Mayor Brad Henderson Will Step Down in June

On a quiet stretch of Frederick Street, the old Charlotte County Courthouse sits with a kind of dignified patience. It’s a building that has weathered time—and now, it awaits its next chapter.

For the Town of St. Andrews, where red-brick charm and coastal calm draw visitors each summer, the fate of the courthouse isn’t just a matter of bricks and bylaws. It’s a question of identity. And for Mayor Brad Henderson, who recently announced he won’t seek re-election, the debate surrounding the courthouse is emblematic of a deeper civic challenge: How does a small town honour its history while staying sustainable and responsive to the future?

“There’s something about walking past that building and feeling the weight of the stories it holds,” Henderson said in an interview with CHCO-TV's Nathalie Sturgeon. “But preserving history doesn’t mean keeping things frozen in time. It means finding ways to bring the past into conversation with what we need today.”

Seeking the Right Steward

Earlier this year, the town issued an expression of interest for the courthouse’s repurposing—a public call for proposals that could reimagine the space while retaining its historic integrity. Among the early contenders is the St. Andrews Civic Trust, a nonprofit known for rescuing and restoring the town’s architectural heritage.

“The Civic Trust has a track record,” Henderson noted. “If anyone understands what this building means to our community, it’s them.”

Still, he said, the door remains open to other ideas—including private investment, provided it comes with a deep respect for the building’s character. Henderson pointed to the Niger Reef Tea House, a private business that has preserved its heritage charm, as a model for how private and public interests can align.

The Costs of Preservation

The courthouse discussion arrives as part of a broader reckoning over how small municipalities manage growth, development, and limited resources.

At a recent council meeting, a proposed encroachment agreement for a downtown development was denied—a move that, while unpopular with some developers, was consistent with the council’s commitment to preserving the town’s historic core.

“It’s always a balancing act,” Henderson said. “We want investment downtown, but it has to respect the scale and story of the place.”

That balancing act plays out daily in municipal finances, where towns like St. Andrews are trying to stretch limited revenues across growing needs. Henderson welcomed a recent provincial announcement on new funding tools for municipalities but noted that the scale of the infrastructure deficit—more than $2.5 billion across the country—means real solutions will require sustained political will.

“Property tax is the primary tool we have,” he explained, adding that while assessments are set by the province, municipalities must carefully calibrate mill rates to meet local needs without overburdening residents.

A Mayor Reflects

Now in his ninth year on council and fifth as mayor, Henderson says stepping away wasn’t an easy decision. But after a term marked by major projects, pandemic recovery, and personal milestones, he says it’s time to focus on family.

“I love this town. I love being mayor. But I also want to be present for my kids—and that means stepping back.”

His departure leaves a vacancy not only in the office but in the kind of civic stewardship that blends ambition with restraint. Under his leadership, St. Andrews has championed tourism and business development, pushed for climate leadership, and protected some of its most treasured landmarks.

As for the courthouse, Henderson hopes the building’s next chapter will be one the whole town can be proud of—something that honours the past while still serving the present.

“The right project,” he said, “can do both. And I believe our community is ready to make that happen.”