Christina Bergmann focuses Brighton mayor campaign on fiscal transparency and development
By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.
Brighton mayoral candidate Christina Bergmann is focusing her campaign on responsible commercial and residential development, growing the local economy, and being financially accountable to the taxpayers.
Her platform calls for ensuring that such development aligns with Brighton’s official land use policies, overseeing the planning stages, so that future development considers farm lands, greenspace and protected and sensitive areas. She said there should be discussions for potential land swaps with developers.
“We have to ask bigger questions, because I don’t think we are building correctly,” she said.
Bergmann would use strong mayor powers to expedite development, but also to direct councillors to “do their jobs,” and not rubber-stamping proposals without adequate consideration and research.
Bergmann wants to revitalize the downtown, by renewing the town’s agreement with the Business Improvement Area, including the industrial area in the south of town.
A new dedicated tourism department, focused on selling the many year-round activities such parks, trails, Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Applefest, and the Labour Day Motorsports Classic.
“People are coming in. I want to make sure when they get here that there is interest in culture and connection and business growth in the downtown,” explained Bergmann.
Part of the downtown growth would be to create a farmers market and opportunity for pop-up businesses.
Her online platform calls for increased transparency of taxes and spending would be to align year-end financial statements with budget reporting, disclosing the full cost of municipal services by establishing an online portal in which residents can track how taxes are being spent.
While her platform said she wants to avoid tax increases through responsible financial management, she concedes that zero percent tax increases will be impossible to avoid, given inflationary pressures of staff wages and procurement of goods and services.
“Show people that yes, the taxes went up a little bit and here’s why. If I was mayor I would post it online, the full cost of municipal services,” Bergmann said.
Bergmann said she would work to recruit more doctors, anticipating Brighton needs at least three more physicians. However, she said there would need to be more consultation on the needs of the municipality in recruiting such professionals.
