After eight years as councillor and mayor, Pollock calls it a day
By Kevin Woodhouse
www.thesuburban.com
In an effort to inform the citizens of Beaconsfield of his intent before the release of the city’s last municipal information magazine for the summer, Mayor David Pollock has decided not to seek re-election as mayor of Beaconsfield in the upcoming November election.
Pollock told The Suburban he was proud to work for the citizens in his capacity as councillor for four years before becoming mayor when he defeated incumbent Bob Benedetti in 2009 and he has looked at the last eight years as “a unique form of community service.”
Pollock has decided to step down after November due to increased business commitments as well as a desire to spend more time with his family and enjoying more time sailing.
When asked what the highlight of his role as mayor was, Pollock said that “I always tried to be respectful of the taxpayers’ burden and while we have increased spending on infrastructure and improving our facilities, we have taken on no new debt.”
Councillor Rhonda Massad of District 6, who has already announced her intentions to run for mayor and has begun door to door campaigning, was not surprised by Pollock’s announcement.
“It was obvious he wasn’t running, as he has appeared uninvested in the last few months,” Massad said.
Massad wants to regain the trust people once had in politicians and wants to be completely transparent. And while that is a common catch phrase, it is true. We need to put the chaos and insanity behind and actually answer questions, even if sometimes the answers are not always likable or favourable.
“People need to be heard and we need to respond to their issues,” Massad said. With better transparency and a concerted effort to get back to citizens in a timely fashion, Massad thinks that having police officers attend council meetings will be a thing of the past.”
“We don’t need police at our meetings, but people need to ask questions in a respectable way,” said Massad.
District 3 Councillor Wade Staddon said that Pollock “grew into the job with a much greater appreciation for how an administration is actually run.”
Staddon will run again as councillor and is hoping to “change the dialogue and be more open with people as the perception with those who attended council meetings was that David held back more than he needed to and wasn’t always forthcoming with information.”
Like Massad, Staddon agrees with being more open with the citizenry but noted that “the people in the room at council meetings have rights and responsibilities as well.”
“It was a pleasure to serve the citizens of Beaconsfield and I wish them all the best,” said Pollock.
As of press time, Councillors Roy Baird, Pierre Demers and Karin Essen had not returned calls to The Suburban.
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