Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet Acclaimed As Warden
12/15/11Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet Acclaimed As Warden Of The County of Renfrew Will Serve A Record 5th Term of Office
Pembroke (ON): Town of Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet has been acclaimed as Warden of the County of Renfrew. Mayor Sweet was the only member of the seventeen members of County Council to put their name forward for the Office of Warden for the 2012 Term of Office.
Mayor Sweet was nominated by Greater Madawaska Township Mayor Peter Emon and Admaston/Bromley Township Mayor Raye-Anne Briscoe and his nomination was seconded by Laurentian Valley Township Mayor Jack Wilson. Following the official Swearing-In-Ceremony at the Inaugural County Council Session, Warden Sweet outlined some major objectives over the next year including:
- Continued lobbying for the twinning of TransCanada Highway 17 throughout the County of Renfrew in light of the CP Railway Corridor being abandoned over the last two years;
- Continued support for the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus in the areas of sustainable funding for infrastructure; compensation for municipalities for providing services to Crown Lands and for the Farm and Managed Forest Tax Program that was downloaded to municipalities;
- Maintaining open lines of communication between the County of Renfrew and Elected Representatives at the Federal and Provincial levels of government;
- Addressing the Policing needs of the OPP through the pursuit of the development of a leased facility for the Renfrew Detachment of the OPP at Renfrew County Place.
As part of his Inaugural Speech, Warden Sweet reminded everyone that both Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and Canadian Forces Base Petawawa are the two largest employers in the County of Renfrew, and both will be undergoing a change throughout 2012. “The arrival of the new 450 Helicopter Squadron to CFB Petawawa in 2012 and 2013 will bring a new influx of residents into the area, and with the organizational change at AECL, we are witnessing many new opportunities for growth and diversification in our local economy. I know that this County Council is committed to that growth.”
Warden Sweet has been the Mayor of Petawawa since 2000, and he served as Warden of the County of Renfrew from 2004-2006 and in 2011. Warden Sweet has previously served as Chair of the County of Renfrew Development & Property Committee; served as Chair of the Support Our Beef Committee of Renfrew County during the height of the Mad Cow Disease in 2003 and 2004; served as Chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus from 2005-2006; served as a member at the political table for the Provincial Municipal Fiscal-Service Delivery Review Committee from 2007-2008; spearheaded and was Chair of the County of Renfrew’s Expo 150 Committee that celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the County of Renfrew in 2011.
Warden Sweet will continue to work in partnership with Lanark County and the Township of Papineau-Cameron to acquire the abandoned rail line from CP Rail Company in order to develop the land for future use.
For more information please visit www.countyofrenfrew.on.ca or call:
Bob Sweet Warden of the County of Renfrew 613-735-7288
Jim Hutton Chief Administrative Officer 613-735-7288
Bruce McIntyre County of Renfrew Media Relations Coordinator 613-735-7288