Nearly a quarter-century of service to the town has prepared one resident for the next step.
Dan La Rose has put his name into the race for deputy mayor of Penetanguishene in the upcoming 2022 municipal election scheduled on October 24.
Over the past 24 years, La Rose has served as a councillor for the town while serving on many committees through that time. He cites the experience as central to his knowledge of municipal government workings as he dealt with different issues which came his way.
“I now have the time to take on county challenges on behalf of Penetanguishene residents,” said La Rose.
“Having been appointed by this council as the alternate county rep to fill in for the mayor and deputy mayor whenever they are unable to attend Simcoe County meetings, this has given me the opportunity to educate myself on county matters as they relate to our town.”
Several major issues comprise his platform, with affordable housing being one of the most important; La Rose stated that he would look forward to working with federal, provincial, municipal and county partners in managing a strategy to address the urgent matter.
The next term of council will face its own challenges in Penetanguishene, and La Rose is well aware that the policing bill, which is likely to impact residents on their taxes, is a key issue.
“Finding ways to recoup the estimated annual $400,000 for the Central North Correctional Centre policing that the province unjustly reneged on and left Penetanguishene residents solely responsible to pay for is one of them. We need to work with the province to solve this huge burden to our taxpayers.”
La Rose maintains pride in his support of infrastructure enhancement, including the town’s five-year capital road plan which addresses roads and sidewalks requiring the most attention.
“I would like to see some rehabilitation of the Town Dock area,” said La Rose, “but I am not in favour of the plan that was presented to council by the consultant. I don’t believe that it provides nearly enough parking and services for the boaters who use it now, (but do believe) that it could be revamped to better serve the needs of all of our residents and visitors.
“It is also important to keep up the maintenance of all of our town-owned facilities. As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremely important to make sure council spends town funds wisely and I strongly believe that infrastructure should always be a priority in our spending plans,” La Rose concluded.
Information on the Penetanguishene municipal election can be found on the Town of Penetanguishene website.
