Chrest reflects on exciting first year as Brandon mayor

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This article was published 31/10/2015 (3788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One year after taking over the reins at Brandon City Hall, Mayor Rick Chrest continues to deliver on his “back to the basics” campaign promise.

City functions like snow removal, filling potholes and fixing sidewalks have garnered positive feedback from citizens, along with council’s ability to keep taxes low in its first year.

“It’s been very exciting and very rewarding,” Chrest said. “It’s certainly hectic, but it’s pretty much what I expected it would be based on my prior knowledge of what goes on down here.”

Chrest spent 11 years as a city councillor between 1995 and 2006, serving as deputy mayor for eight years. While campaigning for the city’s top job, Chrest touted his team leadership approach.

“So far our council has been outstanding in my view in terms of working together as a team,” he said. “One of the most collegial and productive councils I’ve ever seen, so that’s really a hallmark and I would say we work at it.”

It appears the current council has experienced pretty smooth sailing thus far — no real drama, scandals or controversies that often come with politics.

“I take it as a breath of fresh air,” Chrest said. “The analogy I often use and it seems to resonate with people … I like to think of us as the referee in hockey. When the referees are doing a good job, nobody even notices them. When the referee becomes the show, then that’s generally not a good thing.”

Coun. Jeff Harwood (University) is a veteran of the group, with a decade of prior experience on city council.

“There isn’t the friction that there was the last time around,” he said. “It’s a more collegial group. There’s very strong opinions made around the table, but when it comes time to vote on the issue … you have the vote and you move on.”

Harwood said councillors are all pulling in the same direction.

“We all want to see the city grow and we all want to see the city progress,” he said. “We may have different opinions on different issues on how we do that, but … we all know why we’re there.”

The 2014-18 council was elected Oct. 22, 2014, and officially sworn in Nov. 5 last year.

Coun. Lonnie Patterson (South Centre) is one of the five rookie councillors elected. She said there was a big learning curve at the beginning of the term, especially as council headed into budget deliberations only a few months later.

“You’re learning a lot of new things because a lot of things are coming across your plate for the first time,” she said. “So that can be a bit of a challenge, just wanting to make sure that you’re asking the right questions and getting the right information.”

Patterson has enjoyed the experience, and is pleased with successes at the ward level, such as installation of new lighting, to city-wide initiatives, such as making changes to the accommodation tax bylaw.

“I really think that making an investment in the Keystone Centre and in Brandon First and their work is going to keep tourism an important part of our economy — strengthen it, and make sure that this is something that will contribute to our city for years to come.”

Looking back at the first year, the mayor highlighted several initiatives that he is pleased to see moving forward, including the soccer and field sports study and the $3-million Sportsplex pool repair project.

“Ramping up on things like economic development and event hosting,” Chrest said, adding there was a significant amount of capital work done as well, to the tune of $41 million.

“Probably the largest amount in our history, so it’s been a very busy construction season for city staff to manage, and that’s gone reasonably well.”

Council developed its strategic plan, containing 10 priorities to guide the remainder of the term. Progress has been made on downtown redevelopment projects through Renaissance Brandon, and the $9-million airport terminal expansion is underway.

Looking ahead, one of the major challenges will be deciding the fate of the Eighth Street bridge. A public consultation is coming up on Nov. 19 when options and costs will be laid out in detail.

“It will be a challenge,” Harwood said. “Whatever the decision is, there is going to be a big dollar figure attached to it.”

In his term, Chrest said he wants to see a solution to what is a “glaring hole in our community” — the loss of soccer fields due to flooding.

“I want to see that pushed along,” he said. “It’s got to be a community project. I want to see a good, sound result from that.”

The Keystone Centre is also a priority for Chrest, and the city is engaged with the province in examining both the governance model and the funding model.

Council will continue to lobby for additional air service in Brandon. Chrest believes the expanded, modernized airport terminal will help pave the way. A second WestJet flight to and from Calgary will commence in January.

“We’ll be continuing to work on that file to see that we can get an ever-growing amount of air service, particularly a schedule to the east would be high on my radar,” he said.

Finally, Chrest said he plans to continue to help the Brandon School Division lobby the provincial government for a new school.

While it is a school division issue, he said it is the city’s responsibility to grow the city.

“If our schools are full, we’re going to be stymied in terms of being able to provide any more growth to our city,” he said. “To me, it becomes equally a city concern.”

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