NORTH GLENGARRY, Ontario – Carma Williams, who was a Councillor of the Maxville Ward for eight years, is now the Deputy Mayor-elect of North Glengarry.
Williams is looking towards the future of her municipality with optimism. On election night she felt grateful and relieved. She received a total of 1,599 votes.
“It was a long, hard campaign,” she said. “I worked very very hard, going door to door, meeting people, going to coffee parties…I knew it was going to be close and indeed it was.”
Williams was not prepared to leave council.
“I have a lot of projects and initiatives that I want to see come to fruition,” said Williams. “We made some great strides. Everybody has really pulled together, especially in the last four years and have put North Glengarry on the map.”
When the new council takes office, Williams feels that the first priority should be strategic planning, allowing for an overview of priorities within the entire township rather than selecting projects based on popularity.
“First of all, we need to do some strategic planning in North Glengarry. That will help us to develop and establish priorities, and refine them,” said Williams.
Williams’ recognizes that the main project to consider for the municipality is the waste water lagoon capacity in Alexandria. According to Williams, the lagoon has been over capacitated for 30 years, inhibiting growth and potentially contributing to the declining population.
“Throughout the municipality, we already have the Maxville water project underway, which is going to be completed in the next year or year and a half,” said Williams, who believes this will also help to address the issue of development and growth.
“Between Ottawa, Montreal and Cornwall, we think we are in an ideal location to attract urban migrants,” she added, also pointing out affordability and the quite lifestyle.
Apart from the necessity of growth, Williams believes one the biggest challenges the municipality faces is broadband cellphone and internet coverage, acknowledging that it is a regional issue. Williams believes that if coverage was improved, it would positively affect businessowners as well as residents.
Williams also plans to assess the staffing structure within council, ensure that tax dollars are used efficiently and keep an eye on capital costs.
