CORNWALL, Ontario – Following through on a campaign promise, South Stormont council has shelved advertising money for a new newspaper created earlier this year.
The township will no longer spend money on the South Stormont News.
Township council voted earlier this year to take out advertising in the publication – creating a firestorm during the election with many voters upset at the decision.
“I campaigned on this,” said a delighted Deputy Mayor Tammy Hart. “Several times I tried to tell (the previous) council this is redundant.
“We just refurbished our own website for $23,000.”
The unanimous vote Wednesday night – Coun. Richard Waldroff declared a conflict of interest before the decision was made – was met with a round of applause from many in the gallery.
“The people in the crowd were obviously dedicated to the cause,” said Hart.
The council decision also applies to advertising in the Cornwall Free News. Both operations are headed by former Cornwall mayoral candidate Jamie Gilcig.
Council also voted to accept a petition, which included 800 signatures opposed to advertising in the publication.
The petition was forwarded to council earlier this year, but was not accepted by members at that time.
New faces around the council table, including Mayor Jim Bancroft and councillors Donna Primeau and David Smith, made a different decision Wednesday night.
