Our choice for Moncton's mayor
There appears to be a mood and wish for change in the municipal government in Moncton this year, something reflected in the number of good candidates for council seats, and also in the race for mayor between two credible contenders, George LeBlanc and Pierre Michaud.
There are several important issues residents would like to see moved forward or acted upon, including the development of the downtown which has largely stalled for the past four years. The city has to figure out exactly what it wants downtown and then move ahead with its decision.
Environmental and quality of life concerns continue. Codiac Transit needs to be improved, our airport needs more customs service, and there remain questions about city hall staff, transparency and taxation to address.
We have been impressed by the campaigns of both Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Michaud and believe that no matter who wins, both have a lot to contribute to the city and we encourage them do do so. Only one can be mayor, however, and our choice at this time in the city's history is George LeBlanc.
Mr. LeBlanc has not only experience on council and dealing with city staff, but his track record while on council was impressive. This alone gives him the edge over Mr. Michaud.
We have been impressed with the tremendous amount of thought Mr. LeBlanc has put into his platform, which is outlined in his seven-page "Action Plan." It is a comprehensive, detailed, clear and concise outline of the major issues and where he stands. It heralds a fresh start for the city and the council.
One big issue is accountability and openness at city hall and by council, something on which LeBlanc has a good record. The public first became aware of the sale of a piece of Mapleton Park after Mr. LeBlanc, at the time not on council, raised the alarm. Council had done the deal in such a way the public was in the dark, even after it was approved in open council! There was no public consultation. Mr. LeBlanc is able to ensure this kind of thing does not happen again.
He also intends to review staffing, and again he is correct. Has the bureaucracy been allowed to grow like a weed garden? There is considerable evidence it has. Is this why the council didn't think it could afford tax cuts? Perhaps. Mr. LeBlanc wants to find out. On taxation, Mr. LeBlanc knows the importance of lower taxes and is prepared to try to get there. He also, refreshingly, intends to meet with the province and premier to try to work out a deal to ease the pain of escalating property assessments. No buck passing there!
These things are illustrative of Mr. LeBlanc's approach. Combined with his experience, it makes Mr. LeBlanc the most prepared and logical choice.
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Comments (14)
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I wholeheartedly agree with the editor's choice for Mayor. Mr. LeBlanc will do our city proud. Mr. LeBlanc has experience, supported by an excellent action plan and I am convinced our city will prosper under his leadership. As for the issues of language and working full time, they are of no real consequence. Many of our former Mayors and Councillors have held full time jobs and were still able to do excellent work for the community. For our city council to be fully bilingual would no doubt represent a huge asset to our city, but we are not there yet. All past members of council have made valiant efforts to address the citizens in the language of their choice. I commend them for that. Translation service is offered at every coucil meeting. Good luck to all on Monday.
All candidates running for office are, I believe, sincere and well intentioned. It is to be taken for granted that they all believe they have something to offer. And it is up to the population to chose which ones they want to represent them. For me, for the Times & Transcript to favour certain candidates over others is unfair to those not chosen and unfair to the voters. The Times & Transcript are no more qualified then anybody else to chose. The only difference is that they have the advantage of the only newspaper in town. They should not use this privileged position to favour certain candidates over others.
As far as Michaud, I'm afraid he would run the city too much like a business, and that means looking for huge profits. Our entire country is run like this and it means that we are being taxed to death. He doesn't seem to be concerned with the citizens like George Leblanc.
And to say that George Leblanc won't have time because he is a full time lawyer is ridiculous. Brian Murphy was also a full time lawyer, and I believe he did a good job as Mayor.