Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara chairs the regular meeting of council on July 12, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara chairs the regular meeting of council on July 12, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor

New Tecumseh Councillor Expecting Heavy Workload

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara says new Councillor Bill Altenhof will have to be ready to hit the ground running because town council is ready to make a number of big decisions.

"Boy, he's going to be busy," says McNamara. "We're right into budget, so he's certainly going to get his feet wet early."

McNamara feels Altenhof's profession will prove helpful in making decisions on major capital spending.

"His background as an engineer will serve him very well, in particular looking at some of those infrastructure improvements that we have to bring to bear," says McNamara.

One of the key issues council will be looking at is the aftermath of the flooding in the town — and Altenhof will need to be ready to make spending decisions.

"There are some capital projects that are on the books as we speak to help to continue to mitigate some of the particular issues that are troubling to the municipality," says McNamara.

The workload isn't something Altenhof seems overwhelmed by, telling BlackburnNews.com "it's the life of an engineer" to be thrown into demanding situations.

Altenhof was elected to council in Tecumseh's Ward 2 by-election on Friday.  A mid-term replacement was needed after the sudden passing of the late Mike Rohrer.

McNamara also expressed his thanks to the other five candidates that ran in the byelection.

Altenhof is set to be sworn in, given an orientation of the town's files and council's procedures ahead of his first council meeting on October 25.

Read More Local Stories