Collaboration leads to success

July 23, 2013 · 0 Comments

Getting to know Councillor Bill Cober

By Mark Pavilons
Bill Cober is a student of teamwork and collaboration.
He also doesn’t mind if his fellow councillors peek at his papers.
The Ward 4 councillor works hard for one simple reason – he likes it!
And he’s proud to represent Schomberg, which he describes as the “jewel of King Township.”
He beams at the small but mighty village, which is home to a strong spring agricultural fair, Christmas in the village and a multitude of popular community events.
Cober is in his third term on council and he entered the political arena when the King City “big pipe” issue was front and centre. Residents want amenities, but tend to oppose infrastructure improvements like sewers. “You can’t want stores and oppose growth,” Cober observed, adding without such infrastructure, there’s little reason for corporate investment.
He believes he had a positive impact on that particular proces and helped facilitate the eventual outcome.
Schomberg, he pointed out, has had sewers since 1989, so expansion is expected. “You don’t grow, you die,” he observed.
He simply loves his village, noting it’s a “great example for the rest of King.” His area has a healthy residential-to-industrial/commercial ratio of 83:17.
Schomberg boasts the world-class Trisan Centre, one of Cober’s favourite projects. It’s great when three levels of government and private enterprise can work together to get things done.
Cober prefers to work diligently behind the scenes and he tries to avoid the spotlight. He’s on his phone with constituents and Township staff bright and early each morning. Coffee shop meetings are commonplace for him.
He juggles helping his constituents with his full-time career as principal with the York District School Board. He has an exciting fall ahead of him, as he’ll be at the helm of a brand new elementary school on the outskirts of Newmarket.
More often than not, a local councillor can help a resident and “that’s rewarding.”
Cober does get frustrated at times with provincial legislation and authority that can bog the process down. Often, provincial policies are too restrictive and stand in the way of progress and efficiency.
He’s adamant local government should concentrate on its core business, and maintaining King’s 300 kilometres of roads is a top priority. “We need to keep our eye on the ball and focus on our core services,” he said.
“The Province has tried to be all things to all people, and it doesn’t work.” That’s something he’d love to remedy, but at the moment has doesn’t have any grander political aspirations.
The Township has to be frugal and citizens pay substantial property taxes. Cober supports cost of living increases in Township services and its budget, but no more.
The key to success in King is teamwork, something he’s very familiar with in his career. And he enjoys making a difference.
His family – his wife Julie and daughters Taylor and Kennedy – are the centre of his world. For every election cycle, it’s a Cober family discussion and decision.
And he’s blessed by his “wonderful and supportive family,” that includes his parents. They allow him to do great things. He inherited a strong work ethic from his parents and worked for his dad when he was a youngster. Born and raised in King, Cober is fortunate to have been able to stay.
He makes a point of spending quality time with his family. When he can, he enjoys playing men’s hockey. In his prime, Cober was a rep hockey player and then a linesmen.
Cober is knowledgeable and articulate, and despite being in the public eye, he remains humble and modest. He’s not shy, but he’s a private person.
He loves to laugh and always finds humour in things. As should we all. “You only go around the world once,” he observed.
From a work perspective, he enjoys seeing projects succeed and coming together. He would like to be thought of as someone who’s goal-oriented and hard working and always puts the best interests of the community first.
He loves King and the people who make up the social fabric. Many locals helped him grow and mature and decades later, they’re all still part of the community. He appreciates just how valuable that is.
Residents are also engaged and King boasts a relatively high voter turnout.
There’s a sense of belonging. “We care about our community, what it is and what it will become,” he said.
Cober said the current council is working well, but he always worked well with his colleagues, never making it personal.
For him, it’s a labour of love and in the coming term several projects will come to fruition, including a potential reuse of the old Schomberg arena. This, he said, has to make financial sense and be affordable, but he’s confident a solution will be found that fits in well with the community.
Also on tap is the new commercial and retail development on the northwest corner of Highway 27 and Doctor Kay, bringing new economic activity to the village.
If Schomberg is the jewel of King, then Bill Cober is happy to help polish up this gem and proudly put it on display.