It’s a decision sure to catch many city boosters off guard.
Earlier this morning (Wednesday) Earl Taylor announced he is stepping down as the long-time chair of the Downtown Development Board in St. Thomas.
For years, Taylor was an outspoken promoter of the city’s downtown core.
From events throughout the year like Nostalgia Nights and the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony to the Downtown Dollars promotion, Taylor strived to keep downtown businesses front and centre in spite of a pandemic and the lengthy reconstruction of Talbot Street.
It’s a move not taken lightly, stressed Taylor, but he added the new board of directors have matters well in hand.
Taylor was unsuccessful in his bid to win a seat on city council during the 2022 municipal election and he said it is not likely he will take another run at municipal politics.
He has been a realtor since 1993 and has served on the city’s Municipal Heritage and Special Events committees.
Taylor prefers to call his decision a slow down in his life to allow him to devote more time to his personal life. However he has many causes he will continue to champion.
In 2021, Taylor garnered support from city council to make downtown courtesy crosswalks more pedestrian-friendly.
The impact of his letter to members of council urging them to consider installing a signalled crosswalk at all current crosswalks can be seen today in the downtown core.
myFM asked Taylor on his assessment of the health of the downtown core.
He praised the resilience of downtown merchants over the difficult past few years.
