Doug Naish has reoffered for mayor of Saint Andrews. (Photo submitted by Doug Naish)
Outside of the pandemic, Doug Naish said being mayor of Saint Andrews is what he expected and he’s enjoyed it “immensely.”
Naish is one of two people seeking the mayor’s seat in the upcoming municipal election on May 10.
He had to discourage daytrippers from coming to the community last April for safety reasons and believes it was the right call at the time.
“I felt very strongly that we were going to get off on the wrong foot if people kept coming here as if there were no problems,” Naish said.
Naish got “lots” of criticism from locals who disliked barricades set up on Water Street to allow businesses to open safely last summer.
“I understand that. Nobody likes change and it was inconvenient for a lot of people and somewhat of a hardship for some people that have mobility issues because we shut the parking down for several blocks to allow more pedestrian-safe avenues for people who were visiting,” Naish said.
Naish said because of the safety measures tourists showed up meaning the whole community could have a grocery store in the winter months because “the downtown was protected and the businesses survived”.
If re-elected, Naish would like to complete work on the new Saint Andrews Wellness Centre in the W.C. O’Neill Arena Complex which opened in January.
He said they want to recruit a dentist and a fitness centre provider.
Naish said federal and provincial funding has been approved to improve the town’s wharf and the design was changed a bit.
“We’ll be using the concrete pier-type system and we’ll be shoring up the Market square which is really the first part of the project,” Naish said.
Naish said he considers everyone who sits on council or in the mayor’s chair “independents” unlike other levels of government where you have a party affiliation.
