Joe Docherty Jr. ran for a seat on council in 2022 and finished 11th in a 16-candidate race with 2,140 votes.
He’s following in the footsteps of his father, Joe Docherty, who last ran for city council in 2010.
We asked him what prompted the decision to come back and say, “Hey, I’m going to give this another shot.”
“It’s something that I love about the city, and it’s something that I want to do. I want to support the city in any way that I can. And I think being on council is the best way for me to do it.”
A case of like father, like son.
“My father is a very passionate person about the City of St. Thomas. His ideas have always been to help with the city’s growth, and I’m pretty well along the same lines as that.”
So, let’s delve into the key issues.
“Well, as in 2022, when I ran, one of the things that I was campaigning on was transparency. I found that there were a lot of people who were out there when I was canvassing who didn’t really know a lot about what was going on. And it didn’t mean the council wasn’t doing anything to highlight what their achievements were or what was going on in the day-to-day operations of council.
“People just didn’t know what was going on. So, continuing in that line, I want to make sure that people are aware of what’s going on with council. For the last year, I’ve been in the gallery at the majority of the council meetings. If I’m not in the gallery, then I’m on virtually.
“Wanting to keep my ear to the ground, if you will, as to what’s going on. And when I’ve talked to people in the community, when they’ve talked about what the issues are, I try to say, well, this is what they’re doing.
“I want to make sure that the transparency is still there. I think in the last four years, council has also been active with growth. And it’s because the city has invested time to entice businesses to come to St. Thomas.”
“We’ve got to keep it going. I’d say, let’s use the term ‘on track’ because of St. Thomas, but I think we need to maintain that.
And Docherty noted he is impressed with the way the city is dealing with homelessness and homeless individuals.
Docherty continued, “The St. Thomas Police Service has a satellite office in downtown St. Thomas. I believe they have 10 community officers. They have two CMHA individuals plus a nurse who are out there in the community.
“They also have a community officer who is proactive in the community going around and seeing where the needs are for certain things and then trying to implement it before it becomes an issue.
“I think St. Thomas is taking an approach of trying to tackle it from all angles.”
Docherty stressed the city has to be prepared for the increase in population that is imminent.
And then there is the infrastructure deficit, reminded Docherty.
“You have to invest in the future of infrastructure, whether it’s talking about the sewage, the water treatment, roads, public services, transportation. You have to deal with it now, but you have to deal with it now by planning for the future.”
He has brought together his campaign team from 2022 and door-knocking will be part of the overall strategy.
“I’ll be on social media a lot as well. In 2022, I had a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. I was trying to make sure that all generations had access to me.
“Getting out there and going to the communities where young people frequent, staying public, not relying on just doing door-to-door, but being out there with social media, any type of format that gets you out there in front of them.
“And they need to realize, because I’m no longer a youth myself, they need to realize that what we’re dealing with now is going to affect them down the road. So it’s really important for the youth to make their thoughts known so the people who are running know what it is that they are after.”
Docherty has always been active in the community.
“But as a council member, I will make sure that those who are responsible and need to be held accountable, they are the people to talk to.”
He is on the Municipal Accessibility Committee at city hall, and has been involved with the CASO station, the North America Railway Hall of Fame, the Elgin County Railway Museum and Crimestoppers.
“I’m part of the Railway City Music and Arts Festival. I’m a director in a charity called Railway City Angel Gowns, an organization that prepares burial gowns for premature babies and young children.
“And I’m part of the St. Thomas slow-pitch community. I’m an advisor for the league now. I was the president for about seven years.”
“And also remember that the municipal government can only do so much. The federal government, provincial government, they do things. The municipal government is the boots on the ground. They’re the ones that are in the face of the people all the time.
“And a lot of the time they get the brunt of the negativity, but a lot of the time it’s not them. But as a council member, I will make sure that those who are responsible and need to be held accountable, they are the people to talk to.”
In a nutshell, Docherty says it is all about “maintaining transparency, keeping the heritage of St. Thomas visible, but planning for the future.”
Written by Ian McCallum
