Anne Eadie tells KTTPS students about her job as mayor of Kincardine

By: Liz Dadson January 31, 2015 1090

Anne Eadie tells KTTPS students about her job as mayor of Kincardine

If you want to be elected mayor of Kincardine, you have to work hard, and once you get the job, you have to work even harder.
That's the word from Kincardine mayor Anne Eadie as she spoke to the Grade 3 students at Kincardine Township-Tiverton Public School, Thursday afternoon.

A former teacher, Eadie had no difficulty engaging the youngsters as she used an interactive map to show them first the whole of Bruce County and then the Municipality of Kincardine which is one of eight municipalities in the county.
She then had a student point to where KTTPS is on the map.

"The confusing part about our municipality," she said, "is that there is the former Town of Kincardine in the Municipality of Kincardine. Many adults get that confused."

She said Kincardine is a large municipality which includes, not only the former town but the former Townships of Kincardine and Bruce, including the communities of Tiverton, Inverhuron, Bervie, Armow and Glammis.

Eadie was serving as deputy mayor on Kincardine council when she decided to run for mayor in the municipal election last October.
"To be elected, you have to work hard," she said, using a student to demonstrate how she would go door-to-door throughout the municipality, talking to people and listening to their concerns, and handing out pamphlets.
She also had to attend all-candidates' meetings and give speeches.
"Here, in school, you learn how to give a speech," she said. "Believe me, that comes in pretty handy when you're running for election."

On Election Day, the winners are those who receive the most votes, which is how she became mayor. The deputy mayor is the councillor-at-large who receives the most votes - on the current council, the deputy mayor is Jacqueline Faubert.
"So, if I'm away or I'm sick, she will take on the duties of mayor," said Eadie.

She asked the students why we have a municipal government, and got such responses as taking care of roads and bridges, operating the water system and the wastewater system. "Just remember, when you have fresh water come out of the tap, think of your municipal government."

To give the group an idea of how a council works, she chose eight students to be her council, with her as mayor. Currently, she said, council is discussing whether to open the gate on Victoria Street in Inverhuron when Highway 21 and the B-line (Bruce County Road 23) are closed due to a snowstorm. "Council has not made a decision yet," she said. "We're waiting on a staff report so we can consider that information and make an informed decision."
She asked the members of "council" how they would decide the issue. Should the gate be open or closed?

The students considered the idea and some said the gate should be open for emergencies only, while others said it should be open all the time. So, Eadie put forward that motion that the gate be open only for emergencies, and it was approved, 5-4.
As other students raised their hands to vote, Eadie reminded them that only council can vote on the motion, not the people in the audience, even though they often wish they could vote, she said.

"As a council, we discuss and debate the issues at our meetings and then make decisions in the best interests of the community," said Eadie. "Sometimes, we have a close vote, and sometimes the motion is defeated."

During a question period, one student asked why there aren't more parks in Kincardine.
"We have more than 40 parks now," said Eadie, "and not just in the Town of Kincardine, but in Scott's Point, Armow, Inverhuron. We have a lot of parks."

Another student asked whether Kincardine could get some bike trails.
Eadie said there is the Inverhuron Mountain Bike Park which is used a lot and well-maintained. People also ride the trails, she said, but they have to be careful not to hit pedestrians who are walking the trails.

So, what's the hardest job as mayor?
Eadie said she has been mayor only since Dec. 3 when she was sworn in, but the toughest part is finding time to read all the documents and reports prior to every meeting she attends. "People don't realize how much work is involved. You receive the agenda on the Friday before the meeting (Wednesday night), and you have to read all the information in that package, and then think about it, and be prepared to discuss it at the meeting."

So, what's the easiest part of the job?
"Oh, riding in the Santa Claus Parade," said Eadie. "There are a lot of fun things to do as mayor, like talking to you students, but there are also a lot of serious things to do."

When asked how many papers she has to sign per day, Eadie said she doesn't sign papers every day. She goes into the office once per week, usually on Fridays, and signs minutes and bylaws. Usually, there are five to 10 documents to sign, but occasionally, there could be up to 100 things to sign. She also signs cheques, so "technically" she's rich, but it's taxpayers' money, she said.

Eadie told the students that when they reach the age of 18, they must get out and vote in every election - municipal, provincial and federal.
"When my grandma was young, she wasn't allowed to vote," she said. "As we got to be teenagers, she made us promise we would vote in every election for the rest of our lives.
"My father was a Second World War veteran and he told us the same thing. He fought in the war to ensure Canadians had the right to vote. So, remember to vote and always vote."

The visit from the mayor was part of the Grade 3 social studies unit, "Living and Working in Ontario."