Collingwood councillor candidate Chris Potts wants to take his generational roots in the community to the council table.
Potts said he has always been “dedicated to the community,” with a mindset he thinks will work in a council role.
“I think that with my local knowledge and my commitment, I think I’m ready to put my voice forward for all residents, whether it’s new families that have just moved here or the established local families that have been here forever,” said Potts.
Potts was born and raised in Collingwood. He worked in the town’s public works department as a driver and general labourer for 13 years and as the vice-president of the local CUPE 1217 union. He was also the president of Collingwood Minor Hockey Association, and currently owns Potts Mobile Catering. He was also the events coordinator for the Collingwood Blues Junior ‘A’ hockey team.
“As a community as a whole in the crisis that we’re in with water and sewer, I think that somebody with my experience in that area would be an asset to council,” said Potts.
He said he considers the town’s current water and sewer systems in crisis because of the current development freeze instigated by the limited remaining drinking water capacity.
The sewer system does still have remaining capacity, but Potts said the time will come within the next decade to plan an expansion for that system as well.
In the interest of what he said will be improvements to customer service, Potts would like to see councillors assigned to various town departments as liaisons, for example have one of the seven councillors become the rep for the town’s Parks, Recreation, and Culture department.
He said people could contact that councillor if they have an issue related to that specific department and the councillor could get back to them with an answer.
“I think it also engages council more with what’s happening in the town and … you’re more in your departments and you’re understanding what’s going on,” said Potts. “I think it also engages council more with what’s happening in the town and … you’re more in your departments and you’re understanding what’s going on,” said Potts.
He considers the current town customer service system and council committee structure “bottlenecked.”
Also in the coming council term, Potts would like to see the town take the “next steps” toward a recreation centre and an arts centre, and continue forward with the developer agreement for the former Terminals building.
“Generally just clean up our town, get our town back, get our streets back,” said Potts.
He said there are streets he would like to see repaired and resurfaced and the “clean up” he mentioned was a reference to the downtown.
“Our main streets, I think, [are] in terrible condition for cleanliness,” said Potts. “If you drive up First Street the light poles … are rotting at the bottom.”
He considers the downtown on Hurontario Street “dirty” and would like to see it power washed once a month and swept weekly.
“I find the level of service decreased,” he said.
Potts said he would also like to see “more transparency” from town hall, noting transparency, in general, can always be improved.
When it comes to a councillor’s role, he said the ability to make a fair decision while considering the whole population is key.
“I think, obviously, decision-making is important, but in economical times that we’re going through, I think the most important part [of a councillor’s job] right now is to make the best decision for the community as a whole,” said Potts. “And when decisions are being made that impact the community, it’s important that the residents have their say.”
The key components of a good decision, according to Potts, involve looking at the cost and lifespan of the project.
In the next term, Potts said affordable housing will be the toughest issue to tackle for council.
“I think it’s going to be a task that not only the community is faced with, but the county, the province, the country, everybody … it seems to be worldwide,” said Potts. “I think that the community expectation is high.”
This is Pott’s first time running for council.
There are 12 candidates running for the seven available councillor seats for Collingwood in the 2022 municipal election taking place Oct. 24. The candidates include: Chris Baines, Steve Berman, Ian Chadwick, George Dickenson, Deb Doherty, Cam Ecclestone, Brandon Houston, Kathy Jeffery, Steve Johns, Steve Perry, Chris Potts, and Rob Ring.
You can find out if you’re on the voter list by visiting the town website here.
Advance voting starts Oct. 8 with internet or paper ballot voting options available. You can vote at the library in-person starting Oct. 8, or online anytime after Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. Library voting will take place Saturday and Wednesday, Oct. 8-22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting will close on election day, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m.
