WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1975, PAGE 3 "Hold the ine" says Mayor Gartshore by BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer Although his term is only for one year and he has been in office just a week, Whitby's new mayor Jim Gartshore already has his plans well set out for what he wants to achieve in 1976. Ail the time that is absolutely, necessary for my duties as mayor will be avail- able, and I expect it will be full-time", Mayor Gartshore said in an interview two days after his election. His first priority will be to complete the town budget by the end of January, and as in 1975, he is hoping for a "hold the line" budget which will have no increases in ex- penditures for municipal pur- poses in 1976. Mayor Gartshore hopes that the other levels of government will take the same approach to finances next year and says he will work for this at the regional council. "I think if they (the regional councillors) have the desire and if they desire to cut the cloth according to their needs instead of their desires, I think they could", he said. Along with the early "hold the line" budget, Mayor Gartshore will propose a num- ber of structural changes for both staff and council, and already has a plan drawn up. One part of this plan is to appoint a senior statt mem- ber as staff co-ordinator who will chair the staff committee meetings and "help citizens through the bureaucratic system if they are getting lost". Council is already vvorking on this proposal and Mayor Gartshore hopes to gain approval from council before February. In recreation, Mayor Gart- shore has several plans lie would like to carry out despite the tight budget restrictions. "We have to continue to expand facilities and develop parks to a greater extent in the older areas of the town including Brooklin", he said. "We should take som: action to buy some parkland in the Brooklin-Ashburn -Myrtle area so we can bave it in the future, if we can get it into the budget. This vill be a top priority considera- tion in the recreation budget" he added.. Mayor Gartshore lias spec- ified plans for parks equipmen and tennis courts whichli he will intrDduce in the budget discussions, and he hopes to be able to have the council make an agreement with the school boards for greater use of the scliools for recreational activities. One a more long-term basis Mayor Gartsliore suggests that thie town sliould arrange to develop tlie Lynde Creek valley as a complete park system from tlie south Up, spread over a number ofyears perliaps with tlie assistance of the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority. Another matter which willi receive the new mayor's atten tion in tlie budget discussions is the preventative mamnte nance program for roads, which he describes as one oî his favourite projects., "We must continue to brini the streets and sidewalks up t an acceptable level", he said "We have been doing very well in that area in the last two years". Another priority item for Mayor Gartshore is the imple-· pientation of the minimum standards bylaw, which lie hopes to have passed by council "in the next couple of months". "We must implement the minimum standards bylaw to clean up areas owned by people who have no cnsider- ation for the community", he said. Mayor Gartshore hopes in the next two to three months to have council consider a type of transportation system for senior citizens which would provide subsidies on taxi fares. Senior citizens would be. issued books of tickets for a year and the town could reimburse the taxi companies for the reduc- tion in fares, he suggested. Also, Mayor Gartshore in- tends to have immediate con- îersations with the Charter- ways bus line to see if it can expand its service in t', town. Mayor Gartshore feels that the town will have to reassess its planning systenis in 1976, "for the times have changed from what they were even three years ago. There have been changes in the social and financial environment and in the attitudes of mem- bers of council". "We have to sincerely look at slowing down approvals of any new developinents till those plans completed are moving along", he said. One new planning develop- ment, said Mayor Gartshore, is that the town has obtained an agreement with the devel- oper of Whitby Towne Estates for about 20 lots on which people can build their own homes or bring in another. builder. "We hope to do this in other subdivisions", he said. Mayor Gartshore also stated that condominums should continue to be rejected by the council until there is a better set of rules to cover them. "There has bean some improvement by the provin- cial government on assess- ment", he said. "We've been asking the province for guide- lines, and we are going to seL up our own controls for the protection of people going into them if we can't get some answers from the senior levels of government". Mayor Gartshore agrees that there is a variety of t styles and mixes of housing units and they all have their pace, "but we've got to assess them in each developmnent. We've got to make sure tIc :new areas meld in with the old areas". Mayor Gartshore feels that rate payers groups have a place in the commnunity "and they have rights given to them under the sytem. They serve a purpose", he said, "The only problem you 'have witli ratepayers is if you don't ,listen to therm and respond to them, not necessarily affirma- tively, but in the best interests of the community". Mayor Gartshore regards -the recent conflicts between the councillors and staff over planning as being "blown up t a little out of proportion. Now with a mayor and settled down with a full council, I g don't see therc's a problern", o he said. . "Council should set out the policies and budget for the town and the staff should implemtent within those bud- gets and those policies". Mayor Gartshore added that he considers the official plan is "an iniquitous piece of paper if you use it as a Bible. It has to be adaptable. You can't lock in a commun- ity forever because two. years' ago something was written on a piece of paper". He also feels the same way about the regional official plan. On the subiect of regional government, Mayor Gartshore said he hopes to find less parochialism and more rcgion- alism shown next year. "Regional government was set up in a hurry and not given a fair chance by the provincial boys", he said. Mayor Gartshore was born in Oshawa and came to Whitby about 1939. His most active community involve- ment has been with the Kinsmen Club, of which he was President in 1962-63, dis- trict governor in 1964-65, and a member of the national executive council. In 1968 he became a life member. While with the Kinsmnen, Mayor Gartshore received a Breath of Life Award from the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Association for his work for cystic fibrosis with the club. Mayor Gartshore was also a director of a Junior C hoc- key club, was on the Ontario County Advisory Board for the. Blind, and is a steward at St. Mark's United Church. Since 1972, he has been mar- keting sales manager for Whitby Welding. With only a year to serve as mayor, he said he will look at the 1976 election when it comes, "but it would be quite reasoriable that I would look at running again in 1976". Jin Gartshore, Whitby's 1976 mayor is ready to get on pal staff structure in mmmd. Recreation and parks are also with his job, and already has several projects in the planning higb priorities, along with passage ofthe minimum standards stages. He is taking a "hold the line" approach in the bylaw. town's budget, and has a number of changes in the munici- Free Press Photo UNTIL DECEMBER 31s"" Right now your Toyota dealer has ay wide selection of Toyotas in stock. If you buy before December 31Ist, you'll get a great deal on a gt cax.asTell cas save the 7% Ontario TYT "HEV10¥0TA,V0U'RE TERRIl=lC!" *ln compliance with Ontario Gomment Tax Rebatenn new autoinobiles (you pay the tax, the Uovermnent rebates it to you).