I hope everyone is keeping their heads above water, literally. Please notify the City of Kingston Customer Service if you are experiencing drainage issues in ditches, culverts etc. The number is 613.546.0000 or e-mail contactus@cityofkingston.ca The service is very efficient, but please contact me directly if your complaints are not being acted upon within a work week.

What a spring we have had in Kingston so far. Colder than normal, then wet and warm, then downpours with local flooding and now we survived the hurricane of April 28th. This weather has kept our city works department very busy unplugging storm drains, street cleaning, keeping up with minor power outages and clearing debris from sidewalks, roads and parks. I believe the works department, under the direction of Damon Wells, has done a remarkable job for all of us. There may be issues that have been overlooked and I invite you to contact me if I am able to assist you.

One of Brian Reitzel’s election campaign promises was to invite Kingston East residents to join him in a meeting each quarter. On March 28th he lived up to his promise and hosted the first Kingston East “Town Hall” meeting. He discussed the background information on topics like the third crossing, taxes, the City budget and Grass Creek Park. He also listened to comments and concerns from Kingston East residents.

City Councillors have been busy since the beginning of the New Year. Directly on the heels of our inauguration in December, Councillor training sessions started. We ramped up all the committees, City budget deliberations began and now we’ve started with education sessions for Councillors in preparation for Strategic Planning sessions.

City Council is well into the approval process for the City of Kingston Operating and Capital Budget. I want to thank all the concerned residents of Pittsburgh who have taken the time to forward their concerns to me for consideration. I must admit that the city budgeting process is well prepared and documented. I am concerned, however, with some of the numbers we are seeing. I will endeavour to put a halt to budget escalations that do not make sense during the difficult economic times.

A new year, a new Mayor, a new city council and a new Pittsburgh District councillor. It is a “brave new world” for Pittsburgh District and the City of Kingston. Aldous Huxley penned the title to his futuristic book in 1931 and had it published in 1932. The book as we know became a classic and was required reading in High School English. I feel that it is an appropriate title to begin 2011 in our city.

On behalf of all of us I want to thank Leonore Foster for her 22 years of dedicated service in public life. I am just beginning to get a sense of the commitment that is required of a dedicated councillor, and I still have a long way to go. We all wish you well Leonore on your future endeavors. I officially commence my duties as Councillor on DECEMBER 1, 2010.

It was a tense and exciting night in Brian Reitzel’s basement rec room as his team, family and relatives all sat with their eyes glued to CKWS for the election results on October 25th. Then they ran out of ballots at St. Martha’s School, Brian’s strongest polling station. By the time they got new ballots and the voting was complete it was after 10:30.

Many take it for granted that because the election took place on October 25, the new councillor takes over immediately, but that is not the case. The term of the current council does not end until November 30, so I will be your councillor until then. It is only after council members take their oath of office that the new council officially assumes its duties.

By phone, email, and on the street residents are asking me whom they should vote for in the upcoming election. To be fair, I am not willing to publicly support any of the four candidates running in Pittsburgh, although I have discussed with residents in one on one conversations the attributes of the candidates. The mayoral position is a vote “at large” and some weeks ago I publicly supported Mark Gerretsen as I think of all the candidates running, he has the strength and experience to do the job, and those are important considerations when choosing a mayor.