DC Community Center celebrates a birthday

September 2, the upcoming South Dundas municipal election gained another candidate when Phillip Blancher filed nomination papers announcing his intention to seek election as South Dundas councillor.

“I want to make a difference, and improve things in South Dundas,” said Blancher, who has been considering seeking election for quite some time.

Blancher moved to South Dundas just over nine years ago. 

“Over those nine years, I haven’t always agreed with council decisions, and how things have been handled,” said Blancher. 

As a father with a young family, and the owner of a small business that specializes in communications and web development, Blancher believes he would bring a different perspective, a younger perspective to the South Dundas council table.

“I am younger than those who currently sit on council, and having a young family, I think I see things a little differently than they do,” said Blancher, explaining that because council decisions affect everyone in South Dundas, it would be nice to bring the perspective of someone with a young family into that process.

Blancher was raised primarily in the Gananoque area, and was educated in journalism at Sheridan College.

“As much experience as I have, I have no direct experience sitting around a municipal council table,” said Blancher, who hopes to get elected as councillor and gain that experience. “Also, no matter who you are at the table, you only have one vote.”

Blancher’s community involvement includes being president of the South Dundas Soccer Association and Seaway Kickers. He is vice president of the South Dundas Historical Society and served on the Morrisburg Waterfront Implementation Committee.

His platform is available on his website phillipblancher.ca, and includes getting back to basics, good customer service, putting South Dundas first and a focus on economic development.

The nomination deadline for the upcoming municipal election is September 12. So far Steven Byvelds and Evonne Delegarde are the only two candidates for mayor. With the withdrawal of Leslie Disheau, Jim Locke is now unopposed for the deputy mayor’s chair. The three council seats are being contested by Phillip Blancher, Bill Ewing, Bert Geertsma, Jim Graham and Archie Mellan. The list of candidates is not finalized until after the nomination deadline.

[…]

  “I am extremely pleased, really delighted,” said Debbie Boardman, executive director of Community Living, Dundas County. “We raised $8,300 for our projects, including the matching fund of $3,000 presented to us by our corporate […]

All three fire stations in the South Dundas Fire Department held open houses on Saturday, October 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. complete with tours, free souvenirs and barbecue munchies. Fire Chief Chris McDonough said the open houses were a a great success and that he’s “looking forward to doing it again next year.” At the Williamsburg location the local children were having fun climbing into, out of, and on the fire trucks. From all appearances, they were loving every minute of it. 

[…]