Flin Flon city council is losing its most consistent voice of opposition.
Coun. Skip Martin announced Tuesday that he will not be on the ballot in October’s civic election.
“I just think four years is enough,” said Martin. “When you’re on council there’s a lot of things on your mind all the time, and I’ve just had enough of that.”
Since joining council in 2010, Martin has grown accustomed to voting against numerous measures backed by his colleagues.
It was never about being contrarian, he said, but honest disagreement.
“I tended to look at every issue individually, I guess,” said Martin, “and make my own decision on the merits of the issue without going along with everybody else just for the sake of harmony.”
Reflecting on his term, Martin, 60, concedes he wasn’t adept at bringing his colleagues around to his way of thinking.
“A good politician, I think they have a way of convincing other people,” he said.
A bus driver by profession, Martin has spent his entire life in Flin Flon, save for five years he lived and worked in Winnipeg during the 2000s.
Uncertain plans
Back problems have put his career on hold as he goes through physiotherapy, and Martin is unsure of his post-council plans.
He does intend to stay in Flin Flon in retirement and will continue to follow local politics.
Just as he has held varying views in municipal politics, Martin says he has no strong affiliation with any provincial or federal parties.
“I just take every issue individually,” he said.
Disagreements
Throughout his term, Coun. Skip Martin has differed with his colleagues on a host of matters, including:
Special services levy: This levy, approved for 2014, has the effect of raising taxes on low-end homes and lowering them on high-end homes. Martin called it unfair and said he feared it could force vulnerable residents out of their homes.
Tax rebate: Martin this year opposed a 90 per cent rebate of the special services levy for vacant properties. Charging the tax, he said, would encourage construction on empty lots.
Water fluoridation: Martin was also alone in wanting to maintain fluoridation of the drinking water, stressing the sheer volume of health agencies that back the practice, including the World Health Organization. Fluoridation ended in mid-2011 anyway.
Hong Kong alley: Martin refused to endorse the 2013 barricading of the alleyway beside the former Hong Kong Restaurant, a move meant to address public drunkenness and other concerns. People worried about passing through the alley, he said, should just avoid doing so.
Base tax: Martin was not on board when council voted last month to lobby the Manitoba government to let municipalities implement a base property tax. He contended that a strictly assessment-based system is the most equitable way to go.
Costlier study: When council voted in 2012 to fund a study of the Flin Flon landfill, only Martin favoured the lowest bid, a move that would have saved $22,000. Other councillors argued the higher bid made more sense.
Retroactive raise: Martin agreed with a late 2011 motion to tie future council raises to the pay increases secured by city workers. But unlike his colleagues, he saw no point in making council’s raise retroactive by almost a full year.
Water meters: When Martin backed the idea of mandatory water meters for Flin Flonners last year, none of his colleagues chimed in to lend their support, including members of the previous council who voted to install meters without ever actually doing so.
