Kévin Maurice wants to be the next mayor of Brownsburg-Chatham. On Friday, August 20, he announced his plans to run for the position in the municipal election on November 7.
Maurice’s announcement means there are now three candidates for mayor in Brownsburg-Chatham. Incumbent Mayor Catherine Trickey is seeking another term and is also being challenged by Councillor Gilles Galarneau. Maurice, a life-long resident of Brownsburg, was elected to council in 2017.
At 27 years old, Maurice, who has two young children and another on the way, believes he can bring a younger, family-oriented perspective to municipal leadership.
“I think I can bring something else.”
Maurice has four priorities he wants to focus on if elected mayor. One is to improve public safety through targeting vandalism in public areas and efforts to improve road safety. The second priority is to continue support of the municipal campground and arena, because of the economic and social value it adds to the town.
The third priority is promoting agriculture and local business. Maurice said he has invested his own funds to develop a community bazaar in the centre of Brownsburg, which will include a laundromat and hair salon.
“I want to help these people. I want my town to help people,” said Maurice.
The fourth priority is what Maurice described as intelligent development. He said more thought needs to be given to where certain types of projects are built. He identified the St-Philippe Est/Whisseltown area as one which should be the focus for further development. Maurice said housing and agriculture should be the emphasis for development in the southern part of Brownsburg-Chatham and recreation and tourism should be the focus for the northern part of the municipality.
“That’s a good value, to have both in the same town.”
According to Maurice, his administration would reform and improve municipal communication. He said poor communication from the municipality has led to a lot of confusion and dissatisfaction among residents who may not be getting their news from reliable sources. Maurice said incumbent Mayor Catherine Trickey has created a lot of opposition in the community, which has led to municipal employees and other councillors unfairly being given a poor reputation because of their affiliation with the municipality.
Maurice wants to reopen consultations with citizens on the controversial Place du citoyen project proposed for the centre of Brownsburg. He said the public should be asked if they still want it or if they want something else instead. The current proposal is for a combination community centre, meeting, and recreation space. Maurice said the project should also be reconsidered due to increases in the cost of building materials.
“People want something in Brownsburg, they just still don’t know what they want. I want people to know why we’re making decisions.”
