Concerns with council can’t be addressed from the street, according to restaurateur Jim Mercier, who wants a spot at the table.
Mercier, owner of Nanaimo’s Boston Pizza and Ricky’s All Day Grill put in nomination papers this week to run in Nanaimo’s byelection, along with Kevin Cantelon, Brunie Brunie and Fred Statham.
Council hopefuls have been able to submit nomination papers this week and post election signs. Candidates for the July 8 byelection will be declared by the city’s chief election officer next Friday (June 2).
Nanaimo city council motivated Mercier to run, who says it’s in “serious need of assistance” and not without challenges. He believes there’s a need for guidance, leadership and business experience.
Among his priorities will be fiscal responsibility, a working relationship on council and the issue of staff leaving the municipality. He also wants to “stop the embarrassment,” pointing out that Nanaimo is supposed to be famous for its Nanaimo bars, not to be on national comedy shows.
Mercier doesn’t think there’s a better city to be picked in all of Canada, another motivator for him to run, and says the city has incredible potential, but like any business, has to be nurtured, built upon and “you’ve got to be passionate about it.”
Cantelon, a retired lawyer and son of former MLA Ron Cantelon, isn’t happy about the way things have unfolded at city council, saying there’s a lot of “petty bickering” going on, partisanship and that too many councillors seem to be voting according to how other councillors vote instead of for what’s best for Nanaimo. That has to change, he said.
“Nanaimo can’t afford to elect another councillor who is just going to go to city hall, bang their fist on the table and demand change. That’s pouring gasoline on the fire,” said Cantelon, whose plan is to try to change the environment.
He said he can make a point of working with them all for the betterment of Nanaimo regardless of their background or “faction” for the betterment of Nanaimo and will treat everyone with respect and dignity.
He also wants to stay in touch with the community. The results of the event centre referendum should have been obvious beforehand with an 80-per cent rejection rate, he said.
“If the city council had been staying in touch with its citizens I don’t think we would have gone through that event centre fiasco.”
Brunie Brunie loves Nanaimo and said she feels responsible for protecting the waterfront from privatization, saving trees from being clear-cut in housing development and is dedicated to creating a clean, people-friendly downtown to tie the community together. She also advocates for safe, environment-friendly travel options like cycling and skateboards.
One idea is to get rid of cars in one block downtown, where she said people can sit and there are options for small, creative vendors.
Brunie Brunie also says Nanaimo could have a homeless camp. She said tent cities don’t look good, but gave the example of an army tent for every person in the yard of an unused school so it’s clean and orderly, with kitchens and waste disposal.
She told the News Bulletin she can get along with anyone and will be a full-time councillor.
“I’m just asking the public to give me a chance for a year and a half and see what I can do,” she said.
For a related article on three other byelection candidates, please click here.
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