Up Front with the Mayor: Answers about Main Street parking woes, shrinking council by 2 members

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor is taking your questions in his regular column; this month, a resident wants to know how the town plans to address a lack of downtown parking

Newmarkettoday.ca
March 3, 2020

Q: As there is a shortage of parking on Main Street, why are we blocking off several spots in the summer for patios?

As one of many seniors who like to shop on Main and is not able to climb the hill from where the additional parking is located, it is not an easy task to find a spot.

I imagine it possibly generates funds for the town, but it is annoying to not have the privilege of dining there. -- Pat Livingstone

A: As I have said before, a lack of parking downtown is a good problem to have.

We did not talk about a parking shortage 10 years ago. Our downtown is doing amazing and people are coming from all over Newmarket and northern York Region to experience the best downtown in the GTA! 

We have a report coming to council in the next two months that will outline short, medium, and long-term parking initiatives and improvements for the downtown. Of course, we won’t be able to add parking forever and it probably isn’t a good idea to make this a destination for cars.

It should be a destination for people. That is why I would like to explore making Main Street pedestrian-only for a part of the summer. If we stop taking steps to make Main Street more desirable out of a fear of losing even three or four parking spots, we will fail in the long run.

The patio program eliminated a few parking spots and brought in three great patios that make our Main Street buzz with energy.

It is not easy finding a balance between creating an incredible downtown and the need for parking, but we believe we can find more spots in the downtown and keep moving forward into an exciting future that makes Main Street Newmarket the destination for entertainment and shopping in all of York Region.

Q: The Town of Aurora has reduced the number of councillors on its council from eight members to six. Why can't Newmarket do the same and reduce the number of councillors we have from seven to five? Also, what about term limits? Former councillor Dave Kerwin stayed on the job for over 30 years. -- Bill Kukulewich

A: If we remove two councillors at the Town of Newmarket we save about $100,000 per year on a budget of $140 million in a town of 90,000 people.

We should always look for savings, but not at any cost. Councillors respond to thousands of calls and emails for assistance each year and provide residents with direct access to their elected representative. 

For part-time pay, these councillors work many hours trying to make Newmarket outstanding and trying to help residents with a challenge or a problem.

Residents value local government because it is closest to the people, and you can call up your representative anytime and ask for them by name and get help directly. I think most people are willing to pay a little for that level of service and commitment. 

About term limits, I do not believe in them. First of all, I think it takes time to learn and understand this complex business and to become truly effective.

More importantly, I think term limits are anti-democratic. Democracy is premised on the idea that the people know best. If they want to elect someone to a third or fourth term, should the government, through policy, tell them they are wrong? I don’ t think so.

If someone is no longer effective as an elected official, the voters should remove them from office through an election.