Written By David Gomez
For Brian Derbyshire, running for mayor means bringing the practical lessons of farming into municipal government. A third-generation farmer and current Ward 2 councillor, Derbyshire is challenging incumbent Mayor Colin Grantham in the October 26 municipal election, emphasizing financial responsibility, infrastructure planning and greater accountability at Town Hall.
The two candidates faced each other during a televised mayoral debate on October 7, where municipal spending, wastewater infrastructure, housing and future development were among the issues discussed. The following day, this reporter visited Derbyshire at his farm to discuss his experience on Council, his disagreements with the current administration and the changes he hopes to introduce if elected.
Throughout the interview, Derbyshire repeatedly returned to one principle: municipal decisions should be carefully examined before taxpayers’ money is committed.
Reporter: After four years as a councillor, what made you decide to run for mayor?
Brian Derbyshire: Four years ago, Colin and I sat in his dad’s shed before he runs for mayor and discussed plans going forward, how we were going to make this better. When we got in, we were going to cut costs, analyze every project that was ongoing and make sure we were doing it the right way. Three months into it, he abandoned ship.
There are times when I walk out of Council meetings and think, what am I doing? Why am I doing this? Then I remember I told the people I would be there working on their behalf. That’s why I’m there.
R: You have been critical of how Council makes decisions. What concerns you most?
Derbyshire: A lot of times, you either don’t have enough information, or they can’t explain it to us. Don’t give us some gobbledygook because that’s what they love to spin. They’ll say you don’t understand. Well, I’ll figure it out. It’s our job to protect your money. That’s why staff recommends. Council has to do some research and figure this out.
If you don’t know what’s going on, then the decision should be deferred until you understand it. That doesn’t mean everyone has to completely understand everything, but you should have a basic knowledge of where we’re going and how we’re getting there.
R: The Mount Brydges wastewater treatment plant was a major point of disagreement during Wednesday’s debate. What would you have done differently?
Derbyshire: We had an option of approximately $2.3 million to have it fixed. They wanted a 100% guarantee that this system was going to work. Nobody in that business is giving you that. Even the new system we are putting in, did they give us a 100% guarantee? No.
They said give us three months and we will have you compliant. If it worked, we would have saved ourselves $10 million.
We could have done an environmental assessment and figured out where we were going. Instead, we are spending all this money without knowing whether we can expand there in the future.
R: What would be your priorities for the next Council, particularly with new councillors potentially being elected?
Derbyshire: I’d like to set up a mentorship program with councillors who have already been there to mentor the new ones for at least the first three months. I want them to take them around, introduce them to staff, show them where we sit, walk through things and sit beside them so they are prepared. There were so many things where we just walked into Council chambers and I didn’t have a clue. Nobody explained what we should do. Staff did a good job taking us around the facilities, but I want to review all the projects that are ongoing, where we are at with them and what we are planning for the budget.
R: What infrastructure projects would you prioritize?
Derbyshire: The floor in the Tri-Township Arena needs to be fixed. It’s 15 years past its expiration. When we do that, we need to make sure the user groups know we’re going to be taking it out a little early and it might be going in a little late. This needs to be on time and on budget because we don’t want to lose a season of ice. I had proposed putting in a second ice pad so we could build that first and then close the existing one.
Mount Brydges also needs a new fire hall. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. They’re the next ones to get it. We’re going to have to purchase land and build a hall. There’s just not enough room where they are, and it’s in a terrible location beside the school.
R: You have questioned the cost of the new Strathroy fire hall. What alternative did you favour?
Derbyshire: What I wanted to do was build it beside the police station, on that side of the railway tracks. I wanted the township to build something for approximately $4 million, keep the old one and move administration out of it. That way, we would cover both sides of the railway tracks. If our budget was to spend $10 million, we would then have money left over to build a new hall in Mount Brydges, which is desperately needed. My idea four years ago was that if we’re going to spend $10 million, let’s accomplish as much as we possibly can with it. I’m not opposed to spending the money.
R: You recently discussed the possibility of a railway overpass in Strathroy. What concerns do you have about that proposal?
Derbyshire: What I wanted to show people is that in 2022, we looked into this through the Transportation Master Plan. Council at the time decided not even to do a costing on it because it wasn’t feasible. Before that, if you look at the development charges, they were collecting money to buy land on McEvoy Road to put an overpass there. McEvoy was supposed to be widened, which we did, and the county was supposed to assume it. But the county said there wasn’t enough traffic on it. Had they assumed it, that would have been the bypass when Highway 402 was closed. That’s why they were thinking of putting an overpass there, so the train wouldn’t impede truck traffic.
R: What would you say to residents who are still undecided?
Derbyshire: I’m going to be your fiscally responsible vote. My bottom line is your dollars. I know that’s not going to win everybody over, but at the end of the day, if we can be fiscally responsible, especially with infrastructure, that’s what matters. It’s great that you’ve got this and that, but if the infrastructure doesn’t work, or the pipes are failing, then we’ve got to do something.
In my business, I have to look at all the options. If I don’t, I’m going to go broke. I approach the municipality the same way. How can we make this better? How can we do this? We work for other people. Customer service isn’t just a building people go to. We are in the business of customer service. We answer to the public.
