PUTTING NORTHWOOD FIRST, AVOIDING STRONG MAYOR POWERS, AND WORKING TOGETHER FOR THUNDER BAY

I’m running to represent Northwood Ward because I believe a ward councillor’s first responsibility is clear: know the neighbourhood, understand the issues and make sure the people who live there have a strong voice at City Hall.

There are major city-wide issues facing Thunder Bay. We have an infrastructure gap that has grown over many years. We need better answers on homelessness, community safety and crime. We need economic growth, more housing and a stronger tax base. We need to make responsible decisions about spending and get back to separating what our city needs from what it simply wants. A strong council will work together to get those answers.

Those issues matter to me, and I will continue talking about them as I have for years on the air. But I am running for Northwood Ward, and Northwood needs to remain my priority.

I have called Northwood home for close to 50 years. I know the streets, the neighbourhoods, the families and many of the issues because I have lived with them. Roads, sidewalks, drainage, traffic, development, neighbourhood safety, parks and infrastructure are not abstract City Hall discussions when they affect the street you live on or the property you have invested in.

That is why I believe ward candidates should be talking about their wards. Tell residents what you know about their neighbourhood. Tell them what needs attention. Tell them what you will fight for at the council table, but prove you understand the uniqueness of the ward you're running in. I can comfortably do that as its been my home for almost my entire life.

There is another important conversation I believe Thunder Bay needs to have before election day that will absolutely have an impact on our wards: Strong Mayor powers.

I am not in favour of their use and the simple thought of these powers concerns me a great deal.

My concern goes beyond the significant authority they place in the hands of one person. It is also about what they could do to the working relationship around the council table.

I want to be part of a council that works together. Councillors will disagree, and they should. Debate is healthy. Different perspectives are important. But at the end of the day, twelve elected councillors and a mayor should be capable of sitting around the same table, setting priorities and making decisions in the best interests of Thunder Bay.

I do not believe concentrating greater control over budgets, administration and certain council decisions in the mayor’s office strengthens that process. I believe our next council needs more collaboration than what we have seen in the past, not less.

So I have a question for every candidate running for mayor:

Will you commit publicly to not using Strong Mayor powers during your first term?

I think Thunder Bay voters deserve a clear answer. It is something I will consider when deciding who receives my vote for mayor.

I would also ask our next mayor to make another commitment: to work with the ward councillors.

Listen to what they are hearing at the doors. Understand the infrastructure problems in their neighbourhoods. Recognize that the priorities in Northwood may be different from those in Current River, McKellar, Neebing, Red River or Westfort. A stronger Thunder Bay is built one neighbourhood at a time.

If I am elected in Northwood, I will bring our ward’s priorities to the council table, but I will also arrive ready to work with whoever the voters elect. I want practical debate, responsible spending, better infrastructure planning and a council focused on solutions rather than personalities and politics.

I am asking Northwood residents for their support because I know this ward, I know the issues, and I believe I can be a strong, informed and independent voice for the people who live here.

Northwood comes first. But when we take our seats at City Hall, we have to work together to put Thunder Bay first.