In an effort to promote discussion on key issues during the current election period, we are giving candidates the opportunity to answer a number of questions that may be of interest to local voters.
Everyone receives the same questions, and their answers are presented with minimal editing for format purposes only.
Here is the candidate profile for Belleville Council Candidate in Ward 2 (Thurlow) – Stephen Scott.
Election day is October 26th.
First and Last Name
Stephen Scott
What position are you seeking in the upcoming municipal election on October 26?
Council Candidate Belleville Ward 2
Question 1 – Why are you running and what are your main priorities if elected/re-elected?
I am running because City Hall is using an outdated playbook that is failing our changing neighbourhood. I am not a career politician; I am a retiree, a proud former foster parent, and a 50-year community volunteer offering frontline experience as a retired Correctional Officer, a former Police Board Director, a former Private Investigator, and a veteran football Coach. My main priorities are: Establishing a Centralized Municipal Grants Department, enforcing a Complete Communities Standard, and Rezone underutilized commercial areas along Highway 62 for supportive/affordable housing
Question 2 – How do you balance budgetary restraint with continuing increases in many areas of the municipal budget?
You balance the budget by changing how you fund your capital projects, instead of just passing the debt to the property taxpayer. My solution is to establish a Centralized Municipal Grants Department. Right now, Belleville expects city managers, fire captains and police commanders to write these massive funding applications off the side of their desks. By putting a dedicated expert in the chair, we take that heavy paperwork pressure off our emergency services and managers so they can focus on their actual jobs.
Question 3 – Infrastructure projects are a huge strain on local budgets, especially when it comes to water/wastewater. How can we address/reduce these costs moving forward and mitigate the impact for ratepayers/taxpayers?
We reduce these utility costs by taking the financial burden off local taxpayers and aggressively securing external funding. My solution is to establish a Centralized Municipal Grants Department and hire a single, dedicated professional to run it. By putting an expert in this chair, he/she can lock down multi-million-dollar provincial green-infrastructure and federal water-protection grants before a utility pipe fails. This can help fund our water main upgrades and take the pressure off our managers, so they can do their jobs and protect our rural well-water tables without forcing local water rates up.
Question 4 – What measures can the municipality take to address the issues of affordability and housing security?
We must stop playing defensive politics and completely rewrite our municipal planning playbook. We must rezone underutilized commercial areas along Highway 62 for affordable, supportive housing. Highway 62 already offers direct proximity to regional healthcare and support…if you have a car!
Question 5 – Homelessness has become a major issue for most local communities. What would you do to address this issue and what needs to happen to have a meaningful impact?
We must stop treating this crisis like a political problem and start treating it like a family issue. The City recently released the Mayor’s 37-page Task Force booklet, which proves exactly what we are seeing on the pavement. Nearly 250 local citizens are stranded without shelter, and we have 21 emergency shelter beds available across our entire system. This is a total failure in advocacy and administration. Common sense tells me that Highway 62 already offers the core infrastructure and a Centralized Municipal Grants Department can track down funding for these projects.
Question 6 – What message do you want the voter to know about you and your campaign and your priorities for the next four years?
City Hall answers directly to you, the true employers of this city. Politicians don’t make a city work; citizens do, and your ideas and solutions count. I am not here to win a popularity contest with politicians. My life’s playbook is built entirely on public service, contract negotiations, and safety. As a 50-year community volunteer and a retired Correctional Officer, I will treat the citizens of Belleville with the same objective focus and dedication as I did in my investigation days-I look directly at the facts. Times have changed over the last four years, and we need action-oriented leaders who lead from the front. My priorities are clear under my slogan: NEW IDEAS. SAFER STREETS. NEIGHBOURHOOD PRIDE. Please VOTE!
