Ward 21 candidate looks for positive rural change
Posted Mar 5, 2010 By Sarah Kelford
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Tweet ThisEMC News - "There are problems that need to be solved. 2010 is a year for change."
Bruce Chrustie said he decided to run in the 2010 municipal election for that reason.
This will be the Dwyer Hill resident's first election. He has lived in Ward 21 Rideau-Goulbourn for the past seven years.
Chrustie explained that according to the city's citizen satisfaction survey, the rural residents are twice as dissatisfied as their urban and suburban neighbours, and this dissatisfaction has steadily increased since the initial survey in 2004 (repeated again in 2007 and 2008).
"They need some change," he said when he sat down with the EMC two weeks after filing his official nomination papers. "Many councillors have been on council since amalgamation, they need fresh ideas and the ability to work together."
Chrustie said another issue that council needs to look at is a new governance model.
"Amalgamation has certainly brought interesting things, but council needs to reflect rural issues."
An example that Chrustie noted was the development in Manotick and Richmond.
"No preliminary planning was done," he noted. "We can do proper planning for development."
If elected Chrustie said he will bring a stronger rural voice to council.
"I will bring a disciplined approach to decision making," he said.
Chrustie said he enjoys living the rural life and works in the high-tech field. He has an undergraduate in engineering from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa.
"I see a problem that needs to be fixed. Council can't keep throwing darts in the dark," he said. "(Ward 21 Rideau-Goulbourn councillors) Glenn (Brooks) is a good man, who has served his community well, but it has been 10 years status quo with little change."
On his website, Chrustie states that "amalgamation was supposed to bring a decision-making process in which we, in the rural wards, had: decision-making and advisory responsibilities on specified local matters, final say over local planning issues, regulatory bylaws and important community programs, responsibilities like subdivision approvals or local transportation issues."
"My commitment to you is to implement what amalgamation was supposed to bring: the rural wards having binding authority on rural issues," he continues.
"There is no other candidate in Rideau Goulbourn who is proposing such common sense. It is time we execute on what amalgamation promised."
For more information on Chrustie, visit www.rideau-goulbourn.ca or email him directly at bruce@rideau-goulbourn.ca.
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