do. So, while well intentioned, consider it a mostly empty promise.
As for supporting the local police force, this is an insult to the community. MacDonald has sat on the sidelines consistently during the last term in office while the Cobourg police force imploded. He has supported efforts to have a costing done on OPP service and never said a word of public support for the officers. This promise is pathetic as much as it is ludicrous. His record speaks volumes.
The vague promise to enhance post-secondary education is smoke and mirrors. He might be referring to OUIT representative David St. Charles' proposal to bring a campus of the university to Cobourg. Who knows?
He is also campaigning for the hiring of an economic development director for Cobourg. But, this is a huge waste of money. The county already performs this function and town staff can easily look after any inquiries.
This is a tired campaign from a worn out politician who will take his chances of re-election on the familiarity of his name and little more.
posted by Robert Washburn at
7:09 AM
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