The new warden of Simcoe County has one goal for the new term that stands above others: creating unity.
George Cornell, mayor of Tiny Township, was elected the new warden Tuesday at the inaugural meeting of county council. Clearview Township Deputy Mayor Barry Burton took the deputy warden seat.
“A big part of my job is to bring the county council together,” said Cornell. “We’ve had a fairly significant turnover, with 15 new players coming to the table.”
“Our first priority is to get council working together,” he said.
Cornell is also interested in connecting Simcoe County communities beyond the council table, pointing to initiatives such as the LINX transit system as an example.
“One of my personal objectives, and I’ve heard it from a lot of other councillors, is broadband. We have a lot of rural areas in our county. Our agricultural sector needs it. We need to expand the availability of high-speed internet throughout the county,” said Cornell.
Cornell says he also hopes to bring a little something different to the table.
“We’ve had quite a history of wardens here, for sure,” said Cornell. “I’d like to think I can bring a little bit of fun and a sense of humour. I definitely bring a commitment to the job and getting things done.”
The positions of warden and deputy warden were decided by a ballot vote of all county councillors. They both will serve a two-year term.
The next meeting of county council will be on Jan. 8 to start budget talks.
