Essex’s mayoral candidates fight to stay on top

By Caleb Workman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essex residents are going to be making a decision about who will run the town for the next four years.

There are four candidates running for mayor, leaving townspeople with a lot to think about when determining the future development of Essex.

Essex is not a major industrial centre, but current Ward 3 councillor and mayoral candidate Bill Baker has plans to help the town grow in this area.

“We operate on a $35 million budget … Only $12.5 million is assessed from taxes. Of that $12.5 million, 80 per cent is from residential based tax,” said Baker. “We need to focus on growing our industrial and commercial sectors.”

Baker said there needs to be more of a balance from assessed taxes. He said too much is being taken from the residential area and Essex needs to have more coming from the commercial sectors. In order to do this, he believes Essex needs to create more jobs on an industrial and commercial level, even in terms of youth jobs. Baker said Essex needs to have the land ready to build whatever is needed so that the town is ready for future development.

“If anyone comes and tells you it’s going to happen tomorrow, it’s not,” said Baker. “The problem is there have never been strategies to go for that so  I want to create the strategies to do that.”

According to Baker, the focus of youth employment will be in the jobs involved with media convergence, journalism and the emerging technology centres. The big industry jobs are not available for youth yet, but the goods and services sectors need to be better so that youth are being encouraged to stay in the town while they go to school, and focus on landing careers in Essex.

Baker said it is important to have the youth involved in not only the elections, but the decision making processes of council.

“[The youth] need to see the bridge between us who are here, and where they are, so they feel connected,” said Baker. “We need to reach out and say, ‘What is it you need?’ This is not the old world, this is the current world and that is what I bring in terms of leadership, is the current world.”

Ron McDermott is running for his fourth term as mayor and does not think much needs to change.

“We just need to continue doing what we’ve been doing the past three terms that I’ve had,” said McDermott. “Depending on how many new people we get, I need to get everyone on the same page. That’s the mayor’s job, to bring us all together.”

McDermott said he’s made one promise since he’s been involved in politics, which is that he’ll work his hardest for everybody. He said he and his council have been responsible for many projects in his past three terms, such as the sewage plant ,which made the construction of newer homes possible and the new twin pad arena. He said he is hoping to put up a new community centre in the next term if re-elected.

“We need to get our storefronts filled,” said McDermott. “That’s our number one goal if I’m re-elected along with getting our infrastructure fixed in terms of drainage.”

McDermott said young people need to start voting now. He said soldiers every day are sacrificing their lives in countries that don’t have the right to vote.

“We all want the kids to vote for us, but they should vote. If you don’t vote for me, vote, because it does mean something,” said McDermott.

Steve Bjorkman, who is on the board of directors of Essex’s Business Improvement Areas and running for Ward 1 council member in Essex, said the youth need to get involved if Essex wants to see change.

“Learn everything you can about these candidates. What you read in the paper is one thing, but if you can go somewhere where they are speaking in person you have an opportunity to ask a question that relates to your life,” said Bjorkman.

Also running for the position of mayor are candidates Ron Rogers, a former councillor in Essex, and editor and reporter Andy Comber.