Warden and Mayor Bill Hill “living the dream" : Shelburne Free Press : https://shelburnefreepress.ca

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Warden and Mayor Bill Hill “living the dream"

“I have been very fortunate and do not take lightly the trust of the residents that has been placed in me.”
– Bill Hill County Warden and Mayor of Melancthon
Mayor of Melancthon and County Warden Bill Hill will start “living the dream” this month when he finishes his term and retires to his new home in Orillia with his wife Alma. He was first selected as a Councillor in 1998 to finish the term at the passing of Reeve Gordon Oldfield. Elected to Council twice, Hill was appointed Deputy Mayor to finish the term in 2008 when D.C. Broderick passed away. In 2010, he was elected Mayor of Melancthon and in 2014 he was acclaimed Warden of Dufferin County.
Prior to Melancthon Township, Mr. Hill also served on Shelburne Council from 1983 to 1988 before moving to Melancthon. He was then elected to represent Shelburne on the former Dufferin County Board of Education for six years, two years as Chair, until 1994 when he resigned to take care of his business and spend time with his young family. Ed Crewson called Bill Hill “a great servant of the people of Shelburne, Melancthon and the County of Dufferin.”
Ed Crewson, who also stepped down as Mayor of Shelburne this month, says Bill Hill brought “charm and wit, energy and enthusiasm, talent and wisdom to every position, every project, and every gathering of which he is a part. His respect for the people he serves and their tax dollars is evident in every action and decision he has made. We have been blessed to have had Bill as a public servant for a generation in this community and I have been blessed to have been his colleague and friend.”
Also retiring from Melancthon Township is long time Councillor John Crowe, who was first elected in 2000, and served two, two year terms and two four year terms. “It has been my honour and privilege to serve the residents of Melancthon,” said Mr. Crowe, “and I thank them for their strong support over the last 14 years.” He said it had “also been my pleasure to work with each and every present and past member of Council and the exceptional staff that continually supports Council and extends professional service delivery to our residents.” As for retirement, Mr. Crowe says, “I know I will miss it all, but it is not goodbye, just a change of pace. We intend to continue our residency in Melancthon. To us this is home and this is our community.”
Denise Holmes the CAO for the Township of Melancthon told the Free Press, “Our last Council meeting held on November 20th was a difficult one when we adjourned “sine-die”. I have worked with Bill and John for a number of years (Bill since 1998 and John since 2000) and it has certainly been a pleasure working with both of them. On behalf of myself and Staff, I wish them all the best in their retirement and will truly miss having them around the office and on Council.”
Over the last term, Bill Hill says, Melancthon Council was “operating in a reactionary mode dealing with issues that have been thrust upon us, such as the Mega Quarry and wind turbines.” While both of these issues, “were and are time consuming,” he reported, he believes a lot of other things were accomplished, such as the Township building expansion, e-agendas, redistribution of administrative duties, sub-committees, annual staff reviews, and the adoption of the long awaited official plan among many things. At the County level, where he was Warden for the last year, Mr. Hill said the most significant thing accomplished was “the adoption of the first ever County Official Plan.”
In the future of Melancthon, Bill Hill thinks “the new council should finish what was started, by clearly identifying the vacant lots that could be developed” so that “builders could know the Melancthon is open for business as future growth is limited with the Provincial Policy Statement.” He notes that Dufferin Wind, which he referred to the Free Press as “the worst company he has ever worked with” in all his years in politics “has been a challenge and will continue to be something that the New Council will have to be involved with.”
Newly elected Mayor of Melancthon, Darren White called Mr. Hill “a true champion for the Township and the County,” who “leaves behind a legacy of strong fiscal management, as well as sound decision making that has left the Township well positioned for the future.” The CAO of Dufferin County Sonya Pritchard said Bill Hill was “always working to serve the residents and leave things a little better than he found them. I know the introduction of a new scholarship program for Dufferin County students is something his very proud to have accomplished. Bill will be missed at the County Council table.”|
“I have been very fortunate,” says Mr. Hill, “and do not take lightly the trust of the residents that has been placed in me. I don't know of other people that have been elected to two different Councils in the same county, as well as a school board. It has been an honour to serve.
This is a “team sport” and I have been blessed to have been able to work with some of the finest people I have ever worked with. We have had some differences, but they have been handled in a professional business manner and we have done the job we were asked to do. The staffs at both the Council level and County are very professional dedicated people and in my view are undervalued in many ways. I “love” politics and will certainly miss the interaction. Fortunately, I have hobbies, interests and grandchildren that will take up my time and fill the void. Finally, I could not have done any of this without the support of my wife of 40 years and our children. Looking back they may have paid a higher price than realized as I travelled though this great journey.”

By Marni Walsh

Post date: 2014-12-03 18:42:24
Post date GMT: 2014-12-03 23:42:24
Post modified date: 2014-12-10 14:41:18
Post modified date GMT: 2014-12-10 19:41:18