EloraFergusToday asked candidates in the upcoming municipal election to tell us a little bit about themselves and their platform.
Name: John Brennan
Occupation: Retired
How long have you lived in Erin? 29 years
Why are you running in this election? It has always been important to me to balance the needs of all the taxpayers and to make decisions that are right for the overall good. Because this is a critical time for Erin’s future, we need to leverage growth to create a better industrial/commercial to residential ratio so that the tax burden doesn’t fall exclusively on home owners. We need the will and experience to continue to fight against a provincial download that subsidizes local food for cities by increasing taxation on rural residential homeowners.
What qualifies you to represent Erin? My business experience combined with a solid history of service within the town and representing Erin in interactions with Wellington County, both Credit Valley and Grand River Conservation Authority boards and Headwaters Tourism Board.
Why should people vote for you? I have the balance, the experience and the reasoned approach to ensure that all of Erin prospers in the days to come.
What do you see as the main issues facing residents of Erin on a broader scale? Making services, both water and waste water affordable for urban residents and controlling growth for the benefit all residents, so that we have a population where local schools are sustainable, where taxes are affordable and where our spirit of community combines with our natural heritage to make Erin a desirable place to live and raise a family.
What is the most important thing you want to see changed in Erin? We need growth, particularly commercial/industrial growth to share the tax burden currently being carried by residential home owners. The same thing applies to water. There are very large fixed costs to running a water system. The more users there are to share those costs the less each individual has to pay. And finally, the enrolment in our schools is way below school board standards. Without some reversal of those dwindling numbers being foreseen we risk having our schools closed forcing students to be bussed to other schools or other towns. Losing our schools would make Erin a very unattractive place for people to move into. That, in turn, would lead to homes losing value and taking longer to sell.
What services need to be improved in Erin? Most services need improvement, especially recreation and roads. Growth will give us the critical mass to be able to improve both at a reasonable cost per household.
Is Erin growing too fast, just the right amount, or not fast enough? Erin’s past growth has been negligible. Our future growth will seem large by comparison; however, plans call for an urban population total over the next 20 years that will be less than the population of Fergus 6 years ago in 2016.
What can be done at the local level about the rising cost of housing? The factors contributing to the rising cost of housing are many and complex.There is limited opportunity to impact them at a local town of Erin level. However, we do need to make the best use of the tools we have to keep housing affordable.
Do you support building the wastewater treatment plant? The wastewater treatment plant will be built and all new growth will be required to hook up to both water and wastewater systems. The real question is how can we make those services available and affordable for current residents.
How do we make Erin an even better place to live? By working together to make sure that what is important to us now is preserved as we grow. We talk about small town charm, but what is that? I don’t think it’s the façade of quaint buildings that are mostly in the downtown core. Sure, they are a nice and they are visible, but what makes this a great place to live is the people who live here; the people who support their local businesses; the people who care enough to be polite and friendly to each other; and the people who come together to support one another in times of need.
The future is not a place we are going to tomorrow …. It’s a reality we are building today.
