Changing seats
Ty Walsh elected deputy mayor of Berwick
A change of the guard has taken place in Berwick’s town council.
Former deputy mayor Jane Bustin stepped down, and Ty Walsh has taken over asBerwick’s new deputy mayor.
The change occurred during council’s regular monthly meeting Nov. 12.
The step up in the world of municipal politics is a new horizon for Walsh, who first ran and was elected to council at age 30 in 2016.
Moving forward, Walsh acknowledged there is plenty of work ahead of him as deputy mayor.
“I put as much time as I can into council work and making sure decisions we’re making at the council table are good,” Walsh said. “I want to continue to stay congenial in the democratic process and walk away from the table feeling we have confidence in a full council decision.” Walsh said he doesn't want to “pigeon hole” himself into talking specifically with certain council members on issues in the coming months.
“I want to make sure to reach out to the other councillors I don’t work with regularly, and make sure I consider all sides of all issues,” Walsh said. “I want to make sure people are really talking about Berwick and feeling engaged, feeling value in Berwick as a small town bringing value to the landscape of rural Nova Scotia.”
Walsh spent close to a year considering whether to run for deputy mayor before accepting his nomination and election Nov. 12.
“I’ve certainly been having discussions with the other councillors about it. It’s a new opportunity and something I always kind of looked at,” Walsh said. “My wife and I threw the idea around before the election and she encouraged me to go forward and make that move.”
Walsh believes his term as deputy mayor will be educational, providing him greater insight into how council works.
“A big piece of it is learning so much about your community in that process,” Walsh said. “It’ll be another way to take some new learning in how our town functions and how I can make the town really work for our people.”
Walsh wants that flow of information to go both ways, noting a goal of his is to make sure Berwick residents are kept apprised of what is going on in council chambers and the community.
“I want people knowing what the town is doing as a municipal body, and people knowing what is going on in our organizations and at our events,” Walsh said. “I guess I am trying to bring people together and we might be a small town of two-and-a-half thousand people, but we’re very busy, vibrant and noteworthy for what we’ve got going on.”
Serving as deputy mayor can be a time-intensive endeavour. Walsh is prepared for that.
Before the vote, Bustin declined when asked if she wanted to run for deputy mayor again.
“I want to thank council for the privilege of serving several times in the last three years,” Bustin said.
After stating her intention not to run again, Bustin nominated Walsh for the position.