Basil Clarke — Ramara Township mayor
Dear constituents of Ramara Township:
I have considered it a privilege to serve Ramara Township in multiple capacities over the past 18 years: two terms as councillor, two terms as Deputy Mayor and one term as mayor. I’ve chaired numerous committees, both in Ramara and at the Simcoe County level. I have a great working relationship with our surrounding municipalities and local First Nations communities. With this experience, I feel that I am the best candidate to lead council as mayor for the next four years.
I have extensive experience working with the Simcoe County Economic Development committee, in the position of chair, for three years. Working alongside the economic development committee, we have sold 23 acres of Ramara’s industrial land. The businesses are not up and running yet, but they soon will be and will provide Ramara Township with much needed commercial taxes and jobs. My goal for the next four years is to sell the remaining 22 acres.
In the term prior to my time as mayor, Ramara was cut off from all provincial grants. After numerous meetings with Municipal Affairs, I have re-established a good working relationship with the province, and Ramara has access once again to grants. Our bank account has gone from a $3 million deficit to a $2 million balance, and we have increased our reserves to $6 million. Continuing with this fiscal responsibility, I want to ensure that in the next four years, as we move forward with new projects, we never jeopardize our finances again.
We need to continue our partnerships with Simcoe County and SWIFT to bring affordable high-speed internet to Ramara. This will not happen overnight, but I have already begun this process. This will also involve creating new partnerships, one possibility being Ramara township building towers and renting space to smaller internet providers.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve this wonderful community.
Sincerely,
Basil Clarke