La Vallee candidates meet voters

The Township of La Vallee has not has a municipal election race like this one in a long time.
Two candidates are running for the position of reeve on Nov. 13—incumbent Emily Watson and former reeve Ken McKinnon—while seven residents are vying for the four councillor seats: Jim Belluz, Freeda Carmody, Ross Donaldson, Dale Stamarski, Lucille MacDonald, Len McCormick, Dale Stamarski, and Brian Trimble.
In addition, Glenda Belluz and Barb Everett are running for the public school board seat for the Alberton-La Vallee area.
So Joyce Witherspoon, with help from a few other residents, initiated a candidates’ “meet and greet” at the Devlin Hall on Thursday evening.
All of the candidates participated, each giving a four-minute speech, and Witherspoon noted it was a success.
“There are a lot of people running, some new faces, and we thought it would be great for them to get out and meet the other residents in the community,” she said, adding they didn’t want to make it a debate so no questions were taken from the floor.
The candidates were requested to focus on who they are, what they believe the township needs to become a better place to live and work, and their plan of action to accomplish these priorities if elected.
MacDonald indicated one way to improve the township is the keep the public informed.
And she feels having more meetings, an updated website, more informative newsletters, and better communication with the newspapers would help accomplish this.
“Personally, I think our municipality is already a great place to live and work,” stressed Watson, noting five new homes were built in La Vallee in 2005 and another four were built this year.
“We have a relatively new public school and outdoor recreational facilities such as our skating rink and baseball diamond,” she added.
Jim Belluz said he also is a supporter of these services and facilities, as well as the condition of the roads in the township.
“I believe every road is important,” he stressed. “And money should be spent equally on every road. If you only focus on some roads, the others go to hell.”
McKinnon indicated roads would be a priority if he was elected this term. He feels the municipality would see the most improvement if dollars were kept to a minimum and the rest put into a capital program.
He also is a strong supporter of the regional abattoir. “It looks like we’re finally making some progress,” he enthused.
“We must improve the community the best we can, like with an abattoir and other ways that come to my attention,” agreed McCormick, adding areas of improvement include tourism, agriculture, and immigration.
Stamarski also said he supports the abattoir in order to help the farmers in the area, but noted he’d like to try to keep the taxes low.
“Our taxes are one of the lowest in the district,” he remarked. “And we have to strive to continue that to get more people to come here.”
Trimble said while he doesn’t have a plan for the future since he can’t see into the future, he would like to serve on council to give back to the municipality.
“I like it here,” he remarked. “[Other communities] have lost what you still have, but you have to work to keep it.”
Donaldson noted many candidates promise to take everyone’s opinions to council, but that’s not possible.
“You have to vote for someone who will make the kind of decision you want to be made and I think I can make good decisions,” he said.
Carmody, like several other candidates, stressed the importance of supporting community volunteers.
“We need to support them because time is valuable and they give what they have,” she said, adding she’d also like to improve services for seniors and to examine how La Vallee fits into the district as a whole.
“The municipalities in the Rainy River District are dependent on one another and we have to have a wider vision,” she argued.
Glenda Belluz noted there are lot of financial issues and cutbacks in the Rainy River District School Board—and knows the job will be tough.
“I know a little bit of the ropes and I know what to discuss,” she remarked. “I want to do a good job for everybody.”
“I’m in favour of new teachers having mentors to provide knowledge and strategies,” said Everett, noting literacy also is a focus with several successful programs already in place.
She also said many students require improvement in writing and, if elected, promises to get them the help they need.
Afterwards, coffee and dainties were available as residents mingled with the candidates.