We believe you should elect
DICK WESSELO
as Councillor
After a career that gave him strong organizational, analytical, and problem solving skills, D.J. “Dick” Wesselo and his wife Sandy moved to Tiny in 2007 to enjoy semi-retirement.
Dick has involved himself in his new community as an active volunteer driver with Wheels 4 Wheels (the service provided by the Huronia Seniors Volunteer Care Team for those confined to wheelchairs). For several years he was a member of the Tiny Township Lions Club. He continues to serve on the Community Policing Committee, now a shadow of its former self since the Township and the OPP have ceased to support it. Since January, he has attended meetings of Council regularly, eager to understand the way the township he loves is governed.
Born in The Netherlands, Dick moved to Canada in 1970 (where he became a Canadian citizen in the late 70’s) and, at the age of 18 with only a high school education, embarked on a career that taught him much and kept him in the greater Toronto area. He expanded his skills by means of night school courses and on-the-job training. His first jobs were with financial collection agencies, one of which had the Ford Motor Company as a client. In quite short order, Ford hired him, and with that company he moved from collecting and repossessions to auditing and credit analysis. When the oil crisis closed Ford’s Oshawa office, he moved on to Citibank where he rose to become an assistant manager. He then became Manager: Data Control for Shared Health Network Services (the first point-of-sale network that linked health care providers with insurance companies). There he introduced much needed accounting controls and when this was automated, he began to look for inconsistencies and aberrations – fraud — work that made him conscious of issues to do with privacy and confidentiality. Next he became an Assistant Vice President of BCE Emerges (the internet convergence arm of Bell Canada, again with a focus on fraud), before moving on to his last full-time job managing a medical research office from 2002 to 2007. In “retirement” he is a consultant to two businesses, commitments that absorb two to two and a half days a week.
Dick sees a number of expensive financial challenges confronting Tiny’s next Council: the disposal of septage, the escalating cost of policing, and clarification of land ownership. His financial acumen and analytic skills would be valuable assets in making decisions about all of these. While sensitive to issues of privacy and confidentiality, he would like to see the township produce minutes that communicate clearly the decisions taken at meetings of Council. He thinks the township relies too heavily on the advice of consultants. He would like to see the next Council set itself some strategic objectives. And he thinks the Policing Committee plays a useful role and should be re-energized as a committee of Council.
Ethical, honest, forthright, reliable, and hard-working – these words recur in endorsements for Dick. We recommend that you vote for him as Councillor.
He can be reached at dwesselo@gmail.com
