Having spent more than 30 years in municipal governance, Councillor Richard Carpenter reflected on what it means to represent the people of Brantford.
The long-time Ward 4 representative first got his start in politics on the Brantford Public Utilities Commission (PUC) back in 1990. The governing body used to oversee the City’s hydro, water and transportation services.
With 15 years of experience as a Canada Post letter carrier and service on multiple committees, Carpenter had become increasingly motivated to make a difference in his community on a larger scale.
“When I started at the post office, the first thing I did was get on every committee they had. I joined the Civil Service Credit Union and was on that board helping manage the borrowing of money amongst the civil servants,” he recalled. “I’d been watching the council meetings and because I was familiar with the rules of order, or at least the procedures, I said to myself, ‘I think I can do that.’ So that motivated me to look into some kind of politics, or some place where I could make a difference in what was going on in the city, and I decided to run for a spot on the PUC. It was something I could do, and it didn’t take up a lot of my time, plus I later found out it paid a little bit of money and so that helped pay for things like Christmas. Eventually I became the chair in 1993.”
Carpenter said that once he saw that the province was going to start eliminating the PUC, he began considering a run for City Council.
“I wanted to still have a say about how water, transit and hydro worked because I was already invested in it and how it should be run,” he said. “Rina Colaiacovo [a former Ward 4 councillor], she was the inspiration behind me running. When she said ‘you’d be a good councillor,’ that was a big boost for me, because she was on Council and had served two terms.”
After campaigning door to door and receiving assistance from his mother, family and friends with phone calls and putting up signs, Carpenter was elected to represent Ward 4 alongside Andy Woodburn in 1994.
The councillor said his job at the post office, which he got when he was just 17, helped him establish connections within the community.
“I worked at Canada Post for 37 years. People would offer me different jobs along the way but I liked the people,” he said. “I could have worked inside sorting mail, it probably would have been easier on my legs, or taken a supervisor role a few times, but I just loved the people you would meet when you were out walking the route.”
It was those daily interactions with people, and his appreciation for their perspective, that helped shape him into a better councillor, he said.
“For me, the post office was perfect for Council because we would make a decision, and then I would be in the mail room sorting mail in the boxes, and people would come down, and they would say, ‘I saw the meeting last night, why did that happen?’” continued Carpenter. “I would get a public opinion poll every day. It was great because before anything got passed at Council, I got some sober second thoughts and some pretty good advice. It helped me make good decisions, really. I’ve learned a lot from people. I’m a people watcher and a listener, and so I just loved delivering the mail to people because I got to talk to everybody on the route and get their perspective.”
The job at the post office also allowed him the flexibility to spend time with his wife and children, keep an eye out for the people in different neighbourhoods, participate in different organizations, and learn more about the meaning of democracy.
“After World War Two, people would go and get jobs at the post office so I worked with a lot of veterans and heard a lot of their stories,” he said. “I acquired a huge respect for veterans and for what democracy means because they fought for that. I believe in democracy and so that’s why I work for the people, not for the politicians.”
Carpenter said listening to the constituents, being honest with them and prioritizing transparency, is what his job on Council is all about. It’s what he strives to do everyday.
“Most people don’t want a lot, they just want their government to listen to them. They want to know that they’ve been acknowledged and responded to. That’s what keeps me passionate, getting things done for people and their appreciation for that effort,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a broken sidewalk, a bus stop that’s too far away or something as simple as a stop sign; those little things that seem small to other people, could be a gigantic thing for them, and so when you help them, they’re so thankful. If at the end of the day you’ve listened to what they said, and you’ve done your best to fix it, even if you couldn’t, then you’re doing the job.”
“People also want honesty. Sometimes I would talk to people and I would completely disagree with them, and I would tell them, ‘I can’t do that, I don’t agree with that.’ But at the end of the day, they would vote for me because even though I may have disagreed with them, I told them the truth and they appreciated that,” continued Carpenter. “I got into politics knowing I wanted to be an honest politician. I told myself, ‘I’m not going to be like what everybody says about politicians, that they’re crooked or that they’re there for themselves’ I didn’t want that. It’s been 35 years, and I think I still have that reputation. I’m not perfect, but you’ve just got to do the right thing… it’s not that hard. But being honest is more tiring than being dishonest because it’s a lot more work. That’s why I don’t like in-camera meetings. I don’t think what councillors say in camera should be a secret ever.”
Carpenter said his favourite thing about municipal politics is that he gets to be at the grass roots level and meet passionate people in the community along the way.
“When you’re a councillor, you’re part of the community and there’s nothing better than that. I care about my constituents, and they care about me…they worry about me too. It really is a blessing. The money’s got nothing to do with it, they could pay me nothing and I would still do it,” Carpenter explained. “I’m so privileged to have met, and that I continue to meet, so many people that are doing so much for their own community and are leaders in their own way. All of the volunteers and all of the organizations, whether it be the Rotary Club or the Kiwanis Club, they’re so passionate about what they do. They make this community so vibrant, they give it life. If I wasn’t a City councillor, I probably would never have known that they even existed because they wouldn’t be part of my daily life so I’m grateful for that.”
To learn more about Councillor Carpenter’s accomplishments, the tough decisions he’s had to make and the ever-changing political landscape in Brantford, check out part two of our feature story, “Representing the people of Brantford for over three decades.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
