The first meeting for Coun. Jaz Patel as the newest face on Midland’s leadership was a normal affair, with his participation in full swing.
Patel was selected as town councillor last month during a process which came down to a draw from a fishbowl.
However, it would be easy to forget that as Patel slipped into the role of councillor, seated beside Deputy Mayor Beth Prost at last night’s council meeting. His seat was due to the vacancy left by Prost who opted to take on the mantle of deputy mayor following the sudden and unexpected death of former Deputy Mayor Jack Contin in early November.
Patel’s interaction during the night’s agenda was engaged, as he raised inquisitive remarks to a deputation regarding an update on homelessness and affordable housing programs from service manager of Simcoe County, and shared remarks on cycling following a deputation by a resident regarding the Yonge Street cycling lanes.
When asked how the first meeting was by MidlandToday, Patel responded that he was “a little nervous.”
“I wish I could speak clearly, slower,” said Patel. “Words are jumbled, but I guess they’ll come with experience.”
While the current term of council is 1.5 years into the position, Patel’s first outing was relatively smooth except for a technical point of his soft-spoken, unfamilarity with the chamber’s microphone system; it was remedied before the meeting’s end and he was as loud and clear as the rest of council.
“I did a lot of reading and prepping just so I could be ready for my first council meeting,” Patel said. “I’m looking forward to doing better as I go along.”
On any other occasion, the welcoming of a new face on council would be the opening remark during a regular meeting. However, Midland has faced health condition adversities this term and it was the update of Sheldon East that took priority.
Within council’s first minutes, Prost gave an update on East’s condition and asked for respect of his and his family’s wishes.
“Most of you know that he is in hospital,” stated Prost. “He did suffer a mini-stroke. Yesterday, he decided to post something (on social media) to let everybody know what was going on, but the family does ask for privacy. If somebody visits and they find something out, please don’t post it.
“If you want to know anything or if somebody asks a question, go to his page,” Prost continued. “When he’s ready and when he knows, he will post information. The family would really like their privacy right now, and we wish him well. All the prayers and well-wishes are welcomed and they continue. I think we should all do that for him.”
Mayor Bill Gordon followed up with praise of East’s dedication to the job.
“He Facebook messaged me – which is how we usually communicate informally – to apologize for missing this weekend’s meeting because he was in the hospital after having a stroke,” said Gordon. “The guy’s a gem, God love him. He seems like he’s on the mend, so he could certainly benefit from everyone’s thoughts and prayers.”
Gordon then led council and attendees into the regular moment of silence.
On his personal Facebook page, East informed the public that a blood clot had formed in an artery valve to his brain due to a birth defect, instigated as a result of his age. His referral to a neurologist was the next step. East also asked for prayers for his family, and thanked the numerous medical field professionals during the process.
Midland has also seen medical issues arise this term when Coun. Jim Downer suffered an illness last May during a council meeting, causing East to apply CPR while staff applied the public access defibrillator.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.