Keith Hobbs has tried fighting city hall from the outside. Now he wants to fix it from the inside.
Hobbs, the outspoken former president of the Thunder Bay Police Association, began the mayoralty campaign as the tough-on-crime candidate, but says voters shouldn’t pigeon-hole him as a one-issue candidate.
A self-described small ‘C’ conservative, Hobbs says he’s got plenty of ideas to help Thunder Bay return to prosperity, while easing the burden on municipal taxpayers, wiping crime from city streets and creating an open-door policy in municipal government.
The time for change is now, he said.
“I’ve been knocking on doors for months, and there is anger out there. It’s not just that people are ticked off, they’re angry,” Hobbs said. “I think we do have to have to have more open and transparent government.
“There are a lot of decisions made behind closed doors. And yes there are some legal issues that you can’t discuss publicly, but at least you can explain why we’re doing what we’re doing. That disconnect is there.”
Hobbs, who retired less than a year ago to mount his run for the mayor’s chair, called it an ideal time for the city to elect someone like him to chart a new course for the city’s future.
Promising walk-about Wednesdays, Hobbs said he plans to visit local businesses and residential areas on a weekly basis, something he’d like to see the entire council put into practice.
“I’m going to encourage my city councillors to do the same,” he said. “I’m going to have a central registry for complaints from citizens, and I’m going to give councillors diary dates to respond to citizens and to respond to the complaint, and come up with a solution to those complaints. I think that’s going to go a long way to appeasing the people of Thunder Bay.”
Hobbs said he recognizes he only gets one vote of 13 in any decision made, but part of being mayor is leadership, something he has plenty of experience in.
“I have the ability to make people think along the same lines (as me). We need to have a goal and we need together to reach that goal,” Hobbs said.
Crime and Hobbs go hand-in-hand, something he ensured by speaking out a year ago, calling out Police Chief Bob Herman – his then boss – for saying city streets are safe. Hobbs sent Herman a detailed plan that would cut costs and put more officers on the street, but says he was ignored.
He added the city is 20 years too late looking for solutions.
“We need to stabilize this community. In order to do that we need to bring in the neighbourhood watch program. Neighbourhood policing, we need to do that, that was one of the best programs we had. I want to have a citizen’s patrol group out in the residential areas and team them up with the neighbourhood police officers so there’s more sets of eyes,” Hobbs said, also agreeing that tackling social problems at an early stage- something the city has suggested in forming its crime prevention committee- is also part of a plan that would include the redeployment of police officers.
Though some have scoffed at his lack of political experience, Hobbs, who opposes Horizon Wind’s current plans for a wind farm and thinks the waterfront project has been mismanaged, thinks otherwise.
“I’ve been a lobbyist for 27 years. I think that’s going to be really important. I’ve lobbied at the federal level and the provincial level. I don’t think this council has done enough work at the federal level to bring funds,” said Hobbs, explaining why he took the plunge and is seeking the city’s top elected job.
His first priority, however, would be a thorough examination of the city’s books in an attempt to reduce taxation levels. He said he’s sure there’s plenty of savings to be found.
“I want to see where all the money has gone,” he said.
For more information, visit http://www.keithhobbs.com.
Hobbs, the outspoken former president of the Thunder Bay Police Association, began the mayoralty campaign as the tough-on-crime candidate, but says voters shouldn’t pigeon-hole him as a one-issue candidate.
A self-described small ‘C’ conservative, Hobbs says he’s got plenty of ideas to help Thunder Bay return to prosperity, while easing the burden on municipal taxpayers, wiping crime from city streets and creating an open-door policy in municipal government.
The time for change is now, he said.
“I’ve been knocking on doors for months, and there is anger out there. It’s not just that people are ticked off, they’re angry,” Hobbs said. “I think we do have to have to have more open and transparent government.
“There are a lot of decisions made behind closed doors. And yes there are some legal issues that you can’t discuss publicly, but at least you can explain why we’re doing what we’re doing. That disconnect is there.”
Hobbs, who retired less than a year ago to mount his run for the mayor’s chair, called it an ideal time for the city to elect someone like him to chart a new course for the city’s future.
Promising walk-about Wednesdays, Hobbs said he plans to visit local businesses and residential areas on a weekly basis, something he’d like to see the entire council put into practice.
“I’m going to encourage my city councillors to do the same,” he said. “I’m going to have a central registry for complaints from citizens, and I’m going to give councillors diary dates to respond to citizens and to respond to the complaint, and come up with a solution to those complaints. I think that’s going to go a long way to appeasing the people of Thunder Bay.”
Hobbs said he recognizes he only gets one vote of 13 in any decision made, but part of being mayor is leadership, something he has plenty of experience in.
“I have the ability to make people think along the same lines (as me). We need to have a goal and we need together to reach that goal,” Hobbs said.
Crime and Hobbs go hand-in-hand, something he ensured by speaking out a year ago, calling out Police Chief Bob Herman – his then boss – for saying city streets are safe. Hobbs sent Herman a detailed plan that would cut costs and put more officers on the street, but says he was ignored.
He added the city is 20 years too late looking for solutions.
“We need to stabilize this community. In order to do that we need to bring in the neighbourhood watch program. Neighbourhood policing, we need to do that, that was one of the best programs we had. I want to have a citizen’s patrol group out in the residential areas and team them up with the neighbourhood police officers so there’s more sets of eyes,” Hobbs said, also agreeing that tackling social problems at an early stage- something the city has suggested in forming its crime prevention committee- is also part of a plan that would include the redeployment of police officers.
Though some have scoffed at his lack of political experience, Hobbs, who opposes Horizon Wind’s current plans for a wind farm and thinks the waterfront project has been mismanaged, thinks otherwise.
“I’ve been a lobbyist for 27 years. I think that’s going to be really important. I’ve lobbied at the federal level and the provincial level. I don’t think this council has done enough work at the federal level to bring funds,” said Hobbs, explaining why he took the plunge and is seeking the city’s top elected job.
His first priority, however, would be a thorough examination of the city’s books in an attempt to reduce taxation levels. He said he’s sure there’s plenty of savings to be found.
“I want to see where all the money has gone,” he said.
For more information, visit http://www.keithhobbs.com.
