Greater Sudbury mayoral candidate Patricia Mills said she gives Mayor Brian Bigger a failing grade for his performance over the past four years.
“We are not better off than we were four years ago,” she said in an open letter.
“Our roads are not better. Our neighborhoods are not better. Our economy is not better. And for that, Mr. Bigger gets a failing grade.
“October 22 is our chance to change the course for Greater Sudbury. We’ve seen a Bigger Sudbury. It’s time for a better one.”
When Bigger ran for Mayor in 2014, he promised three things. He told us he would freeze taxes; deliver savings; and bring greater accountability to city hall, Mills said.
Bigger didn’t raise taxes in the first year. But he did that by dipping into the city’s reserves, she said.
“To be clear, he dipped into our savings account, and withdrew $6 million dollars to pay for his election promise,” Mills said.
“And then, each year after that, he raised the taxes. In four years, Mr. Bigger has raised our taxes by more than double the rate of inflation. As for rate fees, our water rates will have risen by 30% come January 2019.”
When it comes to savings, Bigger told us he’d seen the books at city hall and knew where the skeletons were, she said.
And yet, in four years, this Mayor has yet to produce any significant savings, Mills said in her letter.
Department budgets went up. Services went down. We are in a worse state than we were four years ago. Our roads are worse. Transportation is a big issue. And our economy is stalled.
As for accountability, you know you’re in trouble when your tax rates keep going up higher and faster than your household income rate, she said.
It’s simply not sustainable. And transparency at city hall doesn’t seem to exist. There is less information available today on critical items such as the city budget and spending on major projects.
“It’s not complicated,” she said. “We need to respect taxpayer money. We need to spend wisely. And we need to invest in the things that are most important to seniors, young professionals and families.”
