She has yet to win a seat on city council and yet no candidate in the St. Thomas municipal election has more campaign experience than Rose Gibson.
This is her sixth run for the roses and, on that alone, you have to respect her tenacity.
In 2018 she finished 10th in a 19-candidate field, less than 500 votes away from knocking Jim Herbert out of the running.
Her first outing was in 2000 and she returned to the fray in 2003, 2010 and 2014. Of note, each time she secured more votes than in her previous attempt.
And that vote differential four years ago is the driving force in this campaign, advised Gibson.
“I have a good group of people who really believe in me. I think the voters last time believed in me.
“You know there is an area that you learn where you made your mistakes and I realize that.

“So, I’m doing a much better job at picking up those votes.”
“As is the case with almost all of the candidates, the situation with the plight of homeless individuals downtown is a concern for Gibson.
But she has a slightly different perspective.
“Some people I have talked to have families who are downtown and homeless.
“And, it’s not always about drugs.
“It’s about losing that job. They had a fantastic job . . . they lost everything within two paycheques.”
Going back to her very first campaign, Gibson has pushed for a better transit system in the city.
“In the past, the transit system has been my thorn. And that was my very first time running for city council was the busing that needed to be fixed.
“It has improved quite a bit and, of course, when we have urban growth we need to find ways of bringing those people into our area of St. Thomas.”
Sticking with transit, Gibson talked about the need to get people to the jobs in the new Amazon fulfillment centre in Southwold and further down the road to anticipated jobs in the newly acquired industrial land to the east of Highbury Avenue.
“Well, let’s look at all of that and put it into one package and see if we can get these people moved out there.
“We need to make sure that the people who live here in St. Thomas have first opportunity at those new jobs.”

“I just feel my compassion and my dedication to this community. I can bring that out and bring people together to work together.”

She notes the need for the new council to be fiscally responsible in light of the present inflationary trend.
“You can’t just will out everything you want and then say where is the money coming from.
“You have to make sure the money is there. We are growing and we have new residential coming in and, hopefully, that new tax (revenue) will help build whatever we want or need to ensure that we have a safe place to live, work and play.”
When asked what she can bring to the council chamber Gibson responded, “I just feel my compassion and my dedication to this community. I can bring that out and bring people together to work together.
“Because we really need to work together. Our fellow municipalities, we really need to have them because the numbers speak when you have to apply for things at the federal and provincial levels.”

“I want them to know that I want to be their voice sitting at that table when there needs to be a decision made.”

And, there has to be recognition of the importance of arts and culture in contributing to the richness of life in St. Thomas.
“I’m all for making sure that they (St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre) get some funding. If they need more they can then put an application in.
“I feel they should be part of our decision-making in what we pay out each year as (community grants) to ensure that we have a variety of things out there.”
As to her message to voters Gibson says, “I want them to know that I want to be their voice sitting at that table when there needs to be a decision made.
“And, it has to be a thoughtful decision, because it’s not just for one or two people, it has to be for all of the community, including the municipalities around us.”

You can listen to the full interview below.

GREEN LIGHT FOR DOWNTOWN GREEN SPACE

More than two years ago an announcement was made on the site of the former Colin McGregor Justice Building that the vacant lot would be transformed into a civic park.
To be known as Westlake-Evans Civic Park, what will become a community hub was made possible through a $500,000 donation from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell.
At the announcement, Andrew Gunn, consultant for the estate, noted “there will be an outdoor classroom and play area for children because we really wanted to build a park that spoke to people of all ages.”

At Monday’s (Oct. 3) council meeting, members unanimously approved awarding a $515,000 contract for construction of the park which will be accessible.
Work could begin before the end of the month with a completion date of next spring.
Funding support for the park also came from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, Doug Tarry Homes and the STEAM Centre.
The financial support from the latter is specifically for bike lockers.

“It all dovetails. You’ve got the library bookending it on one side and the childcare on the other side.”

Jeff Bray, director of Parks, Recreation and Property Management told council, “I think the park will be a community hub for the area. It does have a play structure, it has a musical component which was part of the Westlake-Evans donation which ties in with the piano inside the library.
“The library will be able to open up so they can have recitals and have them projected into the park and it has been designed so that people can sit and watch the recital.”
The park will also serve the childcare centre now under construction on St. Catharine Street.

“. . . we’re excited about being able to be part of the animation of this space. This is what libraries do.”

“There will be a formal connection between the childcare centre and the park,” advised Bray. “There is a formal play structure and specific musical educational-type instruments in the park.
“It all dovetails. You’ve got the library bookending it (the park) on one side and the childcare on the other side.”
At the June announcement in 2020, library CEO Heather Robinson painted a vivid picture of what the new park will mean to her facility.
“. . . we’re excited about being able to be part of the animation of this space. This is what libraries do. We have been looking for outdoor space to be able to do programming . . . and just be able to connect with our community in a new way.
And Bray confirmed there will also be some form of commemoration for the city police officer killed in the line of duty and after whom the justice building was named.

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TAKING THE PARK A STEP FURTHER

During the above discussion on the new community hub, Jeff Bray briefly touched on an imaginative possibility.
He suggested closing a stretch of Curtis Street in front of the park on certain occasions to make it pedestrian friendly.
We followed with a phone call to him to elaborate.
“I’ve started looking at it and I don’t think I’m the first person,” acknowledged Bray.
“I think with construction of the park, you’ve got a civic precinct. You’ve got city hall, the library a new park and childcare centre.”

“I think it’s kind of cool, I’m not going to let that one go. I want to see if we can start moving it forward for the long term.”

He envisions installing rolled curbs to, at least temporarily, close Curtis Street between St. Catharine and Mondamin streets.
“Long term, anything is possible. But it would be interesting to create a civic precinct there and have it permanently.”
The fly in the ointment is access to the city hall parking lot.
Bray agreed that would require some creative thought.
“I’ve got to start looking at a master planning project to see how it would work.
“But I think it would really rejuvenate (the area). But, just having the park there is a great thing.
“I think it’s kind of cool, I’m not going to let that one go. I want to see if we can start moving it forward for the long term.”

CAMPAIGNING AS A POPULARITY CONTEST

C.J. Allen this week forwarded some candid comments on the present city council, the upcoming municipal election and the recent debut of the Summer Harvest Festival.
He knows a thing or two about the latter as chair of the board of governors, Good Vibes Community Association, the organization that directed and produced the festival.
The successful debut of the three-day event in Pinafore came down to “being well organized,” said Allen
With that background info in mind, here is what he has observed.
“The Summer Harvest Festival was an interesting experiment in the psychology of politics,” advised Allen. “Some candidates used the event as an opportunity to mix and mingle and chat with a demographic of the community that otherwise may have been unreachable by traditional guerilla campaigning.
“Others made it a point to express how appreciative they were for the effort of our volunteers to plan and host the festival.

“Elected officials are not solely sworn into office to hear complaints about road closures and attend service club breakfasts. They’re given public office to be thought leaders, innovators and genuine advocates for each sector of the community.”

“One candidate that Justin Maki (musician) and I approached to greet and say hello to just awkwardly shook our hands and walked away like we were street groupies looking for a selfie. Some candidates didn’t show up at all.
“I digress.
“What I have noticed in my research is that, by and large, city council has been marked as a chamber of problem solvers. Issues come to pass and the answer is “call Coun. (name),” as if we’re electing hall monitors and librarians.
“Elected officials are not solely sworn into office to hear complaints about road closures and attend service club breakfasts. They’re given public office to be thought leaders, innovators and genuine advocates for each sector of the community.”
Allen continued, “Recognition of our homeless population in downtown and the location of The Inn has been at the forefront of most platforms and has been the hottest topic of conversation.
“While our disenfranchised certainly deserve thoughtful attention and solution, where are the ideas about arts and culture? Where are the ideas about attracting tech startups and support for entrepreneurs?

“This campaign and election strikes me, at the moment, as being more of a popularity competition based on name recognition rather than an opportunity to elect a council that can see the intersection of all the sectors that impact the electorate and communal culture.”

“Talk of parks, trails and environmental space but what of the problem that parks & recreation is severely understaffed? What about the bureaucratic and redundant red tape and restrictive bylaws that make events like the Summer Harvest Festival almost impossible?
“With the exception of two incumbent councillors (that I’m aware of) who have shared specific items of their ‘to-do’ list, others have only posted vague, canned platforms and promises that could have been dusted off and re-purposed from bygone elections.
“With the enormity of data that Summer Harvest Festival was able to collect about our community, it’s surprising that more candidates haven’t asked us, ‘In your organization’s opinion and based on your interactions, what do the people of St. Thomas want?’
“I wonder if other groups have been consulted in any way?
“This campaign and election strike me, at the moment, as being more of a popularity competition based on name recognition rather than an opportunity to elect a council that can see the intersection of all the sectors that impact the electorate and communal culture.
“A council is elected for four years and will see a multitude of items pass through the chamber, not just one.”
Allen concluded with three quotes which weave the above observations together with a common strand.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
– U.S. President John Quincy Adams

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
– Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
– American author John Maxwell

FOR THE CALENDAR

To follow up on their success with the inaugural Summer Harvest Festival in Pinafore Park last month, the Good Vibes Community Association will host Cocktails and Candy Canes, on Nov. 26 at the CASO station.
It’s an opportunity to dress up and celebrate the holiday season with a silent auction and “an evening of merriment.”
More details to follow.

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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.