Alcona business owner runs for council

By Bruce Hain Simcoe.com March 2 2010
A man well known in Alcona has entered his name to run in Ward 3 in this year’s municipal election.
Rick Ellis, owner of the Adam & Eve Tanning Salon and Tattoo Emporium in the Crossroads Plaza, will be promoting job creation, especially for area youth, as the central plank of his platform.
“I just feel our Town needs a little fresh blood with Bill Pring retiring,” Ellis says. “We need to take up the mantle. I have at least two people a day coming into my tanning salon looking for jobs. We need to create jobs for our young people to help them develop and grow.”
Ellis served as president of the Alcona Business Association (ABA) for two years and is currently vice president. Prior to that, he served as treasurer.
“During my time as president, we grew our membership from 25 to 50 members,” he says. “The ABA provided funds for the new rec centre and we hold the annual Alcona Biggest garage sale each spring and the Innisfil’s Got Talent contest. This will be the third year.”
A former commuter, Ellis says he knows all too well the frustration of Innisfil residents returning home exhausted after a week’s work on Friday, and then having to drive into Barrie for essential services.
“I want to have more businesses locate in Alcona, where people can spend their money locally,” Ellis says. “Innisfil is a beautiful spot for tourism and we need to develop that properly.”
Ellis also says the urbanization of Innisfil Beach Road, “is a necessity. About a third of our workforce is commuters. Plus, there are 14,000 vehicles on Innisfil beach Road each day. It’s a bit of a nightmare pulling out of plazas and side streets. Why not provide a beautiful street for people to come home to?”
Ellis is married to Chandra, another business owner in Alcona. The couple has three children. He has an extensive background in property management as an engineer and ran his own general contracting firm for seven years.
So far, Ellis will be running against Ken Simpson in Ward 3. Simpson narrowly lost to Pring in the last election.