THUNDER BAY – Trevor Giertuga’s record speaks for itself.
As Thunder Bay’s longest continually serving city councillor, the 46-year-old first took the reins in the McIntyre Ward in 2000.
Eighteen years later, he’s moving on.
But Giertuga isn’t quite ready to give up on political life just yet.
Giertuga, a nurse at the Thunder Bay District Jail, in 2018 has put his name forward in the at-large race, paving the way for new representation in McIntyre.
“I was aware that there were some really quality candidates who were looking to run in the McIntyre Ward, so I thought if I went at-large it would open up that seat ... and hopefully have some more like-minded people on city council that are concerned about some of the same things I am.”
That means people who will focus on things like economic development and jobs for Thunder Bay’s youth and being responsible with the public purse.
“Taxes are a really big thing for me,” Giertuga said. “We can’t keep sustaining these year-after-year tax increases. We need to find some efficiencies within our budget and I think we need to dive in and do a core-service review.
“I’ve been trying to have one for years, but I can’t seem to get the support of council.”
Fiscally conservative, Giertuga said he attempted to convince his council colleagues to return an end-of-year surplus to taxpayers, but to no avail.
“We told them we only needed this amount of dollars to run the city for the year and we had a $2-million surplus, why wouldn’t we give it back to them in the form of tax reductions the following year? But council didn’t endorse that with me.”
It was Giertuga who brought ward meetings back into fashion and he promised to do more of the same if elected at-large, in the form of town-hall meetings. Transparency is key to good relationships between city hall and the public, he said.
When it comes to spending priorities, Giertuga said there’s no question what should come first.
“Infrastructure,” he said.
“We need to focus on the roads. You hear that year after year, the shape of the roads. And services for the youth and the seniors, that’s a big one for me as well. And improving safety and reducing crime.”
Geirtuga said he’ll also continue his push for a trucking bylaw that would keep trucks off of Dawson Road.
