Trio of councillors leave on optimistic notes
Mark Elliott began his first campaign for city councillor almost 13 years ago as a downtown retailer with a promise to revitalize the core.
Downtown had been in steep decline for some time, he recalled, and was in need of serious vision and measurable action to turn it around.
“Having grown up in the city I had fond memories of a vibrant downtown,” he said Monday, during his last council meeting. “And while it’s impossible to recreate the past, it is possible to reinvent the future.”
During Elliott’s time on council, the city saw huge changes downtown including the building of Meridian Centre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, private student housing and other improvements.
Elliott said change can’t be made alone. That first city council in 2006 was bright and bold, willing to take researched and calculated risks. He said they took up the torch of downtown revitalization and, while they didn’t always agree, everyone became a champion of the cause.
Since that time, Elliott said subsequent councils have contributed to the continuing and evolving vision of the downtown.
But he said the work isn’t complete. The onus, he said, rests on the incoming council to continue the vision.
“The future, I’m optimistic. I think we have a bright, bold council-elect,” Elliott said. “A council-elect that I hope will find their own voice. A council-elect that will forge their own path and I remain hopeful that within their own vision they will continue to focus on the downtown.”
The three-term St. Patrick’s councillor tried unsuccessfully to make the jump to regional council in the October election.
Monday was also the last meeting for St. George’s Coun. Mike Britton, who was also defeated in his run for regional council, and for Grantham Coun. Sandie Bellows, who was elected to the Region.
Defeated Merritton Coun. David Haywood said his goodbyes at the Nov. 12 council meeting.
Britton, who was St. Catharines youngest-ever councillor when elected at age 24 in 2014, said he graduated from university and came home to St. Catharines with a mission to make the community better.
“I know we have, as a council, achieved that mission of making this community better, leaving it better than how we found it,” he said.
Britton said his plan is to continue that mission through other efforts, working with services clubs, charities or not-for-profits that do a lot of heavy lifting in the community.
“I’d like to leave with that call to action to everyone that’s listening, that you don’t have to be elected around the horseshoe to make the community better,” Britton said.
“There are ways to get involved with community groups and I encourage everyone to support the next term of council and get involved in making this community better.”
Bellows, elected for one term, said she is looking forward to the new chapter in her life at the Region, but added city council is her cornerstone.
The new city council will be sworn in during an inauguration ceremony open to the public on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.