Your Councillor at Large
The beginning
I started to get deeply involved in city politics because of housing. Living in the south end at the time, a group of friends and neighbours started dreaming about how to overcome the blight of rundown housing that existed there. We knew it was detering investment, poverty aleviation strategy, and livability in our city.
Brent with Harry Forestell on CBC News at 6 in front of 96 Victoria St
we worked hard to take action
With no outside funding except what we could borrow or fundraise, our community established a center where everyday people could borrow tools and take classes to fix up their homes. This invigorated our immaginations about what we could accomplish and since then we’ve seen countless people impacted by the Saint John Tool Library.
My family
I come from Blacks Harbour originally where my mother and father both served as village councillors and were lifetime members of the Kinsmen and Kinnettes movement. Community work and engagement is in my blood. Now I’m married and have children of my own (wife Cassie, daughter Selah, son Jubal, and son Jedidiah) who I want to inspire. My wife is an outspoken advocate in the area for midwifery care and women’s health and I have continued to work on the housing portfolio to develop alternative policies, new initiatives, and advocate for those who need safe housing.
Familiar with the issues
Having run for the MLA’s seat in Saint John Harbour and finishing in 2nd place with 23% of the vote taught me a lot about politics and the issues that everyday people struggle with. I had the privledge of having a big team of companions to run with me and support me and I believe this has prepared me to represent a different and unique perspective on city council. As your Councillor at Large I will work hard, return your calls, and push for thoughtful policy improvements and reform to help our city continue to plot a new and better course; for those who need it the most.
Passionate. Committed
I have learned how to pull big things off with only a little to work with. That’s because I’ve got a passion and commitment to Saint John which drives me to work hard and continue to show up to work for change and improvement in Saint John. With a strong work ethic and real-world experience in rallying the community to work for change, I look forward to being the champion for change and action that Saint John’ers are asking for
The working class need results.
I don’t come from money. I don’t have a large family network in Saint John but since 2016 I’ve been building a family and community while swinging a hammer to provide. We have seen politics take a turn for the worse in the past decade. I believe the reason so many of us choose not to participate or vote is that there are too few people that look like us in government. There are too few people who have had to go through the hardship of a reno-viction, had to use a foodbank, had to rely on neighbors when times were hard and had to fight for everything they have. I’ve spent years getting to know the needs of our community, the issues affecting city hall, and trying to understand how we can solve the problems affecting us. The next generation of politicians can’t be the polished or wealthy, they must be fighters and they must be leaders.
