Longtime publisher and current head of the NEO Kids Foundation, Patricia Mills, is running for mayor of Greater Sudbury, and immediately took aim at the record of the current mayor.
“I watch in horror as Brian Bigger and his CAO lead this city into a financial abyss with no sense of accountability to the taxpayer, whom they treat as an ATM machine.” said Mills.
She made her candidacy announcement Thursday at the Italian Club in Copper Cliff, saying she has been unimpressed at what incumbent Mayor Brian bigger has done to the city.
The mayoral challenger also says Bigger has failed miserably on the issue of the new events centre, which she calls a great idea, but says it’s become what she calls, “The Bigger Divide.”
“The arena has divided this community like we’ve never seen before. While council endlessly argues about location, we are missing the most important question of all, how do we pay for it?” said Mills.
In offering her reasons for entering the race, she said she’s always been a leader, and wants to bring that experience to running the city.
"The Sudbury I love isn't the Sudbury I live in right now. When I thought about running for mayor, I thought, am I better off than I was four years ago? No, I am not. What I am going to do, is make sure going forward, that we are conscious of what we are getting ourselves into and how we can make that better." said Mills.
She said she believes she has plenty of support.
“I’ve been asking people critical questions about our community such as: Are our roads better? Is your neighbourhood better? Is our city’s economy better? Do you have better services today than you did four years ago? Not one person answered yes to any of these questions.” said Mills.
So far, Brian Bigger and Cody Cacciotti from the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum are the only others to declare they are running for mayor.
The election is October 22nd.
