Tony Brecknock at the doorstep and at high traffic intersections maintaining the city's strength is in its communities

By Pepper Parr

September 6^th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

Tony Brecknock is energetic; an entrepreneur who works in television production and direct marketing and wants to sit on city council.

He has a view of the city that we don’t hear expressed the way Brecknock does very often.  Brecknock believes that the city’s strength is in  it’s communities and he wants to focus on the communities that make up ward 4 and do what he can for the rest of the city.

Life long resident of the city, active in community sports, Brecknock is now ready to move into local politics – want the ward 4 seat at council.

Brecknock, like all of the candidates we have interviewed so far, has little to say about the Regional level of government.  The planning and construction of critical infrastructure is done at that level along with the setting up of social services that apply to all the municipalities – it is not a level of government to be ignored.

Brecknock has worked with the three main political parties in some fashion.  It isn’t clear just where his political philosophy landed.  During the last provincial election he worked with the New Democrats – helping out in their campaign office.

Born on the kitchen table in a mining village in the north of England where coal was King – he was in Canada before he was six months old.  His father, a coal miner, decided that it was in their best interest to leave. ‘

‘There was no opportunity for advancement and, as he once told me, “There was no way my son was going down that coal pit”. He packed us all up and as the saying goes, with only the shirts on our backs (like so many others) we emigrated to Canada searching for a better life.

As time went on they prospered. The children all graduated from post-secondary and started their own adventures from a better position than where their parents started.

His focus is on community where he believes Councillors have to spend more time listening and engaging people.

He said: “On a municipal level I believe 80 percent of all conversations at council should be about the people, my neighbours, and what’s important to them in their day to day lives.”

He asks people:” What makes Burlington so great?, we don’t have minerals under the ground, we don’t have a foundry or heavy industry at the lake and we aren’t a university town. So what makes us such a desirable place to live?

Along with knocking on doors part of the Brecknock strategy is to station himself at an intersection at 8:00 am and wave to the passing traffic with his supporters on the four corners holding his election sign.

“The answer is it’s our neighbourhoods, it’s the people, our livability, our parks and green spaces, it’s you and me. That is our superpower and in order to make things the best they can be it falls on our officials to be looking, participating and seeing what the residents see. Answering questions – hopefully before the questions are asked! Simply put, I want to put the service back in Public Servant.”

His first decision when he decided to run for office was to get out and meet with people.  He also made a point of meeting with the incumbent.

Brecknock learned that Traffic and transportation are the issues he hears most about at the door.

He believes that if the city takes the position that “we can get you there” using public transit and then follows through on that statement a lot of the traffic grid lock problems can be solved.

Those two issues are followed up with intensification and affordable housing.

Speeding on the streets of the city really gets to Brecknock – he wants to see traffic light synchronization in place maintaining that it works in other cities – no reason why it cannot work here.

Should Brecknock make it to city hall – get ready for a different kind of Councillor.  Long drawn out discussion on an issue isn’t his style.  His approach is going to be to hire the best consultants they can find and listen to what they have to say and then get on with the job of delivering.

There is a directness in Brecknock that might take a little getting used to – but he means business when that thumb goes up.

Tony Brecknock has been in the private sector all his life – he knows what it takes to make a profit and he wants to be part of a change he thinks is badly needed at city hall – both at the Council level and the administration level.

He was an active participant in the fight to keep to ensure that the students at Lester B. Pearson found the home they needed at BB WHAT when the trustees had taken their direction from Staff to close the school.

Brecknock was not at the front of that parade – at that time he was more of a behind the scenes operator, listening and learning.

“I want to defend, maintain and protect my neighbourhood, and make sure that as we progress forward it is in a way that benefits the next generation, just as we did.”

Elections are seldom predictable.  There are three new candidate and an incumbent running for re-election – this is going to be a race to watch.