Mayoral candidate Marianne Matichuk is criticizing the amount of money being spent by the city on consulting fees.
She said she was upset by the recent disclosure that more than $430,000 had been spent on consulting fees for the performing arts centre and multi use sports centre legacy projects, although the projects were voted down by council.
Mayor John Rodriguez was a proponent of the legacy projects.
Marianne Matichuk said she is running for mayor to make the city a better place for workers and employers. She released her platform for at her campaign offices in the Cedar Point Mall to her workers and supporters at the Four Corners in the city's South End Sept. 23. Photo by Bill Bradley.
“We have people at the city who could have done that work,” Matichuk said.
“We also have people in the community who could have volunteered their time for free to gather information on the feasibility studies. Then there are local firms who could have helped as well.”
Matichuk made the statements during her platform launch Sept. 23, which was held at her campaign offices in the Cedar Point Mall.
“I want to empower our own staff to do that work,” she said. “I am looking at cost savings at city hall. I want to look line by line and see where we can come up with value for dollar.
She said she is familiar with different departments in the city, after spending 17 years there in various roles, including as the health and safety manager.
She said many city employees have contacted her to say they support her efficiency platform.
“They want to be empowered to do their job better.”
Some of her platform points:
Change City Hall
-stop the current tax and spend mentality
-department by department line by line budget review
-bring in a politician recall law to introduce political accountability
Change the way the city does business
-cut red tape and market the city as a great place to live and work
-create incentives for new business and supporting traditional industries including local agricultural and food sector businesses that generate jobs and provide food security for the city
Matichuk said in a Sept. 24 press release that Rodriguez has not been responsive to recent job losses in the city.
About three dozen Atlas Copco are being relocated to Toronto and 33 jobs are being lost at Copper Cliff Dairy next January.
Earlier this year, 107 jobs were lost at National Grocers.
She said businesspeople tell her they would expand their businesses here, but other communities are offering them better incentives.
“When these businesses leave we lose business taxes and residential taxes, meaning the city is losing revenue,” she said. “Without revenue, we have no money to pay for services and infrastructure.”
Matichuk can be reached at 222-REAL (7325) or www.realchangenow.ca or [email protected].
