Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander is throwing his hat into the ring for the upcoming municipal election and will look to retain his seat as head of council for a third consecutive term.
He’s promising to prioritize fiscal fairness and emergency infrastructure if re-elected.
Ostrander, who has served as Brighton’s mayor since 2018, was the first out of the gate to formally file his papers Friday, May 1 as the nomination period officially opened for the Oct. 26 election.
In this current term, Ostrander has also served two years back-to-back as warden for Northumberland County and previously served on Brighton council from 2003 to 2006.
“We have a lot going in the municipality and I want to make sure that a bulk of it gets across the finish line,” Ostrander told Oldies, after filing his papers Friday and in response to questions around his motivation for running again.
“I love Brighton, and you know, I don’t have the monopoly on that by any stretch of the imagination, but this community deserves calm, stable leadership,” he said. “And I think that this term of council, we’ve seen this council bring that to the community.
“I’m hopeful that what we see is good people come out and run for council – and we get exactly that again.”
Ostrander’s campaign for re-election is described as a comprehensive next steps vision for Brighton, with the long-time politician vowing to balance aggressive infrastructure improvements with fiscal responsibility.
Ostrander said he feels Brighton is on the right track but has to ensure services and infrastructure don’t just keep up but lead the way.
“My goal is to ensure Brighton remains a place where families can thrive and seniors can retire with dignity and security,” he added.
Ostrander’s key pillars of his 2026 platform shared include a comprehensive fiscal review, which he told MBC would be his No. 1 priority to get started on if re-elected.
His proposal is for a deep-dive review into how services are provided and related reviews of service levels, as well as a tax balance review looking at what residents in urban and rural areas are paying and exploring potential revenue opportunities to reduce property taxes, he explained.
He shared his intention would be to do this as part of Brighton’s budget process in the first year of the new council term.
There’s also no shortage of big-ticket or infrastructure projects to tackle, he acknowledged, but noted among his main priorities are continuing with the redevelopment of the fire and ambulance station on Elizabeth and development of a new emergency sub-station south of the tracks.
The proposal for a new sub-station has been talked about since pre-amalgamation, noted Ostrander, adding this addition would also eliminate response delays during rail traffic.
“We’re going to need to move the emergency services equipment somewhere, so we might as well develop something south of the tracks, move it there temporarily while we redevelop the fire station here, and then keep it in order to house emergency services for our largest growing population, which is south of those railroad tracks.”
Tackling traffic calming and pedestrian safety with a focus on vulnerable populations will also remain on the to-do list, especially in the Elizabeth Street area following the removal of speed cameras and other community safety/school zones, he continued.
Top of mind is also economic growth and housing, with Ostrander vowing to leverage regional partnerships in Quinte and Northumberland to drive employment while completing an affordable housing plan to support first-time homeowners, working families and seniors. He’s also pledged to advance development of multi-use recreational facilities through a combination of community fundraising and private-sector sports partnerships.
During his tenure, Ostrander noted the municipality has also been navigating major multi-million-dollar upgrades like the wastewater treatment expansion and Prince Edward Street reconstruction project, as well as rail crossing safety systems and many kilometres worth of underground and above-ground infrastructure work.
“We are on the right track, but the job isn’t done. I am asking for your support to finish major projects we’ve started and to ensure Brighton’s future is as bright as its history.”
At press deadline, no other candidates had filed in Brighton, according to the municipality’s elections page online.
Ostrander filed his papers at 9:14 a.m. Friday.
You can find the list of unofficial candidates who have filed nomination paperwork with Brighton online. Certification of candidates won’t occur until 2 p.m. on Aug. 21 when nominations close.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
