Tilley to be back on the ballot in Ward 3

By Craig Westcott

Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley says he will seek re-election to CBS council this fall.
“I’m going to give it another try,” said Tilley, who works with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services. “There’s still work that needs to be done, and I still think it’s my calling to help the community wherever I can.”
If re-elected, it will be the Kelligrews resident’s fourth term on council. He’s only lost one election. That was back in 2009 by a mere 20 votes, to Ken McDonald, a former councillor who was making a political comeback that led to his becoming mayor and eventually the Liberal MP for Avalon riding. 
“I’ve been on the ballot since 2001 and I’ve seen a lot of things change over the years,” Tilley said. “But I still think I have something to offer the residents and I look forward to their continued support. I did toy with the idea of running at-large, but I’m quite content with representing the Kelligrews to Foxtrap area.”
Representing a ward enables him to take a deeper focus on the issues in that area, he said, while still allowing him to have a say on issues throughout the town. “I’ve got my finger on the pulse of just about everything, because I attend a lot of events and one of the key things with me is that when people reach out to me, I reach out back,” said Tilley. “They may not always like their answer, but that’s part of the jobs as well. The key is to speak for individuals regarding their issue and get back to them whether the answer is positive or negative. At least you’ve tried to get something done on their behalf.”
Tilley said he’s happy with what council achieved the past four years, especially the decision coming out of the Town’s master recreation and culture plan to build a new rec centre. A $16 million dome structure is expected to be erected at a site on Legion Road by next year.
“I’m glad to see that’s coming to fruition,” said Tilley. “We got some great funding from the provincial government. And while we did look at the feasibility of a swimming pool combination, the money is just not there to develop both right now. But the new recreation centre could eventually entail a new swimming pool. Whether that will ever happen, I guess that remains to be seen years down the road.”
Tilley also cited the Town’s streets upgrading and paving program as an achievement, the extension of sidewalks in school zones, and the community park in Long Pond.
“There’s a tonne of things we’ve done that have already made the town better than what it was four years ago,” Tilley said. “The group of individuals we have on council now have been great. It’s a diverse group, and if all the folks make the decision to run again, I’d certainly like to have them around the table again.”
One thing Tilley would like to see get more attention is water and sewer installation. It has become extremely expensive since Covid, he pointed out.
“Unfortunately, this year we didn’t receive a municipal operating grant from the provincial government so that sort of stalled us for this year,” he said. 
“And I know everyone wants lower taxes,” Tilley added. “I think for a town our size we do have a relatively low property tax rate, and I’ll certainly advocate to keep that where it is.”