Around town, there seems to be scuttlebutt in some quarters, that Shane Judge is not the right person to serve as mayor for the next four years. The thinking is that Iain Angus or Bill Mauro would be suitable because they have served in the upper levels of government. That may have been true in the past, but it doesn't apply today. In fact, with the current Ontario government, both these gentlemen may have a disadvantage.
I've always believed that if a riding elects a representative to the winning party, that riding will be rewarded. Certainly, Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario have benefited from having Liberal MPP's: cardiac care at our hospital; and parts of the Trans-Canada Highway divided between Nipigon and Thunder, just to name two.
Suddenly, there's a Conservative government in Toronto, and guess what? Thunder Bay, which did not elect a Tory, is given notice that its generating station will be decommissioned and probably demolished. The populist premier “punishes” Toronto for not electing him as mayor, by cutting its city council in half.
Kenora MPP Greg Rickford, taking his cue from his boss, noted shortly after the provincial election that Thunder Bay has been on the Liberal gravy train for years; his Kenora region hasn't had any twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway, but he pledged to change that. Once the contracts for the Thunder Bay - Nipigon Trans-Canada Highway are completed, the project will be halted.
I don't believe that a long-time NDP MP and MPP, or a long-serving Liberal MPP will hold the premier's ear, and his cabinet ministers and deputy ministers are going to fall in line and ignore city officials with ties to the opposition parties. I truly believe Shane Judge would probably be more cordially received by the Doug Ford government - just because he has no history in the government.
It may be different in Ottawa, but there's an election coming in the next year, and who knows what will happen? Large numbers of voters are angry at excessive taxes and reckless spending by all levels of government.
I listened in amazement, prior to our last Ontario election, as Kathleen Wynne daily pledged millions to anything and everything in a desperate attempt to cling to power. The response of the electorate was overwhelming. In their attempt to out-left the NDP, the Liberal party was decimated to seven seats. As representatives of the tax-and-spend” parties, Mauro and Angus must be held accountable.
We need a mayor and city council that is balanced between sound fiscal management and the wisdom to decide between the city's needs and wants. Too many of our council members have been around for too long; they are in a comfort zone and council needs a shake-up. Of our at-large councillors, only Rebecca Johnson and Larry Hebert vote with an eye to the budget, in my opinion.
There are a bewildering number of candidates for mayor, and councillor at large. I've appreciated the Thunder Bay Source’s profiles of the candidates, and am making notes to try and determine who to vote for in the at-large race. For mayor, my vote will be for Shane Judge.
The fact that he hasn't sat on council is a plus for me. He's not part of a cadre, and he thinks for himself.
He would like to cut the number of councillors from 12 to 8, and eliminate the ward system, which makes sense. In last week’s Chronicle-Journal, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said that a smaller council would be good for Toronto; the same can be said for Thunder Bay. New provincial rules state that a ward councillor doesn’t have to live in a ward to run in it.
To replace ward councillors, Judge is recommending a Bill of Rights for home owners and residents so that the city would be required to hold a special meeting when a group of residents gathers 50 signatures requesting a meeting on a specific issue. This alone will save a lot of tax dollars.
He has some innovative ideas on how to replace the Fort William Gardens with a multi-purpose facility, in the future; and many other recommendations as to how to save money. I would urge you to check out his Facebook page if you are on Facebook, or give him a phone call if not – he’s in the phone book!
Lorna Olson,
Thunder Bay
