Whalen returned as Kings County Warden

BY KIRK STARRATT

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

There are new faces around the Kings County council horseshoe since the municipal election, but the warden will remain unchanged for the next two years.

Since 2004, it has been policy that the warden and deputy warden serve two-year terms. Councillors elect the warden and deputy warden from among their ranks and those elections were held at the Tuesday, Nov. 4 session after the swearing in of the new council.

Councillor Eric Smith nominated councillor Fred Whalen, who was warden at the conclusion of the last term, to serve once again in that position. Councillor Janet Newton nominated councillor Diana Brothers. Brothers was deputy warden at the conclusion of the last term. Both Whalen and Brothers accepted their nominations and each was given an opportunity to say a few words in the order they were nominated.

Whalen drew attention to the need for an industrial park to be established in the county to facilitate continued growth and said the time has come for a business development officer.

He said three years ago, county council approved a motion to the Kings Partnership Steering Committee (KPSC) regarding the establishment of a municipal immigration services group. The matter has been dormant on the KPSC agenda and Whalen said it’s time for the municipality to step up and deal with the matter on its own because it’s essential to the growth of the county. “I think it will take experience and leadership to implement these along with the ongoing agendas we have,” Whalen said. “I have the experience, the leadership skills and the time to ensure we achieve our goals and continue to be the best rural community in Nova Scotia.”

Takes the ‘three Ps’ into consideration

Brothers thanked her colleagues for the encouragement she received and pointed out she has a great deal of support in her constituency. When she makes decisions that affect the county, “preserve, protect and promote” are the three Ps she takes into consideration. “What’s important to me? Kings County is important to me,” she said. “Acting for the good of the public is top of my priorities.”

Brothers said she would continue to work hard for strong inter-municipal cooperation and noted she has good working relationships with local MLAs and MPs. Leadership means leading a team effectively and Brothers said she has shown this ability in a number of ways.

Brothers said writing effective policy and understanding its impact is important. Identifying the strengths of individual councillors is important as warden and Brothers said her conflict management training would help her improve the relationship between staff and council.

She requested that former councillor Merrill Ward act as scrutineer on her behalf for the vote. Whalen requested that Helen Osborne act as scrutineer on his behalf. Municipal Solicitor Don Urquhart and Corporate Services director Bill McKennan acted as scrutineers on behalf of the municipality.

Following a vote by secret ballot, council elected Whalen to serve as warden. A motion to destroy the ballots carried.

Whalen thanked those councillors who supported him and he invited Brothers and her supporters to join together, put aside any issues and work together for the benefit of the municipality.

Brothers told The Kings County Advertiser afterward the vote was 6-5 in favour of Whalen, but considering that Whalen has served as warden for eight years and she came within one vote of victory, she is very proud of her showing and the level of support she received.