Municipal Elections

It hasn't been a week yet since our municipal elections, and I thought I would share my thoughts/opinions.

Apparently, municipalities throughout Ontario were voting for change and elected new people to council. Not so in Georgina. Mind you, I wanted our Mayor back in. Rob Grossi is good for the people in Georgina. It may have taken longer than expected, but we are getting most of the things we asked for - businesses in town, improved roads, etc.

Two wards - ward 1 and ward 2 had no incumbents running, so we have new people in those wards. It will be interesting to see how they fare. I really wasn't happy with anyone in my ward - ward 1. I should have run myself. Maybe next time.

Ward 2 was interesting. I can't even remember the name of the person who won - I just know it wasn't Dan Fellini, who would have been absolutely amazing had he won. He only lost by 24 votes. So, anyone in ward 2 who didn't vote - shame on you!

Ward 3 had a Councillor that many complained about, but he was returned anyway. He didn't impress me in the all candidates meetings. Two new contenders - Becky Rundle and Jason Laidler brought great hope. I pinned my hopes on Becky, and even suggested to Jason that he drop out of the race and throw his support behind her. He didn't. He came in 3rd; Becky was second. Votes for Becky and Jason together would have overwhelming surpassed the votes for the incumbent. By not dropping out of the race, the vote ended up being divided and the incumbent returned. If Jason's intent was to get the incumbent out of office, he should have thrown his support to Becky. Becky would have been amazing - she attends most council meetings, has the flexibility in her job to be a "full time" councilor and really cares about the community and her ward. I sincerely hope she runs again next time.

Ward 5 was another interesting race. Newcomer Iris Cancian-Staniscia looked very promising. I have been listening to Pefferlaw residents bitch and complain for years. They had a chance to change things. They returned the incumbent. Those who voted for him no longer have the right to complain. Those who didn't vote at all - shame on all of you. Now be quiet and sit down. You've gotten what you deserve!

The biggest threat to the current Mayor was Peter Juras. He challenged Grossi last time and lost, and he lost again. He attends no council/committee meetings and only reads minutes after the fact, which as we all know don't really reflect the "feeling" of the meeting. Pretty gutsy going for the top job (most people would want to be a Councillor first), but he defended that because the Mayor's job pays more.

Danny Wheeler was challenged by Don Slessor for Regional Councillor. Regional Councillor is a big deal, and not only does Slessor not have council experience, he's also a newcomer to the area, having just moved here in June. If he decides to run again in four years though, he stands a good chance of being successful. He's charismatic, friendly, has connections, etc. Definitely a contender. He should have run to be a Councillor first though. That would have indoctrinated him into the ways of our community first.

All in all, an interesting election. Congratulations to Rob Grossi for holding onto his job, and best wishes for the next four years!

To Naomi Davison in ward 1 - we'll be waiting for that pool you promised us in four years. I have a very good memory!



This work by Suzette Leeming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License.

Getting Your Nails Done in Keswick

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that having your nails done is not a necessity. But... should you decide to have your nails done, wouldn't it be nice to know which places to avoid? This will be one such warning!

Background:  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take my sister-in-law to a new nail salon in town that was offering a special on manicures/pedicures - $30. I thought a little bit of pampering would be nice.

We had no problems with the pedicure. The lady who did it was quite pleasant and the massaging chair was very relaxing. I've had better pedicures mind you, but this was cheap so I didn't mind that all the rough skin was still there.

The manicure, however, was a different story. We decided we wanted a french manicure (white tips) and the dirty little man who did it told me it would cost more - $35. Fine - whatever. No pushing back or trimming cuticles, no shaping of our natural nails. Many clear coats of what we thought were nail polish. Final price - $37. I guess he made up the prices as he went along.

The next day the polish started chipping/cracking, so we decided to take it off. It couldn't be removed, not even with professional strength nail polish remover. I went back into the store and asked him what the heck he had put on my nails and how can I get it off. He used an emery board to file it off, then he soaked my hands in pure acetone. Not all of it came off though, so I'll just need to wait for my nails to grow so I can trim it past that point. That process will be made faster because my nails have been breaking one by one. I told him that filing the surface would weaken the nails. He denied it. He's obviously an idiot.

The store is called New York Nails, and they're in the plaza at the corner of Queensway South and Biscayne. If you decide to ignore the fact that the store is dirty, instruments are dirty, and this little man is extremely dirty, be forewarned - your nails will be ruined.

On the plus side, a new nail salon has opened in the new Walmart in town - Regal Nails. They removed my sister-in-law's polish and put a new coat of "real" nail polish on them. That's where I should have gone. Of course, Nails 2000 is still a fairly good place, but I am getting tired of going to salons where everyone who works there is speaking a foreign language and I'm never sure they understand what I'm asking for - but hey! that's just me.

What have I learnt from this experience?
1) When I see a special on for several months, there's a reason.
2) If a shop is empty and has no customers, there's a reason.
3) I will never again overlook a dirty shop.

Just my opinion though - your mileage may vary....


This work by Suzette Leeming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License.