Four incumbent councillors acclaimed

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This article was published 22/09/2022 (1247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four faces around the Brandon City Council table will remain the same following October’s municipal election after no one came forward to challenge them.

At the close of the nomination period on Tuesday, councillors Shaun Cameron (University), Bruce Luebke (South Centre), Shawn Berry (Linden Lanes) and Glen Parker (Riverview) were the lone candidates in their respective wards and are being acclaimed back into their roles.

The councillors will have to get used to their wards’ new names (wards 4, 6, 7 and 9, respectively) and boundaries approved by council earlier this year.

There were more acclamations this year than in the 2018 municipal election, when Berry, Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) and Mayor Rick Chrest were all acclaimed. However, the number of acclamations is fewer than the six people acclaimed to council in 2014.

In interviews with this year’s four acclaimed candidates, the general feeling was that the acclamations indicated a vote of confidence from their constituents.

It was a bit of a surprise for Cameron, though.

“You always have to prepare as if you’re going to run against someone,” he said. “It’s indicative that residents were happy with the work that we put in.”

Despite the lack of competition, Cameron and his colleagues signalled that they’ll still be engaging with their constituents between now and election day.

In Cameron’s consultations with his ward residents so far, he said, they’ve noted some concerns with traffic issues and with the financial burdens the city will incur for upcoming projects.

“I want to see us address some of the active transportation corridors in the city,” he said. “I’d also like us to see some of the costs and make decisions that allow our city to grow, but also focus on where we want our city to grow.”

For the latter, Cameron said that includes the wastewater infrastructure earmarked for southwest Brandon.

Of the three electoral campaigns Parker has undergone, he said his acclamation this year will make it the least stressful.

“It’s nice to have the trust of those that are interested in the community,” he said. “Obviously, if any of us were doing a job that there was mass concern about, somebody, or several people, would have stepped up.”

He said he’s looking to hold a ward meeting for his residents once the election campaign has ended to get them up to speed on developments and talk about the future.

Heading into the next term, Parker said there are many projects that need to be advanced: the construction of the outdoor sports complex at the corner of First Street North and Veterans Way, improving the state of downtown Brandon, and continuing to grow the city both commercially and residentially.

“We’re going to incur some debt on that, and I’m OK with that,” Parker said about the last point. “Because there’s no chance that anyone can save $30 million. We’re just going to miss too many opportunities.”

The Ward 9 councillor said continued growth would see a “huge” return on property taxes after adding hundreds of new homes and hundreds of thousands of new feet of commercial space.

The budget process next year would be tough, he said, but the city has done well over the past six years he has been on council to keep tax increases low. However, he did acknowledge the potential for challenges as the world continues to recover from the worst financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Luebke, being acclaimed is a “different” experience. Like Parker, he said if there had been people with differing visions for the ward over the next several years, one or more challengers would have popped up.

“I selfishly feel good that I’ll be returning for the next term and yet I feel a little disappointed that for that ward particularly, there won’t be a discussion of ideas or ways to improve the ward overall through the election process,” he said.

Previously in this election campaign, Luebke said he would look at improving Brandon Transit service following the failure of the on-demand transit pilot project.

He also signalled support for continuing extra city funding for Brandon Fire and Emergency Services to alleviate ongoing paramedic staffing shortages.

He’s also hopeful that the downtown safety and wellness task force — of which he is a member — will have some recommendations for city council either before the end of the current term or early in the next.

Luebke is also a member of the Keystone Centre’s board of directors, serving as both a representative from city council and as board chair. He said there are some capital items that the venue will need to advance soon.

For Berry, it’s the third consecutive election in which he has been acclaimed.

“I’ve worked hard, I’ve tried to keep people’s trust,” Berry said of his 12 years on council. “I’ve tried to do the best I can for them. Doesn’t mean I win every battle, every vote that’s on the table. But I think the people in the area are happy and satisfied with the work I’ve been doing.”

For the benefit of fresh councillors at the table, he said he’ll be ready to help them with the learning curve related to the new role.

“We’ve got so many things that are needed to be done in Brandon and none of them are small ticket items,” he said. “They come with big dollars. I think the first thing we have to do as a new council is get our priorities straight as to what it is we want to do. Because honestly, I don’t believe we can do everything we need to do and be fiscally responsible.”

Berry is also looking to continue some of the projects he has worked on during this term, like aiming the city toward a vision-zero approach to traffic safety and drainage issues.

Apart from the issues faced on Durum Drive, where a one-year pilot project to reduce the speed limit was implemented earlier this year, he said there are also concerns about road crossings on Richmond Avenue and Linden Boulevard as well as at the intersection of 22nd Street and Richmond.

To rectify the situation, he said he has approached the Brandon School Division about putting paid crossing guards to help kids safely get to school as traffic in the area has increased due to local development.

The drainage ditch along Willowdale Crescent was one of the major concerns voiced by residents during a ward meeting Berry held in the summer. On that front, he said city crews recently dredged the ditch.

All four councillors thanked the residents of their ward for their continued support.

For the mayoral race and the remaining six contested wards represented on Brandon City Council, election day is Oct. 26.

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