Peters seeks reeve’s chair

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2018 (2112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mechanical contractor first elected to La Broquerie council in 2014 is making a run at the reeve’s chair, on a platform emphasizing prudent taxation and opportunities for young families.

Ward 1 councillor Cameron Peters announced his intentions earlier this week, saying he made the decision to run for reeve after “a number of community leaders” approached him in recent months.

Peters communicated his platform priorities to The Carillon thsi week, saying municipal budgets and policies need to reflect the needs of young families.

He recalled viewing a municipal population pyramid during a planning exercise that showed the RM contained a large number of young families—a situation very different from the aging demographics seen in some municipalities.

If elected, Peters said he would draft a recreation master plan and formulate a five-year road and drainage strategy, so residents can know when the roads and ditches nearest their home will receive attention.

“It’s important to educate the public to know where their dollars are going to be spent going forward.”

Such a plan, he said, may help frustrated rural residents who accused council of offering them poor value per dollar at this spring’s financial plan public hearing.

He alluded to Reeve Lewis Weiss’s dissenting vote on the financial plan as a decisive moment.

“That was the final indication for me that change needed to happen.”

Mindful of the mill rate, Peters said he’s a proponent of cost control, but “not at a detriment to our residents, and not at a detriment to growth.”

“Taxes are an investment into our community’s future…if they’re managed properly.”

Looking back on his four years behind the council table, Peters said the job has increased his passion for the community.

An entrepreneur who founded CamCom Technologies Inc. 25 years ago, Peters said Low German was the first language on the farm where he was raised. This past winter, he enrolled in French classes, an attempt, he said, to ensure his leadership reflects the municipality’s blend of heritages.

Peters and his wife, Karen, have four children.