King Township new council looks to improve roads, internet and safety
Yorkregion.com
October 25, 2018
Sheila Wang
With two fresh faces on council, four incumbents staying and an acclaimed mayor, King Township’s newly elected decision-makers take no time to get the priorities straight for the next four years.
Mayor Steve Pellegrini, who stayed late in his office for the election results on Oct. 22, said he welcomed the two young councillors on board -- Jordan Cescolini, 22, for Ward 1 and Jakob Schneider, 25, for Ward 3 -- to work together in a “cohesive” way for the 2018-2022 term.
“It’s a new start,” Pellegrini said, noting there is so much to be done in the coming four years.
“Broadband is an issue. Roads are an issue,” he said. “I’ve brought broadband to King, and I’ll continue to expand it. I’m working on the recreational facility -- the one that is gonna be at Seneca. Now we’re going to turn our attention to fixing roads.”
Schneider, firefighter with King Fire and Emergency Services, shared a similar vision for the township.
Schneider took the open seat for Ward 3 councillor in a two-way race, as the incumbent Linda Pabst is retiring. The fourth-generation farmer in King, defeated the other contender, Geoff Simpson, by 56 votes.
“I worked the last four years toward getting this, and it’s just surreal that it actually came through.”
Schneider said he wanted to focus on the improvement on rural roads, road safety, as well as getting internet services to rural areas in the township.
Similarly, Cescolini was a little surprised to learn of his victory against 12-year councillor Cleve Mortelliti for Ward 1.
Cescolini said it was the neglected issues he brought to light and a “fresh perspective” he offered that had led to the council seat.
As a lifelong resident of King City with a financial background, Cescolini would like to place his priority on road safety, as well.
“The first issue, I think it’s gonna be infrastructure in relation to speeding in residential areas,” Cescolini, noting safety is of paramount importance to the community.
“We want to make sure that our infrastructure on our main road, working with York Region in collaboration to make sure that these trucks and larger vehicles can stay on main roads, and we want to take them off the residential streets.”
Avia Eek, a two-term Ward 6 councillor, who has held on to her seat on council in this election, said she was excited for the opportunities to serve King for another four years and eager to address the critical issues facing the township.
Eek said that traffic, roads and “marijuana stench” are among her top priorities.
As a Holland Marsh farmer, Eek said she in particular wanted to focus on issues involving marijuana operations in the Holland Marsh.
King Township revamped a zoning bylaw that prohibits cannabis production facilities and sites, earlier this year, on July 9, but Eek said there has been a “gap” between the municipal policy and Health Canada, the federal regulator of therapeutic products including medical cannabis.
“It doesn’t matter what part of Ward 6 you go to north of Highway 9, there is marijuana stench,” Eek said. “When you cannot open your house windows, or you cannot open your car windows because you’re concerned with the stench permeating your house or your vehicle, that’s not fair to the residents."
A list of unofficial election results:
Ward 1
Cleve Mortelliti: 533
Jordan Cescolini: 589
Kelly Colasanti: 151
Ward 2
David Boyd: 970
Sherry Draisey: 105
Ward 3
Jakob Schneider: 183
Geoff Simpson: 142
Ward 4
Bill Cober: 879
Mary Asselstine: 572
Ward 5
Debbie Schaefer: 571
Rob Payne: 495
Ward 6
Avia Eek: 242
Roman Dyriw: 122
York Region District School Board
Peter Adams-Luchowski: 688
Bob McRoberts: 2,118
Ken Turriff: 478
York Catholic District School Board
Elizabeth Crowe: 987
Paul de Roos: 216
Laura Ronco: 354
Le Conseil Scolaire Viamonde
François Guerin: 7
Karine Ricard: 9
Le Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
Kathleen Beal: 9
Maxime Papillon: 19
