Steve Berman remembers the exact day he turned his eyes to municipal politics.
It was August 27, 2012.
“The council of the day voted to sole-source two fabric-covered domes, instead of building our town an actual multi-use facility,” said Berman. “In the six years since, I have gathered information to better understand why that decision, and many other that didn’t pass the ‘smell test,’ were ever made in the first place.”
Berman has attended a large majority of council and committee meetings since the August 2012 decision. He has also served on the library board, the Museum Advisory Committee and participated in planning sessions for the Community-Based Strategic Plan, the Economic Action Plan and the Waterfront Master Plan. He ran, unsuccessfully for a council seat in the 2014 Collingwood municipal election.
“I’ve actively fought for our town for the past six years,” said Berman. “I get to the bottom of issues.”
Berman was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. He spent a couple years in Israel living and working on a Kibbutz before moving to Toronto. He moved to Collingwood in 1998 and achieved a diploma in Early Childhood Education in 2012. He owns and operates Maple Leaf Collectibles.
Berman authored a regular column in the Enterprise-Bulletin before it closed in November 2017.
“I understand the importance of community input and how to communicate collaboratively with the town within the working structure of a municipality,” said Berman. “I will continue to communicate with people … so Collingwood residents have more opportunity to have their voices heard.”
Berman wants a chance to improve the town’s communications between council, staff and residents.
“I feel the current system does not show residents what they want to know,” said Berman. “Rather what the town believes they should know. Simple links to documents will give residents an easier way to find facts on key issues.”
Berman wants to see a new policy in place for recorded votes to make them mandatory for “substantive and procedural items.”
Currently councillors are required to put up their hand for a yes or no vote in a council meeting, but the official minutes note only whether a motion is carried or not. There is no list of who has voted which way. In the case of a recorded vote, which must be requested by a member of council, the clerk records each member’s vote for the record and those results are kept in the minutes.
“Our town has moved forward in an unprecedented manner the past few years,” said Berman. “All the while maintaining the level of service our residents have come to expect. As a member of Collingwood’s next council, I will work to ensure this momentum continues.
Berman suggests the Oct. 22 election is an important one for the town and encouraged voters to choose candidates they see as trustworthy.
“This is a critical election for the future of Collingwood,” said Berman. “The next four years will see many important decisions made on the use of public funds. You must be able to trust the people making those decisions on your behalf.”
Berman is one of 19 candidates for councillor in the Oct. 22 municipal election. Voters may choose up to seven candidates on their ballots for councillor.
The Collingwood Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meet-the-candidates event for councillor candidates on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Collingwood Legion. Doors open at 6 p.m. The last event was at capacity and some residents were turned away from the meeting.
The chamber will be posing questions received by members of the public to each of the candidates during the meeting. Click here if you have a question you’d like included.
