Nanaimo91裸聊视频檚 long-serving MLA will seek the mayor91裸聊视频檚 chair.
NDP MLA Leonard Krog announced Wednesday evening that he will run for mayor of Nanaimo in this fall91裸聊视频檚 local government election.
91裸聊视频淚 haven91裸聊视频檛 felt this enthusiastic about something for awhile, to be honest,91裸聊视频� said Krog.
He said he91裸聊视频檇 been musing about a mayoral bid for a couple of years, but it was the fact that so many people asked him to run 91裸聊视频� people from across the political spectrum, he said, people who knew him well and people who didn91裸聊视频檛.
91裸聊视频淭hey felt that I was the person who could bring people together and that91裸聊视频檚 the theme of the campaign. It is about bringing people together for change,91裸聊视频� he said.
Krog was also persuaded by potential city council candidates who will now be willing to put their names forward.
91裸聊视频淧eople who I respect, regardless of their politics but who I knew would be first-rate councillors, said, 91裸聊视频榠f you will run for mayor, I will run for council,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat was certainly an important factor.91裸聊视频�
It91裸聊视频檚 official will run for mayor of
91裸聊视频� Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
Krog said the city91裸聊视频檚 reputation has been diminished the last three and a half years and went so far as to say Nanaimo has been 91裸聊视频渁 bit of a laughingstock91裸聊视频� at times.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 the bad news. The good news is it is also a wonderful opportunity and there has been an incredible increase, I think, in civic engagement,91裸聊视频� Krog said. 91裸聊视频淧eople who weren91裸聊视频檛 paying a lot of attention to local politics are paying attention now.91裸聊视频�
He said the 91裸聊视频渆vent centre fiasco,91裸聊视频� for example, showed that city councillors were 91裸聊视频渙ut-of-touch and not willing to listen to people.91裸聊视频�
A new council under his leadership would need to get up to speed on the job and hire a permanent chief administrative officer who can help attract and retain good managers at city hall, he said.
A downtown transportation hub should be an obvious priority in a modern city, he said, and he mentioned that council needs to show fortitude with social housing projects so it doesn91裸聊视频檛 miss out on any more provincial funding.
As far as the logistics of his campaign, Krog said he will continue to serve as MLA, but will request to stop drawing his salary once the civic election campaign officially begins. If he wins, he will resign his seat; if not, the 65-year-old will serve out the rest of his term.
He said that though he recognizes a lot of the city91裸聊视频檚 work is around zoning, roads, garbage, sewer and the like, 91裸聊视频渙ne of the great joys of municipal politics is that if you work with a good group of people, people who put the community first, you can accomplish a lot.91裸聊视频�
That91裸聊视频檚 part of the appeal, Krog suggested 91裸聊视频� making a difference in his community in a different way than through representation in the legislature, where he has served since 2005.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 effective in that forum in terms of being able to make speeches and criticize and put forward ideas and amuse and all those things, and that91裸聊视频檚 lovely. But it is ultimately an atmosphere where the game is played with set rules and it is about conflict and we91裸聊视频檝e seen what conflict has [done] these last three and a half years,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚 want to work in an environment where whatever leadership skills I have and can bring to this, I can work with a team to make things happen. I want to move us forward. I want to make progress. I want to make change. I want to see this community develop in the way that it should.91裸聊视频�
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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