Hope says C-K has bright future

Mayor Randy Hope is optimistic council will start rolling early in 2015, after a year of proceeding cautiously.

“For 2014, basically everybody knew there was an election coming. There was a lot of caution in moving things forward,” he said of council. “Sometimes we actually aren’t too productive ahead of an election.”

But with a new council in place and a four-year mandate, Hope thinks that will change this year. It starts with planning for the 2015 budget.

“Last year, it was about finding that number, not what made good business sense,” he said of the desire for a minimal tax increase that wouldn’t potentially anger voters. “Hopefully people will start to make an investment strategy. If we do nothing, we get nothing.”

Hope stressed improving the community will come with a price tag.

“The status quo is exactly what you see – no new growth. I pay property taxes just like everybody else does,” he said. “I need to move forward; we as council need to move forward. It’s going to be interesting to see how council responds to what needs to be done.”

New commercial and industrial development is crucial he added, otherwise the burden lands on residential taxpayers.

“Someone has to carry the load. You can only cut so much,” he said.

Despite the cautious effort on Monday nights by council last year, Hope said progress was made outside council chambers; outside the community, province, country and continent. He said gains have been made in relationship building and working towards potential investment opportunities.

“Our identity is growing. People are starting to recognize us. We are being seen as a good place of opportunity,” he said, adding there is a bright future on the municipality’s horizon. “Things look very positive. Our relationships internationally are growing. We have some North American deals we’re trying to finalize. Hopefully they will come to fruition. Each would be a major contribution to our tax base and help put people back to work.”

One gain was delivered this past fall in Blenheim, where Brightenview Development International announced it is going to build a $45-million, 680,000-square-foot facility in Blenheim’s industrial park.

“Brightenview is a huge opportunity – 550 jobs,” Hope said, adding the online critics of the project aren’t making things easier. “You’ve seen the negativity. Sometime people forget we are under a microscope. Because of new-age technology, people can focus in on your backyard.”

Still, Brightenview is coming, and relationships in China and India continue to evolve, Hope said.

“It was clear on the night of the election when I received calls from people miles and miles away,” he said. “These relationships we’ve been building, when someone’s paying that close attention, you can tell we’re on the right track. We need to keep going. Results don’t happen overnight.”

Also on the radar this year for council will be the potential of enticing an OHL team to set up shop here. But that would involve the construction of a new arena, and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars spent on that effort. Hope sees more potential there as well.

“The OHL, from a business sense, makes sense. There are nearby rivalries. People will travel an hour to see their team play,” he said, referring to the fact there are OHL clubs in Windsor, Sarnia and London. “It all boils down to the capital required to build (the arena), and the operational costs to make sure it would work.”

When Hope took office in 2006, he said it would take up to 12 years for him to complete his vision of transforming the municipality. That would mean this is his third and final term as mayor.

But Hope said that could change.

“I gave a 12-year commitment. Does this mean this is my last term? I don’t know,” he said. “If in year four of my mandate, if we are really close to a major deal, would I just leave? I would like to walk away in four years. In year three of my mandate, I will have a better understanding of where we are.”