Three-way race for Cobourg deputy mayor
Cobourg council gadfly Manfred Schumann entered the race for Cobourg deputy mayor yesterday with a long list of criticisms aimed at incumbent candidate Gil Brocanier.
Schumann, 60, is a local businessman, who owns a card/gift shop on the main street. He is a regular observer at council meeting, attending almost every week for the past eight years. He is a long-time director with the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and frequently makes deputations before council on critical issues. This has led him to be viewed by some as a pain in the butt, but for others he is an effective watchdog.
This is the first time Schumann has run for council. He is already framing the race as an referendum on the town's finances. He says the town's financial success is the job of the deputy mayor and the future is tied into how the financial portfolio is handled. This sounds very similar to Ben Burd's approach when he called it a race to be "budget chief".
The senior's centre will be the wedge issue for Schumann. He is critical of Brocanier's handling of the senior centre issue, which was originally being pushed through council until a group, which included Schumann, raised deep concerns about a lack of planning and missing details. Since then, the process has slowed considerably and is currently awaiting a needs study.
The third platform is around development, which Schumann believes is being done backwards. He wants the "town's agenda" first and not developers. This will be viewed as anti-development by the progressives who want to turn Cobourg into a metropolis with housing subdivisions underway or under review in Cobourg's east and west ends.
Finally, there is the issue of public deputations. As a regular presenter, Schumann has been abused by politicians and media commentators for his critical presentations during public meetings. Not doubt, this will change.
The three-way race between Schumann, Brocanier and Burd will create an interesting dynamic. The votes will be seriously split with reformers torn between Burd and Schumann. The fear is Brocanier will win by going up the middle. Don't be surprised if Burd drops out to line up the votes behind Schumann since he carries a lot more political baggage in the community and has been unsuccessful in his past two runs for council.
Schumann, 60, is a local businessman, who owns a card/gift shop on the main street. He is a regular observer at council meeting, attending almost every week for the past eight years. He is a long-time director with the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and frequently makes deputations before council on critical issues. This has led him to be viewed by some as a pain in the butt, but for others he is an effective watchdog.
This is the first time Schumann has run for council. He is already framing the race as an referendum on the town's finances. He says the town's financial success is the job of the deputy mayor and the future is tied into how the financial portfolio is handled. This sounds very similar to Ben Burd's approach when he called it a race to be "budget chief".
The senior's centre will be the wedge issue for Schumann. He is critical of Brocanier's handling of the senior centre issue, which was originally being pushed through council until a group, which included Schumann, raised deep concerns about a lack of planning and missing details. Since then, the process has slowed considerably and is currently awaiting a needs study.
The third platform is around development, which Schumann believes is being done backwards. He wants the "town's agenda" first and not developers. This will be viewed as anti-development by the progressives who want to turn Cobourg into a metropolis with housing subdivisions underway or under review in Cobourg's east and west ends.
Finally, there is the issue of public deputations. As a regular presenter, Schumann has been abused by politicians and media commentators for his critical presentations during public meetings. Not doubt, this will change.
The three-way race between Schumann, Brocanier and Burd will create an interesting dynamic. The votes will be seriously split with reformers torn between Burd and Schumann. The fear is Brocanier will win by going up the middle. Don't be surprised if Burd drops out to line up the votes behind Schumann since he carries a lot more political baggage in the community and has been unsuccessful in his past two runs for council.
posted by Robert Washburn at
8:29 AM
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