My name is James Wilson and I am running to be the next Mayor of Fundy Albert. Further down is my platform and relevant experience for this position but first I wanted to talk about what Fundy Albert means to me.
When amalgamation was first announced I was quite excited. I had hoped the borders would mirror the old Albert County borders closely. The people of Albert County have a strong sense of identity which I feel is a good foundation to build any sort of institution upon. I was very disappointed by what amalgamation turned out to be. Rather than ‘Albert County Reborn’ we were given ‘Route 114, the Municipality’. Worse still, two key regions that would have supplied much needed industrial tax revenue (Kent Hills and the Turtle Creek Reservoir) were left outside the borders of the new Fundy Albert municipality.
It was the decision to leave these areas out of the new municipality that left council reliant on a residential tax base insufficient to support the municipality. The result has been a higher tax burden which has largely fell on rural residents.
To me Fundy Albert represents unfulfilled potential. However, unfulfilled potential is still potential and the following is how I envision helping Fundy Albert reach new heights.
When amalgamation was first announced I was quite excited. I had hoped the borders would mirror the old Albert County borders closely. The people of Albert County have a strong sense of identity which I feel is a good foundation to build any sort of institution upon. I was very disappointed by what amalgamation turned out to be. Rather than ‘Albert County Reborn’ we were given ‘Route 114, the Municipality’. Worse still, two key regions that would have supplied much needed industrial tax revenue (Kent Hills and the Turtle Creek Reservoir) were left outside the borders of the new Fundy Albert municipality.
It was the decision to leave these areas out of the new municipality that left council reliant on a residential tax base insufficient to support the municipality. The result has been a higher tax burden which has largely fell on rural residents.
To me Fundy Albert represents unfulfilled potential. However, unfulfilled potential is still potential and the following is how I envision helping Fundy Albert reach new heights.
Platform
My platform consists of five points. I limited to five points because there is only one year left in the term and I wanted to be honest in how much could realistically be achieved.
Communication – The Council has had issues with communication. Some of these were minor, such as the audio issues that plagued the early Council meetings. Others were far more serious, such as the Steeves Street property sale. As mayor I would seek to fix remaining communication issues. Part of this effort would involve being proactive about communicating with the people of Fundy Albert.
Face of the Council – I see the proper role of the mayor as being the representative of the municipality to the public and a neutral referee of council meetings. There was a certain perception among people I’ve talked to that Bob was too involved in directing council decision-making. Regardless of whether this was true or not I would wish to avoid this perception. Salary Reduction – As Mayor I am committed to cutting my salary in half. I’m making this pledge for a couple reasons. For starters, I am doing it in solidarity with those living in Fundy Albert who are being squeezed by by higher property taxes on one side and higher costs of living on the other. Secondly, I can think of better uses for the money. Which brings me to...
Community Wealth Fund – The money cut from my salary will be used to fund a community wealth fund which is a type of investment fund sometimes set up by governments to help cover expenses. However, as the types of funding the province allows is a bit restrictive, if the fund is disallowed the money will instead be deposited into the municipality’s general operating funds. Two years is not enough time to get the community wealth fund fully established but once started it will only grow.
My platform consists of five points. I limited to five points because there is only one year left in the term and I wanted to be honest in how much could realistically be achieved.
Communication – The Council has had issues with communication. Some of these were minor, such as the audio issues that plagued the early Council meetings. Others were far more serious, such as the Steeves Street property sale. As mayor I would seek to fix remaining communication issues. Part of this effort would involve being proactive about communicating with the people of Fundy Albert.
Face of the Council – I see the proper role of the mayor as being the representative of the municipality to the public and a neutral referee of council meetings. There was a certain perception among people I’ve talked to that Bob was too involved in directing council decision-making. Regardless of whether this was true or not I would wish to avoid this perception. Salary Reduction – As Mayor I am committed to cutting my salary in half. I’m making this pledge for a couple reasons. For starters, I am doing it in solidarity with those living in Fundy Albert who are being squeezed by by higher property taxes on one side and higher costs of living on the other. Secondly, I can think of better uses for the money. Which brings me to...
Community Wealth Fund – The money cut from my salary will be used to fund a community wealth fund which is a type of investment fund sometimes set up by governments to help cover expenses. However, as the types of funding the province allows is a bit restrictive, if the fund is disallowed the money will instead be deposited into the municipality’s general operating funds. Two years is not enough time to get the community wealth fund fully established but once started it will only grow.
Seeking New Revenue Sources – Fundy Albert needs new sources of funding. This has been apparent since the previous government first announced it was pursuing municipal reform. Whether it be a share of the HST as suggested by the Union of New Brunswick Municipalities or the incorporation of the Kent Hills area into the municipality, as Mayor I will be relentless in my attempts to keep the Susan Holt Liberals from forgetting their promise of 'comprehensive and fair fiscal reform' for municipalities. With new sources of funding Council will be able to start looking at bringing property taxes down.
Experience
I have worked in retail for the past ten years at the Kent Building Supplies in Riverview. My time in retail has both given me a great deal of experience in customer service, problem solving, and communicating effectively. These are all areas of expertise which I feel would benefit Fundy Albert going forward.
For the past eight years I have been involved in various committees including my work’s Health and Safety Committee (six years as chairman) and the organizing committee for Hillsborough Homecoming Days which was put together last year. I also served on the Hillsborough LSD board briefly before amalgamation. A lot of a mayor’s work involves working collaboratively with others and I feel I have plenty of experience at this.
Fundy Albert has real challenges and I am ready to meet them. I hope to have your vote for Mayor of Fundy Albert.
Experience
I have worked in retail for the past ten years at the Kent Building Supplies in Riverview. My time in retail has both given me a great deal of experience in customer service, problem solving, and communicating effectively. These are all areas of expertise which I feel would benefit Fundy Albert going forward.
For the past eight years I have been involved in various committees including my work’s Health and Safety Committee (six years as chairman) and the organizing committee for Hillsborough Homecoming Days which was put together last year. I also served on the Hillsborough LSD board briefly before amalgamation. A lot of a mayor’s work involves working collaboratively with others and I feel I have plenty of experience at this.
Fundy Albert has real challenges and I am ready to meet them. I hope to have your vote for Mayor of Fundy Albert.
RSS Feed