Councillor Byron Faretis recently and suddenly passed away, and it’s a big loss to our community. There’s been a lot of other things going on that I’ll blog about eventually, but today I’d like to reflect on the impact Byron had on our council, and on me personally.
When I first heard about Byron’s nomination for council, early in the 2022 campaign, I didn’t know anything about him. But his increasing presence around town, at least in the form of lawn signs, showed me that he was a serious candidate who was campaigning hard. Especially because the campaign that year had been particularly contentious, I thought I needed to get to know him a bit, so I reached out and we went out for coffee. I’m so glad that I did.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting when I met him that first time. I know that I was trying to keep an open mind, and that I wanted to give him a chance to show me who he was, rather than let the online rumour mill paint him in any way. (The rumour mill at that time didn’t paint any of us favourably, depending on where you were looking. I hope we never have an election campaign that toxic in this community again.) By the time I left our meeting, my overwhelming impression of Byron was that this was someone I could work with, despite our differences. And that proved to be absolutely true.
One of the first things we did as councillors, early in 2023, was attend the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference. Byron and I carpooled to Toronto: one thing that was constant throughout our friendship is that he always offered me a ride. We spent much of the time at the conference together, sharing meals and notes, learning the ropes of council together.
It was clear early on that we had our differences. On the drive to and from ROMA we argued about the viability of electric vehicles: Byron was a self-styled “car guy”, and was skeptical about EVs in general, while I tend to see cars as a necessary evil and have been a vocal supporter of converting our municipal fleet to EVs. Over the past two years we sent each other a lot of articles on the subject, and while I don’t know that either of us changed our position much on the whole, we found common ground on the practical matter of where and when to install EV charging stations (which is underway).
I also learned very clearly on that drive that Byron had an eye for detail. I tend to be a big-picture thinker, but I remember being on the Don Valley Parkway and having Byron quoting from a dense document, by page and paragraph numbers, from memory, while driving. He read every staff report, even the dense technical ones, with a magnifying glass, looking for any fine detail that might bring clarity or help spot an opportunity for improving the financial situation of the municipality. That eye for detail was extremely helpful, particularly in complex matters such as our wastewater system design, because I could rely on Byron to ask questions about things that I hadn’t even thought of. He was reliable in every respect, and I enjoyed being on the Accessibility Advisory Committee with him. He was also tenacious: once he’d dug into an issue he wouldn’t let it slip away, no matter how many times he had to bring it up again.
Byron definitely had a financial orientation, always looking for new revenues or efficiencies. That led him to champion two programs that officially started this year, though have not yet ramped up: our Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) system, and the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) and regulation of Short-Term Accommodations. Both of these programs will reduce unwanted behaviours in Brighton, while also generating significant revenues that can be used to fund other infrastructure or programs to make our community safer and more attractive.
Byron didn’t want revenues for revenue’s sake; he saw opportunities for improving our community in various ways, and knew that in order to do great things we would need financial stability. He was very engaged in our land banking discussions for affordable housing and other needed development, and when we purchased some land next to Memorial Park without knowing exactly how we would use it, he expressed a vision that I hope to keep alive: “you know,” he said, “I think that could make a great spot for a new library.” He knew, as I do, that we’re many years away from that, as we already have projects ongoing for a new wastewater plant, a new fire hall, and a multi-use recreational facility. But he was thinking ahead to good things, and looking for the money now.
Byron and I continued to have coffee every few months, always at Tim Horton’s; he had a passion for chocolate eclairs, and it was always a shame that they don’t serve them at this location. We would talk about things we agreed on, and things we disagreed on, and things we hoped for. I learned a lot about him over the last few years, hearing stories from his time as a Coca Cola executive or a board member at Wilmot Creek, learning that he’d abstained from alcohol for virtually his entire life, or seeing his excitement about cars, drones, and other hobbies. I met someone at Tim Horton’s the other day, and realized that the last time I’d been there (and really, almost every time I’d been there over the past two years) had been with Byron.
He had a habit, when a phone conversation was winding down or when he was dropping me off, of saying “well, my friend…” as a segue to saying goodbye. I don’t know exactly when it became true, but it is certainly true that Byron and I were friends. I will miss him, as both a friend and a colleague. While we will have to decide how to fill his seat at the council table, and while there are many Brightonians who would make an incredible addition to council, I don’t think any of us have any sense that we could replace him. The Mayor reported to us, after he had first visited Byron in the hospital, that Byron had asked if he needed to step down; Brian told Byron that it was entirely up to him. Byron had said “good, because I’m not ready to give up!” Tenacious and self-giving to the end.
Well, my friend, may you always have chocolate eclairs, diet coke, and nice cars. We will miss you.