These two candidates have very little in common – one difference is that Johnny is not planning a web site although Brian Darling only recently put his online. Johnny had previously run in 2014 and 2018 but was not elected and Brian has been a councillor since 2014. Johnny is a Real Estate Broker and Brian is a retired Fire Department Captain. Johnny is relying on Facebook and his “Meet and Greet” sessions while Brian’s campaign is more traditional. There’s not a lot of information available on what Johnny would do as a councillor while Brian is letting us know what his “Areas of Focus” are – see summary below. Like other candidates, Brian stresses being fiscally responsible and engaging with the public.
Johnny Percolides Campaign (from Facebook)
- Slogan: Putting the Good in Cobourg’s Feel Good Town
- Meet and Greet Session at The Little Vino Bar Boutique 148 King West on Sept 15
- Four years ago some great ideas were talked about during the election campaign. Some great ideas to help the downtown area, some great ideas to help with the downtown parking issues, some great ideas to help the homeless, some great ideas to help with affordable housing and some great ideas in general to promote Cobourg to the business community …. four years later some great ideas are being talked about….again! Enough talking, isn’t it about time for some action?
- “I alone cannot change the world – but together we can” – get out and vote
- Who is Johnny Percolides? He’s a local real estate broker, he’s a husband, he’s a father, he’s a friend to many. Born and raised in Montreal, he speaks three languages English, French and Greek. He has lived in Toronto for many years before falling in love with Cobourg and moving here in 2008. He’s running for Cobourg Council again … he ran in 2018 and in 2014. His motto is if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. He’s been interested in the politics of Cobourg for many years now.
- I care about helping to revive our downtown area to a place that everyone is proud of. I care about helping manage the tax payer’s funds in a responsible and fair way. I care about keeping our Town clean and safe for everyone. I care about promoting our Town to the outside business community so they can come and invest here and create opportunities here. I care about working as a team at Cobourg Council for the residents of Cobourg. I will not promise you that I will do things that are completely out of the Municipal level of governments control. I will do everything that I can to make sure the higher levels of government respect us and assist us in making Cobourg the Town we all want it to be.
Brian Darling’s Campaign
Bio (highlights)
- Brian has two loves, his family and the Town of Cobourg
- Born and raised in Cobourg
- Worked in Construction before joining Fire Department – retired in 2012
- Has had significant volunteer activity and experience
Areas of Focus (Summary)
If elected to Town of Cobourg Council, Brian will commit to:
- STRIVING for efficient and effective governance and use of taxpayer resources in a fiscally responsible manner. Commits to working with his fellow Councillors to keep a tight rein on escalating costs.
- EMPLOYING strategic investments in infrastructure and aligning with the Town’s Asset Management Plans. A well thought-out Asset Management Plan along with a sound Financial Plan will provide a solid foundation to support major infrastructure repairs and upgrades well into the future.
- ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC, in particular on significant projects and land-use development initiatives. Promoting more open houses to keep the public informed on proposed projects and developments. Working with developers and the public to speed up the process for building more affordable housing.
- PROMOTING improvements to the integrated multi-path bike and walking system. Brian will continue to work with The Bicycle Action Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee to develop new paths. (Details on achievements to date on web page)
- SUPPORTING the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. Brian will continue to work with Sustainable Cobourg in their efforts to educate Cobourg citizens about the climate emergency we are facing. This initiative will involve Brian working with staff to find the most effective and efficient means of introducing Electric Vehicles into the Town’s vehicle fleet.
Since Brian has been a councillor for 8 years, people who have been following Council will no doubt decide if Brian should be re-elected based on their opinion as to his performance.
A list of Meet the Candidates opportunities (currently 2) is on my Cobourg Internet Municipal Election page – link below. The next one is September 29.
Resources
- Cobourg Internet Municipal Election page – How to vote, election history and candidate info. Updated regularly
- Johnny Percolides Facebook page
- Brian Darling Web site
Print Article:
The Peoples Republic of Poetry gave a proposal to Councilors Adam Bureau and Nicole Beatty. COBOURG OF ALL THINGS: CURB YOUR DOGGEREL (cobourgtown.blogspot.com)
Being on town council is not and should not be a career but a chance to contribute to the betterment of our town. Whether it is another four year or eight year term, step aside and give someone else a chance to bring fresh new ideas.
I faithfully watch council meetings and can see who supports who and who certainly is not an independent thinker.
I disagree. You need some long term experience on Council, along with new ideas, to work together. For instance, I was a Condo Board member for 11 years in another province and 6 years here, last year a new owner decided I was not fit and he was elected, that caused a “boat load” of mistakes and cost us money.
Tucker,
So what were the other condo board members doing? One vote shouldn’t make that much difference. A major difference between a condo board and a town council is that the condo board is very often directly involved in operations, directing and managing the property manager and contractors.
If a councillor has been constantly contributing to a discussion is one thing but not doing so after four years does not deserve another term. Unfortunately name recognition might get a vote over performance and I am not only referring to Mr Darling.
“should not be a career but a chance to contribute to the betterment of our town. … step aside and give someone else a chance to bring fresh new ideas.”
I prefer that the electorate decide how many terms an incumbent can serve based on the merits of the incumbent. If someone else has “fresh new ideas” then it will be the electorate that decides on the merits of the fresh new ideas.
I agree. If after 2 terms you have not achieved your goal, you probably never will. If you have acheived them, then you have nothing more to contribute, and let someone else take over.
could council and the public entertain changing the name “the feel good town” to something – dont know what that something would be – but the present name is a bit laughable
While I more or less agree that “feel good town” isn’t perfect (although I wouldn’t call it laughable) I think they should keep it as it is. Changing it would be an unnecessary expense for very little gain.
What expense is involved in dropping it?
How about the other one… “the undiscovered gem (jewel ?) on Lake Ontario” ?
It has definitely been “discovered” several years ago under ex -mayor Delanty’s direction I understand, and has more than been “discovered” !!
How about “Cobourg On The Lake”.
Why does it need anything ?
It is so well known now that it needs no advertisement to encourage even more crowds to take the beach over.
Boring and witless.
I think “Cooler Near the Lake” would be an improvement.
There’s a fair amount of signage around town that uses the slogan, and I believe on the 401 as well. Then I assume it’s also present on business cards and other printed matter in use by the town, like brochures and whatnot. And the website would need updating as well.
There could well be some other costs I’m overlooking, but those are the ones from the top of my head.
Given that Cobourg was recently visited by the Parliamentary Poet Laureate of Canada and the Ontario Poet Laureate, as well as the Brighton Poet Laureate, the Cobourg Poet Laureate, the Cobourg Poet Laureate Emeritus, and given that the Deputy Mayor of Cobourg, and two current Cobourg Town Councilors and one former Town Councilor who is a candidate again, joined the world’s first ‘poetry parade’ down the main street to gift Cobourg’s independent bookstore, Let’s Talk Books, with the world’s first Picnic Table Anthology, a legacy project for the Town of Cobourg. https://youtu.be/6kNzh1x4QSY
The Peoples Republic of Poetry proposes “COBOURG, Canada’s Poem Town”.
I have questions about Johnny Percolides run for a councillor position. At the all candidates’ meeting last election, he appeared unprepared: wonder if he puts his name out as free publicity for his real estate business?
Hello Maggie, I can totally appreciate your concerns. I can understand you thinking I was unprepared because I don’t do smoke and mirror politics…I won’t tell you that I will solve the homelessness issues, solve the affordable housing issues, solve the environment issues or solve the drug addictions…these are global issues that no country has been able to solve for decades and Cobourg being a lower tier Municipality certainly can’t do it alone! I know we had candidates 4 years ago promising this and they won…I didn’t see them solve those issues! Let me be clear that I do not need any advertising in Cobourg, not even FREE advertising. I am a licensed Real Estate Broker for Ontario and Quebec and thankfully I provide for my family the best I can. I have bench advertising, I do local radio advertising in town that I pay for that does a good job of advertising my real estate business. The reason I keep running is because I care and want to see some improvements to the way our Town is managed. The last 12 years we have seen the staff payroll balloon, parking issues totally mismanaged, our downtown has turned into a place where I am nervous to let my teenage kids go to after supper alone, the garbage at the parks and the beach is usually overflowing and I can go on…So what will I do or say to you in my campaign? That I will be transparent in any decisions with the public’s best interest, I will do my best to manage the tax payer’s funds in a fair way for everyone, I will work hard at making it uncomfortable for the people downtown and all over our town who want to do bad things that affect us all….I would like to see the Cobourg Police out and about downtown sometimes specifically at King and Division. I would like to see our road safety improved because that’s what Municipal government can and should do. We really need to have a 4 way stop at the intersection of University and D’arcy, it is a very busy intersection in a school zone. Has anyone tried to cross there in the morning rush hour or afternoon when school is out? The poor kids don’t even have a crossing guard ! So yes I do campaigning a little different, I don’t lie….maybe I can do a better job of campaigning and thank you for the motivation. It would be a pleasure to meet with you at your convenience to discuss any of your concerns about me….289-251-4907
There’s a few people who are purposely trying to sabotage some campaigns for the benefit of their chosen candidate and that wrong.
“I don’t lie…”
“There’s a few people who are purposely trying to sabotage some campaigns for the benefit of their chosen candidate and that wrong.”
Would please elaborate on these remarks or else some people, including me, might think you might have an axe to grind!
Hello Ben, I do not have an axe to grind. The Town sent out a message that some election signs were being vandalized and that it’s illegal to do so. Some of mine were as well. Now it’s possible the bored teenage kids were just having some fun.
Well said Johnny. Your thoughts are refreshing and a change is good and protecting our down town area is very important.
Wally,
Interesting idea.
My concern is that Cobourg would fall short of visitor expectations.
Do any noted Canadian poets live here?
Were any notable poems written here?
What should a visitor to “Canada’s Poem Town” expect to see and experience?
When I am finished here, it will be regarded as Cobourg’s poem town. Poets across Canada know about this Town already. For several years it was visited by Canada’s published poets every month thanks to the hard work of James Pickersgill of Cobourg Poetry Workshop, which won a civic award a few years back.
The Picnic Table Anthology displays poems from well-established poets from across Canada. Next April (poetry month) the Town will receive a proposal for TREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, a Shakespearean Sonnet composed of living trees. This will be another world first. BTW, it won’t cost the Town a cent.
Also in the works is a proposal that Cobourg park benches be etched with poems from the best poets in the world. BTW, it won’t cost the Town a cent. As the benches accumulate, Cobourg will benefit from literate visitors, and students of literature will visit Cobourg for this inspirational experience. A better class of tourist than beachers, dontcha think?
Poetry raises the stanza of living. And it won’t cost a cent. That is the best part.
I will point out that Cobourg’s idea of culture is painting rainbows on crosswalks and dishonouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by painting the seven feathers on a crosswalk to facilitate dirty tires running over it daily. It was a gross act of virtue signaling resulting in the expense of painting twice a year. The proposals of the Peoples Republic of Poetry are at no cost to the Town. Get it?
Archibald Lampman FRSC (17 November 1861 – 10 February 1899) was a Canadian poet.
“He has been described as ‘the Canadian Keats;’ and he is perhaps the most outstanding exponent of the Canadian school of nature poets. Lampman is classed as one of Canada’s Confederation Poets…”
Lampman attended Cobourg Collegiate, followed by Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, and then Trinity College in Toronto.” — Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Lampman
“The Lampmans lived on the south side of King St. in Cobourg, where Lampman Sr. accepted a position as curate at St Peter’s Church. They lived across the street from the church, in a tall, narrow red-brick house with its back to the lake.”
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/lampman_archibald_12E.html
One of my all-time favourite quotes – particularly apt, perhaps, for this last day of summer 2022:
“April is spent, and summer soon shall go
Swift as a shadow o’er the heads of men,
And autumn, with the painted leaves, and then…”
— Archibald Lampman: The Passing of Spring
(Wally: you do some of us here a grave injustice with your abusive epithets. I, for one, can quote poetry longer than you would have the patience to listen to it. I think an apology is in order).
You won’t get an apology from me, because I have more than enough patience to listen to you recite the poetry of others. However, I do appreciate your appreciation of poetry.
“My bones, my blood, my body,
all are sensitive, the world sensitive,
everything that touches me, I touch.”
JimT,
Thanks for this.
An example of Cobourg’s contribution to poetry. This is what I expected from Wally
“Do any noted Canadian poets live here?”
Yes. Stuart Ross, Stuart Ross – Wikipedia
Just one, that I bet only a handful of Cobourg people know about him, largely because Cobourg people are low level literates for the most part.
Richard Greene, is a Governor-General’s Award for Excellence in Poetry who lived and composed here for many years. Richard Greene (writer) – Wikipedia
Three years ago at the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, Words on a Wire, our Town Crier channeled Susanna Moodie, who stepped onto Cobourg’s Pier in 1832, and is well-known as a poet and author. Internationall-recognized poet, Margaret Atwood spotlighted her in her breakthrough book about Moodie
And there is Archibald Lampman who, “has been described as ‘the Canadian Keats’ and he is perhaps the most outstanding exponent of the Canadian school of nature poets.”[1] The Canadian Encyclopedia says that he is “generally considered the finest of Canada‘s late 19th-century poets in English.”[2]
Cobourg residents are abysmally ignorant of the literary history of their poem town. Schools are too busy indoctrinating students with wokism. They are largely, culturally illiterate and their prime concern are the nickels and dimes of money, and they are so stupid that they thumb down free culture.
“Were any notable poems written here?”
Yes. I provided their names and web sites so go look at them, read some poems, get enriched. It costs nothing other than a few moments of your time. It will raise you up from the depths of mediocrity, blandness, and boredom.
Wally: is that possibly the longest single sentence you’ve ever posted here?
Just wondering.
Possible. It wouldn’t be the first time. Behold this gem: POETENCY & APOETASY: Standing For Free Speech for Salman Rushdie
Cobourg is governed by politicians. Culture is created by poeticians.
Btw I was into Lampman in my youth. I’d lay odds that the vast majority of Cobourg residents haven’t a clue who Lampman is, and couldn’t care less.
“it’s no use trying to pretend that mostpeople and ourselves are alike. Mostpeople have less in common with ourselves than thesquarerootofminusone. You and I are human beings; mostpeople are snobs.”– e e cummings