Lifelong Sudbury resident Deke Zaher says he has plans to wipe the slate clean at city hall. This week, the downtown business owner announced his intention to run for mayor of Greater Sudbury in the 2022 election.
The owner of Zaher’s Small Batch, makers of hummus and other Middle Eastern-style foods, on Elgin Street announced his candidacy in a video released on his Facebook on Aug. 12, in which he highlighted some of the pillars of his platform.
Referencing the pandemic and the toll it has taken on people and the economy, Zaher took aim at Mayor Brian Bigger, questioning the mayor’s visibility over the past five months and accusing him of not taking responsibility during the pandemic.
“Our mayor, where were you?” Zaher says in the video.
With a background in social services, Zaher was quick to point out in an interview with Sudbury.com that he is not a politician; he is about people.
"The past year operating a business downtown has really opened up my eyes to a lot," said Zaher. "I began to meet people and identify different needs, and I just listen to people. I'm listening to what people want and what I stated was not only a reflection of what I see as immediate issues, but based on plenty of feedback.
“I'd like to propose my solutions."
The three highlights in the very early stages of Zaher's platform are finding a solution to the issue of discarded needles, fixing the city's roads and turning Bell Park into a major attraction.
"I cannot control addictions,” Zaher said. “One thing I can control is maybe how it's done."
He’s proposing a needle exchange program and said he’s open to the concept of supervised consumption sites.
"My foundation is a needle exchange program at the health unit, give them free needles and those are their responsibility, but for every one that they want they have to bring one back,” he said. “They do that with Fentanyl patch programs and it's effective. We can do that with needles. I also want to provide full access to this population to have their needs met, and to design a concept for safe injection sites."
When asked why he was seeking the mayor's chair rather than a council seat, Zaher was blunt in stating that the entirety of city council needs a fresh start and some new ideas.
"I'm going to be forming a council slate,” he said. “I'm in the process of gathering (the) younger generation in hopes to run the city, all well-recognized … outgoing, caring citizens, faces that are familiar to people, faces that people would want to represent Sudbury."
Bottom-line, he said, he wants to make changes.
"I'm branding what's called the ‘Clean 13.’ The idea is to wipe the slate clean of what we have in council, the 12 councillors along with the mayor,” he said. “We've gone back and forth, back and forth and the skies are getting darker over Sudbury and not enough action, not enough new ideas are coming into play."
Zaher wants to see new technology implemented for road repairs in the city of Greater Sudbury, designating a three- to five-kilometer strip of road that could be used for testing different types of materials, and working with researchers to find new solutions.
"I want to invest in better technology for road infrastructure, I want to work with all types of universities, (and) I want to find the research behind this and the technology, and bring it to Sudbury," said Zaher. "I want the test strip laid out before we run for mayor, if possible, just to prove that these three to five kilometers of test strip we have is working. I could be wrong and then it's a three- to five-kilometer mistake, but there's risks that you have to take."
While his business operates in the city's downtown, Zaher says that he is pro Kingsway Entertainment District, and would want to see the tax dollars generated from the development to be used to improve the city's ailing road network.
"I want the tax dollars from the KED to go into this project to fix the Sudbury roads, to invest in new technology, new infrastructure and new science to repair our Sudbury roads to something sustainable," said Zaher.
As far as Bell Park goes, Zaher has a vision for a "mini Venice Beach" area complete with a new skateboard park, exercise area and an array of food trucks, starting with the Elizabeth Street parking lot. Zaher says he'd also like to see a mini hockey rink in the area.
"I want to gather people to Bell Park again, make it exciting, make it attractive," said Zaher. "When Mr. Bell donated the land it was for the people to enjoy, so let's really give that to the people, this is for the people of Sudbury, for something to do, now if you want to go to Bell Park it will be the biggest attraction just outside of downtown."
