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Councillor Profile

By Jeff Hutton

he’s eager for more commercial
development such as restaurants
and hotel accommodation so
that visitors “don’t go and stay
Profile: Councillor down the road”. He’d also like
to see the municipality continue
to pare back its use of pricey
Ron Anderson consultants. The municipality
has budgeted $360,000 this
year to hire new staff, including a
Back when Brighton Councillor Ron Anderson was in the hospitality planner. “We’ve hired very good
business he worked off and on for Williams Hotels, operator of professional people.” Council
properties including the Holiday Inn Express in Belleville, where work is a lot like managing a
Councillor Anderson wrapped up his careers as a manager in hotel — listening to residents and
2016. The company’s president and former Quinte West Mayor, catering to their needs, Councillor
John Williams, had a mantra that’s driven Councillor Anderson Anderson said. But residents
ever since he first started working with Mr Williams in 1979: “get ‘er may need to brace themselves
done.” “It’s stuck with me ever since,” Councillor Anderson said in for changes if Covid 19 impacts
an interview “If we agreed we are going to do something then we on tax receipts. Examples may
get ‘er done’. ” Fast forward to 2020 and the global pandemic that’s include delaying until next year
shuttered businesses and schools, up-ended planning and forced the purchase of a new fire truck or
in-person meetings onto zoom calls, and Councillor Anderson’s pushing back plans for a new pool
mantra couldn’t be more timely. Anderson said despite the currently slated for the end of the
disruptions big projects are moving forward. Tenders to upgrade decade. But the aim will remain
Sanford Street are wrapping up this week, work on a $250,000 making a good place to live even
skateboard park is slated to begin in the fall and better sidewalks better, Councillor Anderson
that improve access “so that people can walk to things” is said “We want a safer community.
progressing. The progress is a break from the gridlock of the past, We want a better lifestyle. I want
owing to a sense of team work on council, Anderson said. “A a nice fair balance of growth,”
number of us ran based on things (during the previous council) Councillor Anderson said “ That
that we didn’t necessarily agree with,” he said. “A lot of things were wasn’t done for a long time. We’re
deferred and things took a lot more time.” Councillor Anderson said getting things done.” l

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