Holman announces candidacy for Summerside council
An endowment fund to help community outreach initiatives and programs in Charlottetown has been established in honour of the city’s longest-serving mayor, Clifford Lee.
The Community Foundation of P.E.I. will manage the funds, including the donations and earnings. As a registered charity, all qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Decisions about which organizations and outreach programs will benefit from the endowment fund will be managed by the foundation’s grant committee based on the granting vision that
Melissa Hilton has announced her bid for election in Charlottetown’s Ward 6 – Mount Edward in the upcoming municipal election.
Voters head to the polls on Nov. 5.
Hilton, who had been previously elected four times to council and currently sits as finance chair, had been serving the residents of Ward 9 - Stonepark until the maps were redrawn.
“After much reflection and encouraging conversations with many Ward 6 residents, I have come to realize that I can have a much greater impact in my home ward when councillor of the
Peter Holman has announced his intention to seek a Summerside City Council seat in the upcoming municipal election.
Holman, a former city councilor, intends to run in Ward 4 (Clifton–Market).
Holman and his wife, Anne, live in the ward, on Beaver Street, and he grew up in that area of the city.
Holman previously represented Ward 3 (SummersideNorth) has been initially established by Lee.
Contributions to the Clifford Lee Endowment Fund will be placed in a long-term investment where the capital is held in perpetuity, and the earnings are used to empower an annual granting ward,’’ Hilton said.
Hilton has served as chair of several portfolios, including fire and emergency services, parks and recreation and leisure activities, and most recently finance, audit and tendering. Over the years, she has also served as an active member of many other standing committees of council.
She said as chair of finance, the city was able to realize a $320,000 annual savings through the open Hilton from 2010 to 2014, when he was unseated by Coun. Gordie Whitlock. Holman said he was prompted to seek another term on council after being approached by a number of area residents. He said he feels he still has a lot to contribute to the community. Holman program.
The fund will be launched at a toast and roast for Lee, which will be held at the Delta Prince Edward on Saturday, Nov. 3. The event will be hosted by Bruce Rainnie and Kevin (Boomer) Gallant, with the reception beginning tendering of its insurance coverage. Additionally, even when facing a $3-million deficit, Hilton was able to work with her colleagues on council to hold the line on tax rates, avoiding an increase.
As councillor for Ward 9, Hilton said sidewalks have increased dramatically and ditch infills have spread across much of the ward. One of the highlight projects was the construction of the Malcolm J. Darrach Community Centre and she would like to continue working with council to build/ maintain the necessary infrastructure such as Sherwood Hall, Cody Banks Arena, playground equipment, speed humps, street
“I have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer the residents of Ward 4, having spent 40-plus years in the financial industry,” he said. “I will lobby hard to ensure the best interests of the ward as well as the city are favourable for all residents.”
Holman is also an avid volunteer in the community, especially in projects pertaining to seniors and of historical importance. Some of his affiliations include: serving as the past-president of the Summerside and Area Historical at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at Charlottetown City Hall (199 Queen St.) by cash or cheques made payable to the Community Foundation of P.E.I. For more information, contact: 902-566-5548.
The proceeds of the ticket sales will go to the endowment fund.
Donations can also be made directly through the Community Foundation of P.E.I. by calling 1-800-566-7307, 902-892-3440, or email info@cfpei.ca. To donate online, visit the Community Foundation of PEI website at: cfpei.ca. lighting and more.
Hilton was an early champion for the lighting of the Confederation Trail and most recently of maintaining operation of Fire Station 2 in Sherwood.
Hilton is a graduate of UPEI and a member of her familyowned business located in Charlottetown. She has served as an active board member with the Four Neighbourhoods Community Health Centre and the Island Fitness Council, as well as in team management roles with the Sherwood-Parkdale Rural Minor Hockey Association.
She and her husband Rob have two daughters, Nicole and Robyn. Society, as co-chairman of the city’s Age-Friendly city initiative, a board member of the East Prince Seniors Initiative and a committee member of the city’s Urban Core Development Plan.
Holman said some of the issues he would like to work on with council include: seniors’ housing, carbon taxes, expanding the city’s energy file (especially solar energy), the costs of policing, securing a new fire hall and user fees for city amenities.
While the vote on applying for a grant was straightforward, council took a detour en route to the decision.
Mayor Michael Murphy questioned Coun. Alan Curtis about the sale of the old town library building, wondering why some of the proceeds were not set aside for the new library.
“Why would we?” asked Curtis, who was chair of the now-defunct Alberton Public Library Ltd.
“It’s a private corporation, it had nothing to do with the town, except it was on town ground. There was no obligation to give any of that money to the town.”
The town decided in the fall of 2015 to take over library services after air quality issues persisted in the Main Street building where the Alberton Library Board had previously provided library services.
Curtis said the board had appointed a non-biased committee to recommend where to distribute the assets. He declined to provide the names of the committee members.
In June, the board of directors of Alberton Library Ltd. distributed all its remaining assets, including the proceeds of the building it sold on Main Street, to three organizations in town — the Rev. W.J. Phillips Residence, the Alberton Museum and the Alberton Elementary School Library each received over $13,600 for literary-based projects.
“It was a very democratic process by an independent committee deciding where the money should go, and that is where it went.”
Curtis went on to explain that before the sale, the town was receiving library services for about $2,000 from the former corporation. That cost was recouped in the form of a grant.
“The library services now cost the town probably more like $9,000 a year, with a reduced number of books in the library and a building that doesn’t have air conditioning yet, so I don’t think you should be cross examining me, Mr. Mayor; I should be asking you why it’s costing the town so much for library services now when it was supplied for $2,000?”
Murphy said Curtis should already have that information as he was one of the main players in the sale of the old library.