Change in air at Stouffville's inaugural
Councillor pleads for patience from public, press

YorkRegion.com
Dec. 4, 2014
Sandra Bolan

If an election campaign with almost 30 candidates could have a theme, Whitchurch-Stouffville’s would have been change.

Residents clamoured for it and Tuesday night it was made official as the freshly-minted Mayor Justin Altmann and four new councillors, along with two incumbents, were sworn-in in front of roughly 550 people who represented every generation as well as a multitude of ethnicities.

The new Whitchurch-Stouffville.

It was standing room only at EastRidge Evangelical Missionary Church with about 400 people in the sanctuary and another 150 sitting and standing in the hallway for the 90-minute ceremony.

“Tonight was purely Justin’s idea. It was a risk. I think it’s a harbinger of decisions to come,” said Councillor Ken Ferdinands, who is one of the two incumbents serving on this term of council.

“I wanted to do something different. I wanted to bring the community together,” Altmann told The Sun-Tribune Wednesday.

Among those in the crowd was Wayne Emmerson, who for the first time is unemployed. His term as mayor ended Nov. 30 and the vote for regional chairperson takes place Dec. 11.

Emmerson’s competition for the regional seat – regional councillors John Taylor (Newmarket) and Jim Jones (Markham) – were also in the audience, as were a number of council candidates and former mayor Sue Sherban.

Altmann said he was surprised to see the two candidates for regional chair, as he did not invite them. The inauguration was open to the public.

Councillor Rob Hargrave, who is now in his fourth term on council, asked not only for tolerance from the general public as they find their footing, but also asked the media for patience.

“They may be rookies but they are well-heeled with experience in life,” he said.

Maurice Smith, voice wavering, thanked his family and noted how humbled he was by the residents’ confidence in electing him.

This was his second bid for the Ward 2 seat.

Ferdinands, who is starting his fourth term, was uncharacteristically emotional, choking up as he thanked his wife for all the years of support.

The moment everyone was waiting for finally came when town clerk Michele Kennedy put the chain of office around Altmann’s neck.

The crowd erupted in applause and gave him a standing ovation, as did his fellow councillors.

While taking an oath is serious business, the evening was light and filled with a number of jokes and song.

“Tell them there’s a party and free food and people come out,” said Ward 4 Councillor Rick Upton, who also joked this was likely the most highly attended council meeting in Stouffville.

They say you should never work with children or animals, they’ll upstage you every time.

While Tuesday night belonged to the new mayor and council, it was elementary students Josh Smith and Elijah Gardner who stole the show.

“We are the future of Whitchurch-Stouffville and it is never too late to become involved,” Smith, a Grade 5 student from St. Brendan Catholic Elementary School said, standing on a box so he could reach the podium microphone.

The mayor and councillors failed to mention anything about the fate of the leisure centre/library expansion, or wholesale trade centre, both of which were election hot buttons. Nor did they make any mention of plans for the upcoming term.

However, Smith and classmate Gardner, dubbed “the Future Mayor”, noted their long-term wishes, which included more local jobs and less pollution.

In 10 years, Smith said the town needs “fancy restaurants to bring our dates to.” He’ll be in Grade 10.

Representing the town’s senior population was longtime council watchdog Dave Probert, whose 15-minute speech included these words of advice: “Keep your chin high and represent the residents of Whitchurch-Stouffville with pride. They voted for you to do a good job. The chain of office is a privilege.”

It was standing-room-only following the meeting at a reception at the Royal Canadian Legion.