It turns out the Chair of a committee leading one of Stratford’s biggest projects will be a familiar face.
At their regular meeting Monday night, Stratford City Council voted 10 to one to appoint former Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson as the Chair of the Ad-Hoc Grand Trunk Renewal Committee.
He was chosen over four other candidates and following a tied vote last month that saw a motion to appoint Mathieson to the position defeated, with some councilors at the time saying they wanted more research done before a decision was made.
The other candidates were Paul Brown, Robert Lemon, Paul Parlee and Robert Ritz.
Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma voted in favor of Mathieson and says his portfolio is as rich as it comes and adds that he feels council has an appreciation for what Mathieson brings to the table as far as connectivity to other levels of government and to the world of private enterprise.
Ritsma says the development of the Grand Trunk site is one of the biggest municipal projects the city has seen in years, with its value pegged at billions of dollars.
The applicant’s resumes were looked over in an in-camera session before the meeting and Ritsma says council decided not to hold a discussion over who applied because members didn’t want to sway others one way or the other.
He says it wasn’t done in an open session because of confidentiality.
Ritsma adds application forms will be sent out in the next few weeks for members who want to make up the 12 member, including the Chair, committee.
