David James - Sutton Scene - Nov. 3, 2017
Sutton goes to the polls this Sunday, unlike almost half or 45% of the 1,100 towns across Québec where the outcomes have already been decided by acclamation. All of Sutton’s council positions are being contested. The candidates are in full campaign mode. The last door-to-door canvassing and distribution of flyers is underway despite grey, rainy skies. Voting in the advance poll was described as heavy and debate on the Facebook page Sutton Ami has been very active, to the point where the moderator has reminded contributors to be civil.
Taxes: ‘Just how big is the debt?’ is an ongoing question at any time and during this election it is under even more scrutiny.
The issue is not mentioned in this week’s Le Guide article about the Alliance Sutton campaign, except to report that the mayor says his administration has kept the budget at $10m.
Independent candidate for mayor Michel Lafrance writes,
“Sutton’s municipal debt as of December 31, 2014, was $8 million - just two years later it had ballooned to $14 million due in no small measure to cost overruns for Town Hall renovations and refurbishments at Goyette Hill Park”.
Total debt for Sutton in 2017 could reasonably reach $15.6m, according to an accountant who has looked at the available numbers. In the last Sutton Scene, I wrote that net long-term debt could rise to $12.9m this year. That excludes short-term debt of $2.7m.
Meetings: Several meetings have been held and attendance has been uneven.
In the village, at La Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier, the Independents held a standing room only gathering on Wednesday evening of this week. See this report by Bromedia . At the same locale, Alliance Sutton canceled an earlier meeting due to poor turnout.
In Sutton Junction, three people showed up for an Alliance Sutton meeting at the community hall. Nevertheless, Louis Dandenault-mayor, Winston Bresee-district 3 and first-time Alliance Sutton candidates André Pagé-district 4 and Gaétan Marceau-district 1 discussed issues for two hours. The next day, the hall saw more than forty people come for an Independents meeting with Michel Lafrance-mayor and Roseanne Cohn-district 4.
In Glen Sutton, about twenty-five people turned out for a town meeting initiated by Alliance Sutton hosted at a private residence. Louis Dandenault and councilor John Hawley-district 2 were joined by independent candidate Diane Duchesne-district 2.
Capabilities: Alliance Sutton points to its 75 years of experience and its ability to hit the road running while there will be a learning curve for the independents.
Citizens Forum’s flyer reminds voters that the independent candidates bring management and day-to-day practical experience from diverse sectors - airport management, media, tourism, lodging, small business, insurance, and health.
The future of referendums: Will Council ban referendums in Sutton? According to provincial Bill 122 it will be Council’s choice. Louis Dandenault administration, unlike some towns, has not declared whether it will ban referendums.
According to a flyer distributed Friday by Michel Lafrance,
“… the Dandenault administration has asked to begin implementing the provisions of Bill 122 allowing municipalities, if they so choose, to ban referendums”.
You will remember that the Alliance Sutton council did not want a single territory-wide referendum where citizens could approve/reject its proposed changes to zoning and sub-division bylaws. Council instead opted for the possibility of having 1,000s of referendums.
Voting by mail: 2017 may be the last time non-residents and vacationers have difficulty to vote. Voting by mail has been used since 2009 in Potton/Mansonville, which has a full-time population of just over 1,800 and some 2,200 non-residents. The next Council is likely to hear calls for Sutton to do the same, to be more inclusive. Opponents may say voting by mail is a headache, costly and time consuming.
