CORNWALL, Ontario – If you’ve ever wanted to be mayor, without having to do much of the work, today was your chance to don the livery collar and bang the gavel at city hall. For the second year in a row, the City of Cornwall teamed up with local emergency services and the Kinsmen to offer Local Government Day to residents.
“Basically we’re opening our doors to give residents a chance to come in and see how the city operates. City hall, fire hall, police station are open for tours,” said Kevin Lajoie, Cornwall’s public information officer “It gives people a better idea of what we do, and how their tax dollars are spent.”
People were invited to head down to city hall on Saturday, October 22, for the chance to check out, and better understand, the various services and roles that city government plays in our community. The Cornwall Community Police Services, along with local paramedics, the fire department, and Cornwall Transit, were set up outside to showcase municipal services. People could also head into city hall, or the justice building to check out various activities going on. The Kinsmen were also on hand, with a town crier, to provide a bbq lunch for attendees.
“It’s going well today, some of the dads are bit more excited about our toys than the kids are,” said officer Cody Casselman, who was showing off CCPS’ emergency response gear.
“The weather puts a bit of a damper on things, but all in all it seems to be great, we’re seeing lots of smiles and kids seem happy,” said Lajoie.
City councilor Carilyne Hebert and Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy were also on hand in the council chambers, providing face paint and the chance to sit in the mayor’s chair to children, or anyone interested.
“It’s just a good chance to show kids and families what we do, and to have a bit of fun,” said Hebert.
With the success of this year’s event, despite the weather, the city intends to continue to tradition next year.
“The first year was last year, we’ve expanded a bit with the police being involved…It’s really a great way to reach out and put a face to the city,” said Lajoie.
