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Councillor Derik Brandt says goodbye

Monday night was Derik Brandt's last meeting as a municipal politician in Sault Ste. Marie. The Ward 3 Councillor announced that he'll submit his resignation later this week.
DerikBrandtLast

Monday night was Derik Brandt's last meeting as a municipal politician in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Ward 3 Councillor announced that he'll submit his resignation later this week.

Brandt (shown speaking at Monday night's meeting as MCTV's Savka Borota looks on) has accepted a new job in Thunder Bay.

There, he'll be heading that city's tourism and economic development division.

"I admire Derik because Derik believed in democracy," Ward 6 Councillor Peter Vaudry told last night's meeting.

Here's the full text of Brandt's final remarks as a councillor:

*************************************************************************** This will be my last Council meeting.

I have accepted a position to head the Tourism and Economic Development Division for the City of Thunder Bay. This my field of work and I am happy that my professional and political successes in economic development were recognized by both the headhunting firm that recruited me and the City of Thunder Bay.

I will therefore be submitting my resignation later on this week.

I would like to begin my final comments by expressing my deepest appreciation to the residents of Ward 3. When I first declared my candidacy some people told me I could not win in that ward, but I did.

When I declared my intent to seek re-election more people told me I could not win, even close friends, because I had accepted employment down-the-line.

But I did, and I owe all of that to the residents of Ward 3 who cut through the politics and decided that Council was better off with me than without.

The most humbling part was not the actual election victory, it was thinking during election day that there were people sitting at the supper table saying, "Hurry-up, we have to go vote for Derik."

Every time I think about that I realize how lucky I have been to have the strong base of support I have had in Ward 3.

I will never forget the support you gave me, as well as the support I received throughout the community.

With that support I became the youngest Councillor to sit at this desk.

I also have to mention my sincere thanks to a woman who sent me a bouquet after a particular success I had as a Councillor.

It had a horn as the centre-piece and I'll be putting it on my office desk every Christmas.

I don't want to use her name publicly, but I couldn't find her name in the phone book so I was never able to call her.

Thank you very much, it made a big difference.

Throughout my two terms I would receive phone calls or emails for no particular reason other than to say I was doing a good job. Each and every one of them was sincerely received and appreciated.

I've also received phone calls and emails since I announced I will be resigning -- I have even had a couple of people stop me on the street.

Thank you all.

This speech is difficult to give because I know there will be many disappointed by my departure.

I also feel some regret in not having been able to complete my term.

I hope, however, that people will now take the time to evaluate my five years on Council.

Being a member of Council is more than just having dreams, it is about accomplishments. And accomplishments are about teamwork.

If you can't get something passed by Council you can't blame others for a lack of teamwork, indeed it is likely that the exact opposite is true.

Teamwork isn't about leading where no one will follow, it is about winning over not just the minds but both the hearts and minds of your fellow members of Council. There is not a single accomplishment I had at Council that at least six other members of Council cannot lay claim to —- that's how Council works. During my last term then Mayor Steve Butland was instrumental in creating the call centre industry for Sault Ste. Marie, but he would never have been able to accomplish that had Council not backed him so strongly.

I want to thank Council for their support. I also want to thank them for their advice, when I was right and when I was wrong.

I'd also like to thank staff for their often thankless efforts. They are the element of success that is so often missed.

Of course, I say that as a councillor about to become staff.

I've travelled extensively across the province and can easily conclude that we have the best staff anywhere, from the very top to bottom.

Plus, based on the overwhelming push by both the last Council and this Council, every department at City Hall now has at least some economic development focus to their operations.

That's a small change that will pay big dividends to the community.

Sault Ste. Marie is a different place now than it was five years ago. The groundwork for growth has been laid and future councils will be building off of and adding to that.

City Hall is a different place now than it was five years ago.

Significant changes have been made affecting staff and Council.

You can't have good results unless you have good governance and good processes.

If you do, the results will surely follow. Based on what has happened over the last five years I believe we are on the path to recovery. There never were any easy answers, though people may have bought into dreams that portrayed that.

Over the last ten years we lost about 10,000 jobs from one single employer.

The fact that we're still here is a monument to the community's success.

More important will be the community we will become ten years from now.

The work isn't done, and Councils will continue to have to focus on economic development, but I think history will see the last five years as the turning point.

You know, there's a theoretical discussion about whether the flaps from a butterfly wing in one part of the world can create a hurricane in another part.

Well, some of Council's successes today may seem like the flaps from a butterfly wing, but the results from these changes will be even more significant ten years from now.

I'd like to end with some parting advice to whomever replaces me.

There are two key ingredients that a people need from their politicians: integrity and courage.

And you need both! Having one without the other is a bit like having a vehicle without fuel.

People can judge me as right or wrong on any issue, and that will not bother me. I hope, however, that I have always been a councillor of integrity and courage.

I know I tried.

*************************************************************************** Brandt says he'll continue to follow the news on SooToday.com

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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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