With the assistance and support of many thousands of Norfolk residents, Dennis Travale was overwhelmingly voted back into the office of Mayor of Norfolk County.

This site will remain active for an indefinite period so to illustrate my commitment to accountability for all to see and measure.

If you want to read my Inaugural Speech please
click here to download.

Week of November 20 - 26, 2006

OKAY … OKAY ….

The phone calls, the conversations on the street and the email have caused me to reflect on the future of the website and my postings.

There has been a formal request to continue the “practice” of the Mayor’s Report which was submitted weekly as a diary to the media as well as it being posted to the County website. So, while I short out all the other issues and prepare for the inaugural meeting of Council, I will post another summary of my activities for the past week.

Monday was “M” day! Meetings, meetings, meetings!!

It was my idea (plan really) to get as much information as I could prior to the inaugural meeting of Council. So today I met with most of the new and returning Councillors. My intent was to share our views on the future, confirm our campaign promises listen to their issues and provide some insight as to my immediate concerns. The meetings were cordial, productive (at least from my view) and served as the foundation for the necessary TEAM-building I feel is needed.

Tuesday was the start of the detailed briefings by senior County staff. I had provided Bill Allcock with an outline of the proposed format of the briefings and I am pleased to say that all briefings were professional, thorough and very informative. Today was also Council-In-Committee meeting day and I attended, as I normally do, so as to stay current with the issues and to take the opportunity to interface with the staff and Councilors as needed.

Wednesday was again filled with meetings and briefings. Are you bored yet?? I’m not! If I want to hit the road running (or at least trotting) these meetings are necessary. The meetings also give me the opportunity to meet the “personalities”, to get to know each other on a more personal level in addition to expressing my desire for thorough corporate strategic and tactical planning. Wednesday evening saw a return to the pleasure level of attending events. My son Michael and I set off for the Armouries and their annual turkey raffle (I haven’t missed too many of these over the years). My luck held out and I won a turkey which I will give to the Simcoe Kinsmen for their annual “soup kitchen” at the Knights of Columbus Hall. It was good to get out again and see so many familiar and friendly faces from across Norfolk.

Thursday brought more meetings with staff, as well as Directors of the Tobacco Marketing Board. It was a full day, but not one without the opportunity to have dinner with a great group of men and women at St. John’s Woodhouse Anglican church. The ladies served an excellent roast beef dinner (done to perfection) with sumptuous apple pie and old cheddar cheese. The after dinner speaker (Mr. Harry Barrett) was pleasing us with a history of five Anglican churches in the area when my cell phone “burped” and I had to escape to the kitchen so not to cause any further disturbance. After taking the call, no offence Harry, I stayed and chatted with the ladies in the kitchen, and discovered that one of the group made chocolate truffles .. and actually had some samples!!! Shortly thereafter I had to leave and run an important errand for Barb (the phone call), so took my leave, but not before purchasing a small box of truffles for my dear wife.

Friday – more meetings throughout the day!! I also received my Council package for review and it looks like a long night next Tuesday. The evening was fast approaching so I hurried home to dress. Barb and I had been invited to attend the Norfolk County staff Christmas party at the German Hall in Delhi. It was a great opportunity to meet many more members of the group that “serve the people”. We arrived with enough time to meet most of the group before “dinner” was served. Ahhh, Delhi – and the food of their halls! Chicken, cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes, the works … however, remember, Barb was there beside me so – small portions!! Just before 9:00 p.m. we bade adieu to our hosts and headed off into the fog and back to Simcoe to attend the Haldimand-Norfolk Home Builder’s Christmas affair. There we met many of the people who help develop our community. We had a great time and thanked Rick Dixon and Eva for the invitation.

Saturday Barb and I took some time in the morning to re-group, relax and plan the next week’s agenda. Around 10:30 we visited the Senior’s Centre where the annual Christmas bazaar was in full swing. What a great group of people! They are so friendly and concerned that I get enough nutrition (remember, Barb is with me). However, with permission I did buy some peanut butter cookies and Barb purchased some reading material at the book table. We also bought tickets for the penny table and entered a number of draws. Early in the afternoon, I went to Port Dover and attended the grand opening of the new Suprun chiropractic centre and gym. It is a great addition to the Dover scene. While in Port Dover I took the opportunity to visit a few businesses and store and say - Hi! Barb and I tried to take the evening off and watch a movie; however between the phone calls and the doorbell I lost track of the storyline and we had to keep replaying portions. It will get better!!

Sunday was intended to be another “free” day. Barb managed to keep the calendar clear so I had time to catch up on correspondence, read the mountain of material I have and revisit my inaugural speech. The weather was great so we left the house, the phone, the computer and just got away.

Norfolk, what a great place to live!!