The race for vacated seats

There will be at least three new faces at city council after the municipal election Oct. 25, as three wards have been vacated by current councillors.

Ward 7's Russ Thompson and Ward 11's Janet Gasparini have decided to not run in the upcoming election. Ward 8's Ted Callaghan is running for mayor.

Ward 7, which covers the eastern side of the city from Coniston to Capreol, has three contenders for the councillor's chair: Dave Kilgour, Dave Della Vedova and Gordon Drysdale.

Among the concerns raised by the candidates are ATV use in the area and the proper use of ward resources.

The city is overlooking its outlying arenas, which often have hall space, Drysdale noted.

“The Garson Arena has an underutilized hall in the front that could be rented out,” he said. Partnerships between public and private entities could ensure these halls are rented frequently, adding to city coffers.

Bears, poor sidewalk conditions in some areas and a lack of lights on Falconbridge Road across from the Garson Mall are also concerns raised by residents, according to ward candidates.

Parts of New Sudbury make up Ward 8. This ward has the distinction of having the most candidates campaigning for the councillor's seat.

Eight men — Leo Bisson, Louis Delongchamp, Harry Will, Al Sizer, Ian McCracken, Lorenzo Tripodi, Alejandro Martinez, Ron Laplante, and Fabio Belli — are running in Ward 8.

According to the candidates, high taxes are a top priority amongst voters.

Tripodi said the ward is stagnating, with no new businesses or services opening up shop. Without business tax revenues, residential homeowners have to keep shouldering the tax burden.

Taxes are high enough already, especially for seniors, noted McCracken.

“Seniors are having a tough time dealing with the increased cost of staying in their homes,” McCracken said.

He proposes a tax deferral program that would make it easier for seniors to remain in the home. When it is sold, the city receives the deferred taxes and interest from the proceeds of the home.

“We need new people,” Martinez noted. He said declining birth rates meant the city had to draw in people from outside Canada to survive.

Delongchamp said he is getting support for his proposal to have a more northerly route to connect Highway 17 and Highway 144. That would relieve traffic elsewhere and create a true ring road around the city, he said.

Sizer said residents tell him people want roads improved where they live — in their specific residential areas.

Harry Will said residents tell him graffiti is out of control in New Sudbury, and residents “want more police presence on the weekends.”

A Ward 8 Community Action Network (CAN) is vital to the area, Belli said. It would help start a fire prevention campaign and community patrol, as well as find out what issues matter to the community.

Over in Ward 11, Gasparini reflected on the seat she is leaving after two terms. She said she would rather spend her energy focusing on her duties as executive director of the Social Planning Council.

“I was only committed to serving two terms,” she said. “I hope I was able to influence council on homelessness and poverty issues.”

Battling over the ward, which takes in Minnow Lake, are Tom Fenske, Terry Kett, Gerry Paquette, Mike Petryna, and Joe Vairo.

Just as in Ward 8, taxes are a common complaint among ward residents, according to candidates.

“People want the city to find some way to keep (taxes) to a minimum,” Vairo said. That could mean taking a hard look at city administrative salaries, he said, as a way to cut costs.

Fenske said people are willing to pay higher taxes if they get better city services and infrastructure. The roads in the area are in rough shape and some lack sidewalks.

Terry Kett said at the door he hears about flooding concerns in the Adanac ski hill area and north of Hawthorne Street.

“Sewers are backing up,” he said. Ditching needs to be done around the ward and Second Avenue's sidewalks are a mess for young and old alike, he said.

Some candidates were not available for comment by Northern Life's deadline.