Incumbent mayor Brian Bigger issued a news release this week in which he asked voters to once again endorse him and his policies by casting their ballot in his favour.
Bigger’s leadership style — or lack thereof, according to some candidates — has been in the crosshairs of several contenders for the mayor’s chair during the campaign. Candidate Patricia Mills, in particular, has taken Bigger to task for what she says is his lack of leadership on the Kingsway Entertainment District (KED) project.
With several projects still on the go, including the KED, Bigger’s latest news release seems to suggest to voters that changing horses in midstream would not be ideal.
“Now is not the time to reset priorities or delay the progress we have worked so hard to achieve,” Bigger said. “For our city to succeed we need to continue down the path we are on. Let’s not stop the momentum we have for the many projects that are going to better our downtown, attract more visitors to our city and finally see the new arena people have been asking for years.
“Let’s not turn back the clock on progress”
The full text of Bigger’s news release appears below:
Let’s not turn back the clock or the progress
There has been a lot of talking throughout this election about leadership, about progress and about what’s at stake when people go to the polls in October.
Online, on social media and below every article are comments, mostly negative about me and just about every candidate running to represent the residents of Greater Sudbury. I’m not above criticism, however I will not give credence to negative comments with no substance which are counter-productive to our city's growth.
Over the last four years, council and I, as your mayor, have worked together to deliver for Greater Sudbury. Democracy at times is loud, debates can be impassioned – but all of us working in that chamber at Tom Davies are there to work for the entire City of Greater Sudbury. And together we have accomplished simple goals like eliminating slush funds – to larger, city-changing projects, like the Kingsway Entertainment District, the Junction and Maley Drive.
For the first time, in a long time, council is finally working together. We are working to make our city better. We are working to improve the economy. We are working on solutions for better roads, cleaner lakes and bringing more professionals and jobs to our region.
If re-election is a referendum on leadership – then I seek your endorsement. Now is not the time to reset priorities or delay the progress we have worked so hard to achieve. For our city to succeed we need to continue down the path we are on. Let’s not stop the momentum we have for the many projects that are going to better our downtown, attract more visitors to our city and finally see the new arena people have been asking for years.
Let’s not turn back the clock on progress; let’s move forward together for a truly Greater Sudbury.
To learn more about Brian Bigger, visit his election page on Sudbury.com.
