What's Up Bracebridge Gravenhurst January 2010

New faces at Muskoka Lakes council
By Norah Fountain
The new Ward C councillors for the
Township of Muskoka Lakes are getting
up to speed as they head into their first
full week of council meetings, which
start Jan. 25.
Ron Brent and David Margesson were
sworn in as Township of Muskoka Lakes
councillors for Ward
C at the last council
meeting in December.
The two men say they
were encouraged by
others to apply to fill
the vacancies left by
the passing of councillor
Stewart Martin
and resignation of
Mayor Susan Pryke.
Councillor Brian
Hare was appointed
to the District position
for Ward C that
the late councillor
Martin held and
councillor Karen Ellis
was elevated to the
position of mayor.
Margesson says he
already had eyes on
the 2010 election as a
few people were
encouraging him to
seek office, so it made sense to get
almost a year of council service under his
belt. For Margesson, political action
runs in the family.
“Back in the 1960s, my father
knocked on doors to remind all residents
of the then Medora/Wood township
that they needed to get out and vote –
“It’s
paramount
that
decisions are
made in
everybody’s
best
interests...”
even though voting day back then was
Grey Cup Day and few seasonal residents
made the trip to vote.”
Hearing from as many constituents as
possible remains important to the 67-
year-old today, as is transparency, and
making sure the township runs its business
with the big picture in mind.
“It’s paramount
that decisions are
made in everybody’s
best interests,
although that’s often
difficult to do,” he
says. “Most important
is that we keep a lid
on budgets and make
the right spending
decisions. If we can’t
afford it, we can’t do
it. It’s impossible to
make everybody
happy.”
Margesson adds he
believes council is not
that different from
any board of directors,
and he’s had plenty of
experience on boards
and operating businesses,
including running
four businesses
ranging from
import/export to a travel agency and a
sporting goods firm that handled large
contracts supplying the Toronto Argonauts
and the Toronto Maple Leafs,
among others.
Brent has also worn many business
hats, as well as being a commercial pilot.
He is presently the president and partner
Ron Brent and David Margesson have been sworn in as councillors for
Ward C in the Township of Muskoka Lakes.
of W.D. Brent Rentals Ltd. He believes
his expertise will be primarily in the public
works area of council, but notes he
has experience in many related areas, and
learns fast. The 57-year-old first came to
Muskoka as a baby and was driving a
barge by the time he was five years old.
The family quarry business began after
some money was inherited after a resort
sold on the Isle of Wight in England.
“My brothers and I tried to do something
good with the money, and I think
we have. It was the seed that started
Brent Quarries,” he says.
Brent hopes he can also do something
good at the council table and notes one
of the candidate interview questions
was, ‘Will you run in the next election?’
He says he will consider it after he sees
how the next few months play out.
Margesson contends he will run. “As
long as I can be of benefit, I’ll continue
and throw my hat in the ring in the fall,”
he says.
The Appointment Interview Committee,
comprising Ward A councillor
Patricia Arney, Ward B councillor
Nancy Thompson, Ward C councillor
Brian Hare, was unanimous in recommending
Brent and Margesson be
appointed. The committee interviewed
a total of 14 candidates.
Photograph: Tim Du Vernet
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www.whatsupmuskoka.com January 2010 19