Bruce Wylie announces Brockville council bid live on air

Radio legend Bruce Wylie is looking to use a different kind of microphone in his retirement: the one front of a council seat.

He publicly announced a council run for next term, just one day before the nomination window closes on Friday at 2 p.m. Wylie announced his candidacy the only way he knows how: live over the airwaves of MyFM.

He made sure to announce his campaign on the air before officially filing his papers, since it is against municipal law to announce the campaign on the air after the papers have been filed.

After spending 55 years on the airwaves, Wylie now wants to serve the community in a different way, this time in public office.

“I’ve witnessed, what I think, (is) a not very good council,” said Wylie. “We need to have more people on council that are willing to work for the city, not against it. I tend to think that’s what is happening.”

Taxation is the No. 1 priority in Wylie’s platform, as he believes property taxes are too high and need to be decreased.

He says that the cost of living has become unaffordable for many people in the Brockville community, and that the city shouldn’t be adding to that burden with increasing taxes.

“I’m a homeowner in Brockville, and my taxes have gone up over 20 per cent over the last four years,” said Wylie. “We can’t afford to have that. There are two ways to make it better: bring in more revenue, or cut expenses.

“Is the staff too big at city hall? We’ll have to look at that. We also need to bring more businesses into Brockville to increase that revenue.”

Wylie said that, if elected, he would make a concerted effort to talk to Brockville citizens regularly and have an open-door policy.

He has been heavily involved in the community for decades, and said he believes his experience will be invaluable in his decision-making if he were to win a council seat.

“I’ve been actively involved in the community for 55 years now, and if I’ve seen a need, I have tried to fill that need,” said Wylie. “I’m not sure what the next need is going to be, but I want to be involved in the solution. I would ask people to vote for me because I am a trusted voice for this community, I love Brockville, and I believe in the people here.”

As of Thursday afternoon there were a full slate of candidates vying for the mayor’s chair and eight council positions.

There’s a two-horse race for mayor: current Coun. Cameron Wales and former Elizabethtown-Kitley councillor Tom Linton.

For council, there are three incumbents running again: Jane Fullarton, Philip Deery, and Louise Severson. There are currently nine newcomers: Randy Chase, Solange Courteau, Chris Culhane, Ida Duc, Jill Duffin, Jeremy Newman, Ian Roberts, Bianca Timmerman, and Bruce Wylie.