Kudos to Caledon Councillors and our Mayor

BY SHERALYN ROMAN

Politics, as a field of employment, is rife with both pitfalls and praise. If we wrote a job description for local politics it might look something like this: 

• Must live, shop, dine and work in the community under full public scrutiny at all times. 

• Must be willing to work days, nights and weekends – 52 weeks a year.

• Must be willing to endure both praise and ridicule in equal measure - family must also be willing to do same. 

• Must be able to make difficult and unpopular decisions and still be seen “out and about town” with a smile on your face….on and on we could go. Would you apply? 

This term we have a dedicated team of 8 new or returning councillors and our esteemed mayor, back for a second term despite some of the nasty slights both he and his family endured throughout the campaign. We should be grateful. These are hard-working folks, many of whom have other jobs, certainly have family commitments and other responsibilities and yet they have willingly stepped forward to make the kind of often difficult decisions that impact each of us here in our community. And they make them, knowing that often we will either really, really, dislike them for it, or as Sally Field once said at the Oscars (and I'm paraphrasing here) “You'll like me, you'll really, really like me.”

It's a fine line and I for one would like to say a very public thank you to each of you that signed up for this gig. Most recently, you had to weigh all the facts related to a decision concerning whether Bolton is the right place to host an asphalt plant. It can't have been easy.  There was a ferocious and vocal campaign against the plant. There were business considerations and I'm sure there were tax and zoning and other factors that each contributed to your decision. That the business owner is a strong supporter of the Caledon community must also have factored into the equation. I'm sure I'm missing a few other salient points but my point is simply this: regardless of your position you were going to upset somebody – either townsfolk or (I assume) MJJJ Developments. But you made the decision, just like you have in the past and will do countless times in the future. I have every confidence that you made the decision, as you make all your decisions – after carefully weighing all of the information you have available to you, after consultation with staff, analysis of all the facts and often after consultation with us – the people who elected you. I know that you make those difficult decisions with both the best interests of Caledon as a whole and the best interests of those immediately affected. It can't be an easy job. In fact, I know it's not easy job and that's why I want to say kudos to you, for doing what you do every day, diligently, throughout the course of the term.

Politics is not just about the photo ops. Politics is often exhausting, hard, grinding work and even if it is “just” a day of photo ops – let me give you a little insight into that. Back in my days as a roving photographer, I would often take a picture of a politician at 8:30 or 9:00am, run a few personal errands, meet up with that same individual at another event around lunchtime for another photo op and then again at 2pm. I'd go home, see my kids, maybe throw a load of laundry in, all while the politician was attending yet more events. Then I'd head back out to take more pictures at some evening dinner or gala. Same politician, same smile but they had been doing it all day long, not seeing their family or having any downtime. Sunday, they get up and do it all over again - then go to work on Monday! Council meetings at night, speaking with residents in between work, attending sub committee meetings, Regional council meetings .… the list truly is endless. How they don't occasionally lash out at those folks who merely need to walk over to the computer, sit down on a Saturday afternoon, type a few words and unleash a volley of vitriol I'll never understand!

Our politicians might not be perfect but who amongst us is? I'm not sure they get thanked enough so I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Whether it's over an asphalt plant this time, or traffic lights at a dangerous intersection or gravel trucks on our busy roads next time – kudos to our Councilors and Mayor for working at the job of politics – period. It's a tough gig. Thank you for making the type of tough decisions that, whether we agree or disagree, must be made.