Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
I'm ba-aack!
For some of you, perhaps, that two-word column title is probably the scariest thing you'll hear this side of Halloween.
But in the last column I wrote, back in May, I did promise I'd return to give you at least one more chance to tell me am I wrong. As it turns out, the results of Monday's municipal election mean I'm back for more than just one column. I am back as a regular contributor to the Cosmos.
I admit that I have missed writing for this newspaper over the past five months of campaigning, but sometimes, if you really want something, you have to make sacrifices. Unfortunately – (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) – I didn't win the seat on council that I really wanted. That doesn't mean, however, that my small sacrifice was in vain.
I had the opportunity to talk to many people in Ward 4 and it was, to say the least, eye-opening. I was amazed and delighted by the number of residents who greeted me warmly and had kind things to say to me and about me. I was also surprised to learn there are some people who I have never met before who don't like me. It's rather a humbling experience. To those who supported me, I thank you sincerely for your faith in me. To those who didn't, I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make my case.
As you will see elsewhere in this paper, I came in third in a five-person race. I accepted the result with good grace, I think, consoling myself with the thought that I had done my best and I could now go back to the Cosmos. However, I will state that I didn't sleep a wink Monday night. My mind was racing and the range of emotions I went through was staggering. I wondered if all the other unsuccessful candidates were going through the same thing.
Actually, I wonder if it is fair to say that those who were not elected were unsuccessful. While I congratulate all the winners and wish them well as they steer this community through the next four tough years, the other candidates at least had the opportunity to get their messages across and give us different points of view to consider.
For my part, I like to believe my campaign did produce some success. I noticed, for instance, that a number of candidates pledged to revisit and review some of the township's bylaws. It was the issue of bad bylaws that propelled me into the race in the first place. It was also gratifying to see a number of candidates pick up on my call to have a skateboard park in the urban area, rather than at Kennedy House or at the sewage treatment plant.
And from the responses I received, it seems many people liked my campaign signs. I knew I wanted them to be simple but with style, but it was my sister and my nephew who came up with the colour scheme and the design.
On a more sombre note, when I went out Tuesday morning to retrieve my signs, I collected 20. That means 30 of the 50 signs I placed around the ward were stolen. Not smashed, not tossed into a nearby ditch, but outright stolen. One part of me would like to think people took them as souvenirs because they were colourful and different. But another part of me thinks my signs were targeted. They disappeared from locations from one side of the ward to the other. In some cases, my signs were removed from among clusters of other candidates' signs while the others were untouched. Let me be clear here: I do not attribute my election loss to the loss of my signs in any way. The two candidates ahead of me had comfortable margins over me.
But although I lost 60 percent of my signs, I wasn't the hardest hit. Gerri-Lynn O'Connor estimated she lost about 80 percent of hers.
I don't recall similar tactics in previous municipal elections in Uxbridge and it seems to me that if this is a sign of what's to come in future elections in this township, then we're all the poorer for it.
Tell me, am I wrong?
