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Norfolk County’s mayoral candidates were put on the spot during a rapid-fire round at a well-attended debate hosted by the Simcoe and District Chamber of Commerce at the Port Dover Community Centre last night.
The event drew a standing-room-only crowd as Doug Brunton, David Finch, Noel Haydt, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner and Adam Veri took questions.
The rapid-fire section called for one-word or very short answers, giving voters a quick look at the candidates’ positions and priorities.
Thinker or doer?
Thinker: None
Doer: Noel Haydt, Adam Veri
Both: David Finch, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Cautious or bold?
Cautious: Doug Brunton
Bold: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
What do you brag about most when talking about Norfolk?
David Finch: Beaches
Noel Haydt: Food grown in Norfolk
Adam Veri: Festivals and events
Doug Brunton: Farming
Ken Hewitt: Agriculture
Keith Milner: Community
Have you attended a Pride event?
Yes: David Finch, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
No: Noel Haydt
Should user fees fully cover the cost of operating recreation facilities?
Yes: Noel Haydt
No: David Finch, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Should out-of-town users pay higher recreation fees than Norfolk residents?
Yes: David Finch, Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
No: Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton
Ride Norfolk: support or discontinue?
Support: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Keith Milner
Unsure: Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt
Discontinue: None
Would you use strong mayor powers if elected?
Yes/Maybe: Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt
No: David Finch, Adam Veri, Keith Milner
Should developers pay more toward expanding urban water and wastewater capacity?
Yes: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
No: Doug Brunton
Should Norfolk continue summer paid parking in lakeside communities?
Yes: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton
No: Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Do you support higher-density or multi-family housing in established low-density neighbourhoods?
Yes: Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton
No: David Finch, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Should Norfolk continue the Municipal Accommodation Tax?
Yes: David Finch, Adam Veri
No: Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Should Norfolk establish a Municipal Development Corporation to manage MAT revenue?
Yes: David Finch, Adam Veri
No: Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Do you support higher taxes on vacant properties and storefronts?
Yes: Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
No: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton
Should Norfolk have term limits for municipal elected officials?
Yes: Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton
No: David Finch, Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
What is your number-one priority in your first year?
David Finch: Doing things differently.
Noel Haydt: Get a handle on capital projects.
Adam Veri: Realign social services.
Doug Brunton: Taxes, water bills and red tape.
Ken Hewitt: Bring the budget back to predictability and under control.
Keith Milner: Return respect to Norfolk County.
Would you support a moratorium on data centres in Norfolk?
Yes: David Finch
No: Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Do you support removing heritage designations from existing properties?
Yes: Adam Veri, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt
No: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Keith Milner
Would you put security in the Simcoe library?
Yes: David Finch, Doug Brunton, Keith Milner
No: Noel Haydt, Adam Veri
Unsure: Ken Hewitt, who said he did not know security was needed.
Would you support developing a new recreational hub?
Yes: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri
No: Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
Does Norfolk County communicate effectively with residents?
Yes: Doug Brunton
No: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner
What groups or organizations have you volunteered with in the last five years?
David Finch: Pride Haldimand Norfolk
Noel Haydt: None
Adam Veri: Minor baseball, minor hockey, Board of Trade, Senior Centre and Simcoe BIA
Doug Brunton: Girls’ minor hockey, Simcoe BIA and Canadian Cancer Society
Ken Hewitt: Chamber of Commerce and Turkey Point Owners Association
Keith Milner: Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association
If elected, would being mayor be your only job?
Yes: David Finch, Noel Haydt, Adam Veri, Doug Brunton, Keith Milner
No: Ken Hewitt
The rapid-fire round was designed to give voters a quick snapshot of where the six candidates stand without lengthy explanations.
With questions touching on housing, taxes, tourism, recreation, development and municipal leadership, the answers also highlighted several clear divisions between the candidates ahead of Norfolk County’s October 26 municipal election.
Written by Jeremy Hall
