Ellis is calm and relaxed after having defeated his rival Mary-Anne Sills two weeks ago in a landslide victory, forcing Sills to concede defeat just one and a half hours after the polls closed. This was Ellis's second mayoral campaign, his previous one was three years ago, when he lost as a newcomer to Sills.
Ellis is the owner of Doug's Bicycles on College Street in Belleville. The shop is named after his brother who quit 23 years ago.
Priorities for Ellis as mayor of Belleville are to bring at least 30 new doctors to meet the growing demand for doctors in the growing Belleville area and Quinte West. In order to do this he wants to work together with Quinte Healthcare. If Quinte West attracts new doctors it will relieve the pressure on doctors in Belleville freeing them up to take on new patients, he said.
Living in the shop is Sammy, a grey and white stray cat that wandered into the shop and has been adopted by Ellis. Sammy seems quite at home lounging about the bike shop, unaware that he could be moving into a new home, the mayor's office.
Ellis would like to create a better relationship and dialogue with Quinte West through its new mayor John Williams. Under the previous administration the relationship between the two cities was cool. Ellis plans to introduce a policy of "more open communication" between the two regions. Adding that "we should work together", ensuring "that things benefit both areas".
When asked about Loyalist College, Ellis sees it as an undervalued and integral part of the community. "Loyalist College is an asset," he says.
He would like to see Loyalist grow thereby helping the community grow.
"If the college does well, we do well", he said explaining the close link the college has with the community. He mentioned past proposals for a technology wing that would add more technical trades students saying that we "are short on trades in Belleville". Ellis would like to see renewed talks about the possibility of a joint sports centre featuring aquatic facilities with Loyalist and the city of Belleville. Saying that "Loyalist is a perfect plan" using student athletic user fees "to provide operational cost for upkeep, while students benefit from use".
To help students get into town on Sundays a limited Sunday bus service could also be possible. Ellis added that the on again off again talks of extending Bridge Street West and linking it up with the originally designed front of the college, was the "most logical" way to allow students "easier access to Belleville". This would also create a safer walk or bike ride to the college since there are no sidewalks on the Moira Street extension.
Commenting on the casino scheduled to open in July of 2007, Ellis believes it will likely be delayed. The casino is expected to add $2 to $3 million in revenue to the city's budget. When asked about the negative effects of having the casino Ellis responded by saying that the casino was going to happen whether it was in Belleville, Quinte West or Prince Edward County, and it would have been naïve to believe that Belleville would not experience a rise in crime and gambling addiction since Belleville is the largest centre in the area. We would have "the same problems and not reap any of the benefits". By having the Casino in Belleville, the city can use the revenue generated by the casino to help combat the expected negative side effects, and to ensure that there are "safeguards in place for people who have a problem and want to be helped". Whereas if the casino was built elsewhere, Belleville would still have had to deal with the effects but would not have the revenue to help combat them.
This is the practical approach Ellis plans to bring to the mayor's office. Having been in business for 30 years, he plans on bringing a businesslike approach to the running of the city "Belleville is like a business" he says, and he is keen to promote the city as a destination for business, and for people looking to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind.
When asked about his lack of experience, having never been a city councilor, he feels he is more than up for the task, referring to his business background.
"You are always learning, the day you stop learning is the day you go to the funeral home, life is one big cycle."