Sabrinus, all this may be true to whatever degree, but the fact of the matter that keeps getting raised all over the place is that businesses like those along the main street have always had the means and permission to go it alone, to install cost-effective distributed stand-alone solutions to their water problems.

And why not? Maybe we need more tourists, maybe we just need more of some different demographics of tourists (eg the aging Boomers) but the simple truth is that any of our local businesses could expand tomorrow given only a membrane water intake system or any one of a thousand waste-water systems.

Only now, with Carl's Obsession (which should be a new fragrance from Channel) there's a dark cloud over real development: If I were a developer or a business operator, I'd be looking at these sub-$10k solutions, but now I see a juggernaut of a pan-acea solution looming that promises to soak me for an additional $10,000, whether or not I can or want to take advantage of it ... so I may not be so keen to invest in a solution today if I'll have to also buy into the monopoly solution tomorrow. Not many of us could afford both.

To address this, there's another assurance I'd like to see from council: I have no problem with the town running it's own free-enterprise solution, but I want assurances that it will be user-fee based and not tax funded, and that the user-base will be 100% voluntary. I'd want the same from municipal optic fibre too but instead it looks like Bell will have that privatized monopoly -- although, and maybe it's worth noting, the federal CRTC won't let Bell monopolize our information pipelines and requires they sublet their infrastructure to BMI ...

The Beach 98 radio excerpt has Thom Noble and Dan Kerr on the attack over the fire chief thing but Melissa did not go near that subject in her conversation. My mistake and she is right I listened to it again. Melissa only dealt with the idea that the ratepayers were somehow biased and could not run a neutral candidates meeting.

In the end all of the meetings have turned out fine and given the candidates some much needed exposure and allowed them to present their ideas. The Mar meeting is this week.

Sabrinus understood the root cause in March 2004. It is the business folk and a close relationship with enough Councillors that caused the bickering between those who love the beach and those who see it as a cash generator.

On Oct.12 in Wiarton Mayor Noble stood up and said he had got nothing done in the three years of this term. Now that, is running on your record and knowing it won't matter.

At the Sauble meeting (the big one)Mark said it was an election issue and winning would give him and the the other pipeline supporters a mandate. Curiously this is what Sabrinus already knew would happen. Even more curious Mark's campaign literature is light on pipeline talk. Going both ways gives you two mandates I suppose.

Those conflict days are done and as Sabrinus predicted the residents have the voting power, the power to vote them out. It just remains to see who should stay.

By now Melissa will have gotten an earful from the Hepworth residents that they don't want water and sewer. They don't want it even at two thirds funding. Mark has never listened to this kind of talk so it gives a new meaning to the expression politics makes strange bedfellows.

Yvonne Harron has had it just like everyone else with the pipeline. She is ready to shelve it, kill it or bury it until something better comes along. Yvonne knows for sure now, more than in 2003.

Melissa Mockler Thom Noble and Dan Kerr blew their credibility with that dumb ass stunt to coordinate a three way phone call to Beach 98 radio one morning and try to destroy Gwen and while they were at it vent on those really bad Amabel Property Owners. They must have just had a Chamber of Commerce meeting the night before to cook it up. I have one of the CD copies of that program that are circulating around and it is really funny.

Thom and Dan are the pipeline front men for John Close and both have been sellig the voters on how low the payments will be based on their reading of cloud formations or some other speculation. If they all get in we are doomed. John Close if you can see through the fog wants two tier taxes which I think, means if the top tier pays less all the rest of us poor folks pay more.

Jim Kerr was at the Wiarton meeting as a candidate for Council. He is the one who figured that the high school math did not add up and we were short $370,000 and he let everyone know that he reach. Nice attitude and ready to go to work for the people.

Once we elect a Council we are one community decision wise and I want to see people at the table from every ward who will work together, do a good job of delivering basic services and keep our taxes down. That is a place to start.

Lets put a Council together:

For Mayor Gwen Gilbert

Vote for Yvonne Harron and Betty Hall.

Vote for Pat Varley and Art King

Vote for John Burley and Jim Kerr

Vote for Ana Vukovic and pump your vote.

If you really want to vote for a second one at Sauble pick Brian Fulford or Mark Wuderlich. Be warned both are pipeline supporters but they do have good work records.