Mayoral candidates make a final pitch

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This article was published 20/10/2022 (1290 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two mayoral candidates pitched very different approaches to governance at a debate Wednesday night.

The two men vying for the top job faced off on stage at Brandon University’s Lorne Watson Recital Hall in a debate organized by the school, The Brandon Sun and Westman Communications Group. Approximately 70 people were in attendance.

It was the second debate this week for Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine), a 12-year city council veteran looking to take over from outgoing Mayor Rick Chrest, and political newcomer Elliott Oleson.

Over two hours, moderator Kerry Auriat and panellists BU political science professor Kelly Saunders, Sun columnist Deveryn Ross and Assiniboine Community College journalism instructor Murray Oliver grilled the candidates on a wide variety of topics.

Right from the get-go, Oleson sought to distance himself from the establishment, while Fawcett spoke of the advantages that come from knowing the system well.

“I have a bit of a different vision for Brandon; I want to focus on liveability,” Oleson said.

By comparison, Fawcett touted his roots, the connections he’s forged during his life and his understanding of the city’s needs.

The candidates were quizzed first on electoral participation and what needs to be done to improve results after low turnouts in previous municipal elections.

Oleson said participation has been depressed by city council’s style of governance that has featured many informal council meetings over the years for which minutes have rarely been taken.

Auriat followed that up by pressing Fawcett on the development of these meetings over the years, since he has been a part of the city’s government for more than a decade.

Fawcett said they started to happen with more frequency during a transition period where there was a change in mayor and several people holding acting positions within city administration.

Though Fawcett said he believed city council is holding too many meetings in general and that the number would likely start to drop, he would be open to having the media attend these meetings.

Both men said they were open to posting public notices for these meetings.

The spectre of one of the city’s biggest issues was raised multiple times: the $30-million loan to create additional wastewater lift stations in southwest Brandon.

Oleson said he objects to it as a $30-million subsidy for developers, while Fawcett said during the discussion surrounding this project, it has become clear to him that the city needs to improve its communication with residents.

Though they haven’t been in place long enough to pay for the current project, Fawcett said the development cost charges the city implemented three years ago will ensure that going forward, growth will pay for growth including paying down the city’s loan.

He also told Ross, who asked him if it was true that the development charges will only cover $4 million of the loan, that the city is reviewing if those charges need to be increased and that could change the calculation.

Fawcett also asserted that the federal government would never fund water projects on the North Hill but might in the southwest, but also admitted he didn’t think the city had inquired about funding from other levels of government.

For her first question, Saunders asked both candidates what is one thing they would do to help revitalize downtown.

In his initial response, Fawcett responded to Saunders by saying she knew that just one thing wouldn’t fix what ails downtown. Saunders repeated the question, and Fawcett said developing the former Strand Theatre site, which has been vacant since the building was demolished, could kick-start growth.

The other candidate proposed a different tack, saying he’d like the city to consider closing Rosser Avenue and Princess Avenue closed to pedestrians when downtown events are being held.

When asked about local companies hiring former city staff who are then tasked with lobbying their former city departments by their new employer, Oleson said rules governing transparency and ethics might need a revision.

According to Fawcett, turnover at some higher-level positions has been an ongoing concern for the city, but those positions is where there is competition from the private sector.

“It has hurt the city more so in that they were good people for us,” Fawcett said. “Not that they were lobbyists.”

On qualifications and whether the candidates are prepared to run a city with a $100-million budget, Oleson freely admitted he isn’t a typical political candidate but said he is open, honest and residents will always know what his positions are.

“I have no problem saying I would be very reliant on the expertise of the people who have been doing this for years before me, managing the city,” he said. “It might be council’s job to rein in some of my more wild thoughts.”

As a political veteran, Fawcett said his experience and knowledge of the city’s workings giving him a solid resume for the job of mayor.

In a discussion about improving downtown safety, Oleson accused city council of having cut off half the city from downtown by failing to replace the Eighth Street Bridge after it was demolished.

Early in the debate, Oleson said the Brandon Police Board operated in violation of its governing legislation for the entirety of its existence. Following the debate on Twitter, former police board chair Mark Frison wrote that was simply not true.

Tasked to explain further by Auriat, Oleson said the board had not assembled a policy manual for itself, which he said was violating the rules governing police boards. He also said the board had used in-camera discussions to limit public access to certain topics.

With the city approaching its debt limit and inflation running rampant, both candidates said that property taxes would have to be raised, but Fawcett stressed a need to keep the budget and any increases as tight as possible.

On photo radar being introduced to Brandon, Fawcett said he is a skeptic and described it as a potential cash grab. Oleson said he was against the idea, adding he also heard it was a cash grab and worries it prevents police from exercising their discretion.

Fawcett listed his communication with residents during floods, establishing development cost charges and participating on the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council as his greatest accomplishments on council. As for his biggest mistakes, he listed the first city budget he contributed to, not getting aggressive on certain police board matters and not acting fast enough during the Rod Sage situation three years ago.

By comparison, Oleson said the city’s greatest accomplishments over the last 12 years have been the creation of the Riverbank Discovery Centre, outreach on reconciliation and attracting large chain franchises and small businesses to Brandon. He noted the demolition of the Eighth Street Bridge and the lingering derelict Esso station on Rosser Avenue as the city’s greatest mistakes.

For those who were unable to attend in person or watch the livestream, WCGtv will rebroadcast the debate at 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. Saturday.

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