Eganville – After a four-year hiatus from the council chambers in Bonnechere Valley Township, Jackie Agnew is hoping to be back at the table following the October 24 elections, but this time at the head of the table.

Her original plans were to seek a position as a councillor, but she changed her mind last week after retiring from her County of Renfrew job and announced she is going for mayor, creating a four-way race that will see incumbent Mayor Jennifer Murphy also challenged by newcomer Leanne Panke and a veteran of municipal affairs, Zig Mintha.

“I think the township would benefit from a fresh perspective,” she said. “I would like to be a mayor who would be able to make tough decisions, but also inspire others … the staff and the councillors to share a forward-thinking vision.”

The word she is hearing early in the campaign is that residents of BV want a new council.

“That is the mood. It has changed right across the municipality. I am getting so many messages on social media and text messages. People are just so happy there are people running and interested in council and they’re hoping it will make for a change.”

Since moving to Eganville in 2004, Mrs. Agnew has been active in the community as has her husband, Steve, who grew up here. He is well known locally as a musician and his participation in many community and other fundraising activities.

“I believe in serving others,” Mrs. Agnew said. “I’ve always been very active in the community, serving the youth, serving on the Youth Centre board, being involved with the splash pad, secretary for Eganville Rotary.”

She is also on the board of Valley Heritage Radio which promotes local musicians.

Mrs. Agnew said BV is a strong community and her desire is to see it grow even stronger.

“It’s got a unique character. We’re surrounded by lakes and rivers; the beautiful Bonnechere Valley runs right through it. We have a distinctive history, and I would like to see that preserved and enhanced and I’d like to see us grow and see new development.”

Mrs. Agnew, who sat on council from 2014 to 2018, said relationships with neighbouring communities as well as the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, need to grow in a way that resources could be pooled, resulting in the saving of dollars.

She also feels with the close proximity to Renfrew, Pembroke and Garrison Petawawa, there is an opportunity to see more younger families move into the community.

“We’ve got lots of recreation for the kids … hockey, ringette, soccer, baseball and, of course, our beautiful splash pad”.

Having more users on the village water and sewer system is also a goal she would work towards saying it would be great if the services could be extended west into North Algona Wilberforce Township to the area of Eganville Foodland.

“That would be amazing,” she said. “I’ve been reading the community plan and there’s a lot of areas in there stating we can grow. One thing that’s lacking is our recreation sctivities. We’re more than just an arena. Those beautiful ballfields are sitting empty up there. Nobody uses them. We have the splash pad, the soccer fields, the volleyball fields. Why are people going to Douglas or Barry’s Bay or Lake Dore for ball when we have it right here?

“I think we need to package Bonnechere Valley and promote it.”

Mrs. Agnew isn’t shy about expressing her displeasure with the current council’s record of the last four years.

“I believe we don’t need two – not one – but two studies to show us that we don’t need RVs. It’s the person’s property. It’s not even about the RVs. It’s about the gray water issue. That’s what it’s all about.

“I will be shocked if these studies don’t show that as well … that it’s about the gray-water issue.”

She. Of course, was referring to the RV issue at Lake Clear which has been a controversial issue at council for nearly two terms without any resolution yet.

And she isn’t shy in rating council over the past term, giving it a big F.

“They’ve done nothing over the last four years,” she said. “I know that we have had COVID, but that was only for two years. There have been no community events. The four years I was on council we were constantly active, maybe too much so. But there’s been nothing.”

She was also critical of Councillor Jack Roesner who played a role in closing off access to a popular and scenic area along the Bonnechere River at the Fourth Chute near the Caves. The area has long been a place of enjoyment for locals and tourists, artists and swimmers, but since he became one of the owners of the generation station on the Bonnechere in Douglas (the former Campbell and McNab Feed Mill), the area at the Fourth Chute has been closed to the public as the company owns the right-of-way along the river.

“Why do we feel the need to lock everything up and make it look like we are closed for business?” she asked.

Mrs. Agnew also questions how Mr. Roesner can sit on BV council and manage the Eganville Generation Station.

“If that’s not a conflict of interest, then there is something seriously wrong,” she said. “And THEN being involved in the ownership of a generation station eight or 10 miles down river?”

She also wonders why there was never a follow up to a branding study carried out during her time on council.

“Nothing has ever been done with it,” she said. “We’ve never followed up. There were so many GOOD suggestions made.”

If she wins the race, among the first things she will do is review the water and sewer plant operations to determine how much capacity the plants have, promote the existing recreational facilities and review the branding study carried out about seven years ago and see what opportunities are available. The study involved a group of people coming to the township from another community and picking out the strengths and weaknesses.

“It was a great plan and they had a lot of fantastic ideas,” she said. “Why do we keep paying for these studies and plans and then let them sit on a shelf? I don’t understand that. If we are going to use taxpayers’ money for things like that, we need to use them.”

Sitting down regularly with department heads is also something she would implement, she said.

“They’ve been working for the township for a long time. Let’s get their feedback.

“I think that is an important thing. I think you should sit down and talk with your department heads on a monthly basis at least or more,” she said. “It’s not trying to micro-manage your staff. It’s finding out how the township runs and being an involved mayor so you can give your constituents the right information.”

Another area that needs to be looked at is to see what is going on with the derelict properties, especially properties in the village and in the downtown core.

“When I was out talking to people, that was a big thing. People are asking what is happening with the downtown, the old creamery. It’s still fenced in. Is anything happening? There are still a lot buildings and if I was the business next door I think I would be pretty upset and banging on council’s door everyday asking when they are going to be cleaned up. Let’s shake these property owners and get them fixed up.

She said reaction to her candidacy has been positive.

“I’ve had so many people come up to me in the grocery store and just walking down the street, people coming up to me and saying, ‘You have my vote’. It’s really nice to hear.”

Her plans over the next eight weeks are to run a grassroots campaign … talk to people and hear them out.

“I think there have been a lot of band-aid solutions and not a lot of permanent solutions. A lot of talk and no action.

“This community has so much potential. I just feel that nobody is pushing everything that it could be. We need strong leadership. We need a mayor who will listen to the people but who is also not afraid to make strong decisions — whether popular or not.

“You have to be able to make a decision. Not make people wait seven years for a decision, so that you can do anther study.”

The Agnews have three grown children and two grandchildren. He has his own contracting business and they both continue to be active in the community.