Steele vying to become Port Colborne mayor
Bill Steele describes himself as a “put up or shut up” kind of guy, which is one of the reasons he’s going to run for Port Colborne mayor in the fall election.
Born and raised in Port Colborne, he said he has a love and pride for his city.
His family has lived in the area since the late 1700s; the family business, of which he is currently president, C.M. Steele Insurance Brokers Ltd., has existed since 1898. He and his family are also involved in the community through volunteer work.
Because of that love, he wants to continue where he left off four years ago in fostering a thriving community for the city and its residents.
Steele sat as a Ward 1 councillor for 17 years, during which time things such as Vale Health and Wellness Centre, the new Port Colborne fire hall and the city’s new operations centre were dreamed up and set in motion.
“I just thought I’d recharge my batteries,” Steele said of why he had stepped away from his councillor position.
With relationships still intact from when he was a councillor and a confidence in his ability to cultivate news ones, he wants to do what he can to make sure that Port Colborne gets its fair share of federal and provincial government funding.
“I don’t want to see that money going somewhere else and then we’ve got to burden our taxpayer to an even greater level if we have to pay 100 per cent for upkeep of our infrastructure,” he said.
Another area of focus is job creation and retention in the city, not just in bringing outside companies and corporations in, but also in terms of helping local businesses grow.
He said there are already people volunteering to help with his campaign, which won’t begin until June. His wife and three sons, he said, are also behind him and ready to help in any way they can.