Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Greater Napanee’s incoming council members were officially sworn in to office on the afternoon of Dec. 6, marking the start of the 2022-26 term of council.
The meeting was opened with a rendition of O Canada, sang by the student choir of The Prince Charles School. Justice Geoff Griffin was on hand to do the official swearing in honours, having each member read from a script promising to fulfill the responsibilities of the office before they could take their seat around the horseshoe.
Mayor Terry Richardson was last, presented with the chain of office before taking his seat at the head of the table. Once there he had the opportunity to make his inaugural address.
“We as a community have some very exciting times ahead,” said Richardson. “We have some recently updated official plan, strategic plan, recreational master plan, we are in the process of completing a community safety and well-being plan. All these documents will act as guidelines or suggestions as to how we, as a community, move forward. We are in the final stages of moving into a new administrative building designed to provide efficiencies and a higher quality of customer service, both of which should be a benefit to our citizens. We have an industrial park, centrally located within our province, screaming to be developed. We have a waterfront, a body of water that provides access to Greater Napanee for the rest of the world. A waterfront that can provide as many recreational benefits to our community as it does economical ones. And of course, a Market Square that includes town hall, this building that we are in today, which is the crown jewel of our community. An area that needs to be promoted, invested in and revitalized to bring as much economical benefit to our historical downtown as possible.”
Joining Richardson around the table is Mike Schenk, Ward 1, Angela Hicks, Ward 2, Dave Pinnell Jr., Ward 3, Bill Martin, Ward 4, Bob Norrie, Ward 5 and Brian Calver as deputy mayor.
“I’m extremely happy to say that I know each and every one of them and I’m extremely confident that any decisions made will be in the best interest of our community both today and going forward,” Richardson said of his fellow council members.
In one small bit of house keeping business, council passed a by-law to appoint Norrie as the town’s county council alternate should the mayor or deputy mayor be unable to attend a Lennox and Addington County council meeting. Norrie was the lone name nominated and was passed unanimously.
Council’s next meeting will be Dec. 20 at the regularly scheduled time of 7 p.m.