Michael Erskine
Michael Erskine With one term of council experience behind him, Michael Erskine is throwing his hat in for a second term to represent Ward 2 of the Northeast Town. “I feel I have made a positive contribution over the past term,” said Mr. Erskine. “The biggest surprise this past term is how much I learned, not only about the process of municipal government, but also how to get things done at the council table.” “I’m proud of being part of a council that has reduced the municipal tax rate each year for the past four years, which has been a huge challenge considering how small the area of the budget that the municipal council actually has control over is,” continued Mr. Erskine, indicating that council doesn’t have control over elements such as the municipal contribution to the District Services Board, rising hydro costs and policing. “With labour costs rising each year and the massive increase to the policing budget and other mandated services, the challenge has been considerable.” “We have a number of major projects that the municipality is facing including new sewage lagoons and maintaining infrastructure that is made more difficult because of the financial situation of the provincial and federal government,” added Mr. Erskine. “The lagoons are a priority for me, but more so, in the short term, diverting materials from going into the landfill site,” Mr. Erskine said. “Landfills are incredibly expensive and the more we can provide opportunity to not put materials into the landfill, the longer we can extend the life of the current site.” Mr. Erskine said another key thing he would like to see is an environment where the Northeast Town has more assessment coming into the municipality. “The more new assessment we can attract to the community, the less costs of maintaining services will be for all of us,” he added. As for Mr. Erskine’s strongest attributes, he stated, “My experience and my ability to work with other people to find common ground, and to move forward the interest of Ward 2 residents in ways that also benefit the entire municipality and Manitoulin.” “I think my experience as a journalist has given me a wide interaction with people in the community and a good understanding of the concerns of average people in the Northeast Town,” continued Mr. Erskine. “A strong focus on core services is important, but also understanding the integral value that the volunteers of our community bring to the quality of life for residents of the municipality.”
