In Cookshire-Eaton, voters will have to decide which candidate is best suited to lead the municipality for the next four years: outgoing mayor Sylvie Lapointe, or Mario Gendron.
Proud of her record, Ms. Lapointe intends to continue the work already started. She wants to help make Cookshire-Eaton an urban and rural municipality that will respond to the reality of the 2020s. The candidate noted she took into account, during her mandate, the needs of the six poles of the municipality: Cookshire, Eaton Corner, Sawyerville, Birchton, Bulwer and Johnville. Significant achievements were made in the three major sectors of Cookshire, Sawyerville and Johnville, she explained. The Cloutier Pond Park, the Cœur villageois, the Sawyerville Dam Trail, and the acquisition and upgrading of the church in this area are all on this list. In the case of Johnville, Ms. Lapointe highlighted the construction of the water treatment plant, the new playground equipment at the Parc des Trois Mousquetaires (Park of the Three Musketeers), the cross-country ski trail and the ice rink. The refurbishment of the exterior of the Eaton Corner Academy is also on the nominee’s list. On the environmental front, the mayor is delighted with the establishment of the brown bins, the mobile eco-centre, and the collection project for agricultural plastic and glass containers.
Ms. Lapointe has several future projects, including that of completing the bike path linking Sawyerville to Newport and Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton, and the soon-to-begin construction of a fire station, to be completed in 2022. The search for drinking water in the Johnville area, particularly in the eco-forest park in this sector, is continuing. She also intends to continue the dezoning strategy in the Johnville and Cookshire sectors to develop rental housing. In Cookshire, she plans to renovate the John-Cook Covered Bridge and upgrade the trails. Ms. Lapointe specified her intention to devote herself primarily to the task of mayor on a full-time basis if she is re-elected.
Mario Gendron
Recognizing the human values of the outgoing mayor, Mario Gendron mentioned that Ms. Lapointe’s mandate was tainted by the controversy surrounding her, whether at the beginning with Loisirs Cookshire or recently with complaints concerning ethics. Candidate Gendron believes the future is too important to waste time on controversies. “For myself, I want to think about projects, I want to move forward. We are in a context where there are opportunities, we are really well positioned for development. This is time to push to make ourselves known, for the positive.”
As evidence that he is project-oriented, Mr. Gendron pointed out the various files in which he participated, such as the partnership with Bishop’s and Sherbrooke universities for the Johnville eco-forest park, the creation of a cross-country ski network, the establishment of an ice rink, safeguarding the church in Johnville, and the water treatment plant.
The candidate relies on his experience in managing organizations to seek out the best from the people around him. Retired, Mr. Gendron intends to put in the necessary hours, whether teleworking or face-to-face at the Town Hall. “I don’t want to just be present, but effective.”
The candidate wishes to carry forward the current files, but wishes, as a priority, to correct the drinking water problem in the Cookshire sector. “We have to be prepared to seek water elsewhere.” Mr. Gendron wants to work on accessibility to home ownership for young families, to make tourist reception more attractive and to promote sustainable development. Aware that the tax rate is high, the candidate intends to tackle the tax burden on taxpayers by promoting development, especially of new technologies. “I don’t want to bring in (factory) chimneys,” he added.