By Cecilia Nasmith
Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson is announcing his intention not to run for re-election, as well as his intention to support any candidate and every candidate he believes is running for the right reason – to do good.
“The only reason I think people should be running for office is to do good,” Sanderson stated in a recent interview.
“It's not that things are bad – they could be better but, if people come in and don't have the support of staff and other councillors, that's totally counterproductive.”
Sanderson has been working toward that end for decades.
He ran for Mayor and won in 2014, but was not exactly new to council – he had been on council in the 1979-80 term. This was back when council was a two-year term, and it happened just in time for him to be on council during the big flood.
At the time, he recalled, the town had $1-million lined up for downtown revitalization. The study by a firm called Barton Myers was already complete. But the government took that money away and demanded it be used for rechannelization.
In Northumberland County, every Mayor serves as a member of Northumberland County council. Sanderson's county-council years have included a term as Warden, as well as some time filling in as Warden when incumbent John Logel resigned.
When Logel left, there was no Deputy Warden to step in smoothly and take the reins, but Sanderson wasted no time creating that position. It was not just the heavy workload that a Warden carries, he explained, but also the fact that every Warden simultaneously does the work of a Mayor within his or her own municipality.
“For me it was a lot, because I am pretty active in Port Hope,” he said.
“Having a Deputy Warden would also allow a little bit of breathing room for the Warden.”
Sanderson also revised the budget process for county councillors. Rather than receiving a huge binder in the course of a county council meeting “just to go through it and then put your hand up and support it,” he made it a two-day process outside of regular council sessions. This offers staff members a chance to walk council through the plans, issues and projections that lie behind the numbers so that more informed decisions can be made.
These innovations promise to have a lasting effect on council, he said, and the feedback is generally positive.
“I am very supportive of the county staff structure,” he said.
“And this particular council is a little more hands-on, thanks to those things.”
He recalled the work he did with County Clerk Nancy MacDonald on setting up the standing-committee structure that opens their monthly meetings to the public.
In addition to the committees on which he's a member, he tries to attend as many committee meetings as possible, and he always speaks up when he has something to add. It gives him a better flavour of what's going on, as opposed to just reading the minutes.
One of the most exciting news flashes to come out of committee in recent months arose at the Economic Development and Planning Committee he chairs, when a group headed by producer Albert Botha argued for the organization of some kind of film bureau for Northumberland County – a single point of contact for members of the film industry for location shoots, clearances and other services they require.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Sanderson said.
Back in Port Hope, Sanderson took office in a community he described as “unrested.”
Tractors were driving past town hall, the citizens were upset, council was not working well with staff (and vice-versa).
“People didn't feel council was listening,” he said.
“We have, over a period of time, gained the trust of the people, gained the trust of staff. I think calming the community down overall was a good thing.”
One early move (and a controversial one) was letting a “significant number” of senior employees go – perhaps a half-dozen or more, he said.
“But it had council support, and we knew the reason we came in was we weren't seeing things done.
“I'm not criticizing the people – they all exited with all the requirements, and all have been replaced.”
It was a big adjustment for staff, he recalled, and they did go six years without replacing the CAO. But they had a good, collaborative senior-management team. And two years ago, they did bring in a CAO who fits in well with both the senior-management team and the community.
“That's what also allows me comfort in leaving. I know they are in good hands. Our staff, our senior management, our strategic planning are in really good hands,” he said.
Sanderson is making his announcement early in the campaign period for two reasons.
“People need to know, if they want to decide to run,” he said.
“And I am not a threat to anyone who wants to run – and I can be a good mentor.”
Anyone – councillor or community member – contemplating a run for mayor is welcome to talk with Sanderson in complete confidence to find out what the job entails and to have his or her questions answered.
He would like to dispel two myths.
First, you don't have to have lived in the municipality a long period of time to be eligible to run and be of benefit to council. Whether you've lived in Port Hope one year or 20, if you think you can contribute, you are welcome to run – besides, he said, a resident of only a few years might bring fresh eyes to the job.
Second, no previous municipal experience is needed to run for office. All that's required is the capacity to make good decisions in formulating directives for staff and the municipality in support of the long-term strategic plan.
“It requires courage, because you really are looking after 17,500 people – not 25 people who bang on your door every time they want something. That can have a huge influence sometimes, when they send you e-mails and corner you in the coffee shop,” he pointed out.
“I never took that personally. It's like theology – if you are committed to a belief, nothing will change that belief.”
Which brings him to the part of the standing council agenda where members of the public are welcomed to speak. They feel things strongly, and sometimes say the same things at meeting after meeting. But Sanderson is comfortable with that – something he figures is a result of his years as a veterinarian.
“People get emotional about their pets, they get really upset. People who come to council all the time may never have a positive thing to say, sometimes on the same topic, just to get it off their chest. And I'm totally comfortable about that.”
As for his decision to retire, he said, “there's a best-before date on everything. Eventually people want to see change, and I think two terms (will suffice). And where we are at now, a reasonably good council is going to work well with staff.
“Leadership comes from the mayor's chair, and that's where people need to carefully choose – because you will have people who run on their own agenda.”
You won't see Sanderson make an endorsement, but he will support all candidates he believes are running for the right reason.
And he will also encourage council runs from among the many talented citizens he sees doing stellar work for the municipality, “particularly on the Waterfront and Riverwalk Committee – the talent they have! Their sleeves are rolled up and they are hard at work. We need them on council too.
“There's a lot of opportunity here. There's so many good things to be done.”
Looking ahead, that includes the Wesleyville deal that the province paused within hours of its closing. Whether it finally goes through thanks to the province, or to the municipality, “I'm not going to let that go,” he vowed.
“We have raised the bar. We have showed what can be done.”
