If you showed up at the Lions Club Thursday night for the deputy mayoral and mayoral debate expecting fireworks, you might have been surprised.
The evening began with deputy mayoral hopefuls Adam Bureau and Johnny Percolides going head-to-head on issues ranging from Police Board matters to downtown refurbishment discussions. Percolides began by stating that words such as “ombudsman” and “forensic investigation” did not instill confidence in voters, clearly pointing to recent public releases from Mayor Cleveland alleging financial impropriety related to Cobourg Police finances. Bureau opted to turn the questioning back to Percolides, asking what experience he brings to the table.
While both candidates challenged each other’s fitness for the position, the exchanges remained largely collegial, with a barb here and there as the debate progressed.
The main event was the debate between mayoral hopeful Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty and political newcomer and businessman Max LeMarchant. Despite Mayor Cleveland’s recent allegations of wrongdoing involving Beatty and the Police Board, the exchanges between the two remained civil as they manoeuvred their way through questions posed by moderator Tammy Browes-Bugden, with little or no apparent animosity.
Max LeMarchant was challenged on many occasions by both Beatty and Cleveland on several issues, including policing in the town. LeMarchant agreed that it is an issue that needs to be addressed by the incoming council.
On the issue of policing, Mayor Cleveland maintained his hardline stance against the idea of a “Campus of Care” for drug users and homeless people, saying smaller communities such as Cobourg should not be included in such a “normalizing” approach to the issue.
Beatty’s response to the policing issue included a plan to develop a community roundtable to address public safety concerns, with key stakeholders from the community and the province invited to participate.
All three candidates were largely in agreement on the need to protect the downtown core while maintaining the integrity of the town that has drawn so many people here for generations. Equally important, and agreed upon, were the need to maintain the waterfront and a seemingly unified opposition to high-rise structures “polluting” the skyline.
All in all, the debate was well received by most attendees and left voters with perhaps a clearer view of the people vying to become Cobourg’s next mayor and deputy mayor.
(Written By: Richard Evans)
