REVIEW OF MAYOR SHANTZ'S ELECTION EXPENSES COMBINED WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC CONSULTATION IN ELMIRA

Today's Elmira Independent carrys two articles of grave importance namely "Audit committee to review mayor Shantz's expenses" and "Chemtura committee to undergo changes". Both the Elmira Independent and the Woolwich Observer have copies of my two page detailed listing of the errors and miscalculations in Mayor Shantz's election expense report. Quite frankly the Mayor should be embarassed at her inability to allegedly be unable to fill out the expense report accurately and correctly. Editor and reporter Gail Martin has incorrectly suggested that "...Shantz should have voluntarily completed an audit, since her election expenses were higher than $10,000." What I said in writing was that mayor Shantz should have voluntarily submitted her own Auditor's report as demanded by the legislation because her Contributions were clearly well above $10,000. Indeed it is quite possible that an Audit will determine that her expenses also are above $10,000 but to date we do not know that yet.

At Council meeting Tuesday night I went out of my way to commend two Woolwich Councillors whose expense reports were superior to the rest of their colleagues. Councillor Murray Martin and Councillor Patrick Merlihan voluntarily included a number of invoices and receipts with their expense reports which was above and beyond the minimum requirements of the Municipal Elections Act.

Gail Martin's article regarding the removal of CPAC and SWAT only to be replaced by RAC and TAG; overall is accurate. One issue I see is stating that CPAC did not attend the private, by invitation only pretend stakeholders' meeting on April 9/15 because it was not held publicly. That is true although it was also because CPAC were not invited. In writing the Mayor invited Chairman Dr. Dan Holt by himself. Verbally she hinted that a second CPAC member might be allowed although that inviattion never took place.

Gail correctly indicates that citizens will be solicited to sit on a "technical" committee (TAG) but that it will report to a overseeing committee called RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) consisting of non independent citizens and in fact dominated by the mayor, one Councillor and representatives from the GRCA, Region of Waterloo and an appointed and paid for by Council professional allegedly independent Chairperson. What a joke! That is not remotely independent public consultation. What it is is a politician dominated, political force whose purpose is exactly what Chemtura Canada (Uniroyal) and the Ontario Ministry of Environment want namely a group of fellow travellors who will not rock the boat but will carefully through the use of puffery and bullshit give the appearance of solving our environmental problems. No such thing will remotely occur.

It was the exact failure of each and every one of these bodies twenty-six years ago that caused the poisonong of Elmira's water supply. Now all the guilty parties are solely back in control of the process. Citizens on CPAC this last four and a half years are the only ones who have pushed the Onatrio M.O.E. and Chemtura in the right direction. Shame on mayor Shantz and Councillor Mark Bauman for once again selling out Woolwich volunteers and residents.