This is a letter to the editor from Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti in response to Sudbury.com's story Thursday about why Mayor Brian Bigger is moving a motion to replace the board of directors at the Greater Sudbury Development Corp.
As a city councillor and a GSDC board member, I have always strived to represent the public with integrity and transparency. With a proven track record of speaking out when misinformation is being fed to the media, and therefore the public, I must speak up.
The GSDC has been working with many partners, public and private, to bring to fruition a project for Greater Sudbury valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The possibility of moving the rails north of the city would result in explosive opportunities for everyone in our great city. Furthermore, closed sessions were required and permissible.
You must now wonder, who fed this information to the media? Who would want to jeopardize this opportunity? Who would benefit from risking millions -- even hundreds of millions -- of dollars in economic development from both private and public investors?
The very fact that the GSDC, has helped get this project to this stage, shows it has been effective. This is precisely the kind of game-changing, long-term project the GSDC should be working toward and council, with the best interests of the community at heart, that we should be supporting.
With a project of this scope, one that would come with real, high-quality new employment opportunities, as well as high-quality spin-off jobs and new private and public sector investment, I have to question why anyone who cares about this city would try to destroy the organization running point on this project.
Further, Mayor Bigger not only knew of the grant application for this economic endeavor, but he voted IN FAVOUR of it in a closed session. It appears that the honest work being done by the GSDC is being attacked for purely political reasons.
The mayor has made it crystal clear why economic development shouldn’t be politicized with this move. What should be a project that is a win for multiple areas of our city, is now being used as a political football. That is both a pity and a great shame for our city.
What we need to know now, is WHY?