Third mayoral candidate in North Bay

A political rookie has put her name forward for North Bay’s top job. (Supplied)

A political rookie has put her name forward for North Bay’s top job.

Leslie McVeety, a full-time PSW, joins the North Bay race for mayor against current city councillor, Johanne Brousseau, and former councillor and current president of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce, Peter Chirico.

Current Mayor Al McDonald has decided not to seek reelection and will retire after 12 years.

McVeety was placed on the official listing of candidates for the City of North Bay on Friday afternoon – the final day individuals could register for the upcoming municipal elections in October.

McVeety did not hold a press conference or release any official statements. She did indicate her intention to run on her Facebook Page on July 14.

“This is the reason I am running for mayor. I am tired of this. We should be able to feel safe in our homes. We shouldn’t have to worry about homeless people sleeping … in our yards. I am done with feeling sorry for anyone except the hard working tax payers who don’t feel safe. We should be allowed to have things without fear of them being stolen or destroyed,” she said in that post.

In a follow-up post on Aug. 14 looking for signatures to support her candidacy, McVeety shared photos of damaged door frames, broken sheds and a mattress in a wooded area, saying she is running for mayor, so this doesn’t happen to others with the hashtag: #letsmakenorthbaysafeagain.

“My whole objective is to make North Bay safe again, and take back our city,” McVeety told CTV News.

In an email to CTV McVeety said they would like to use the money the city is getting from the casino to buy ‘a couple’ houses to give people a second chance in order to address the homeless crisis in North Bay. She says the hope would be to help them find a job and allow them to live in these homes for six months while they save money to move into their own place.

“I think everyone can agree that North Bay is in a downward spiral when it comes to the addicts roaming all over the city. The amount of thefts and destruction are absolutely ridiculous,” McVeety said in her email.

She follows-up by saying the city will need help from the provincial government to get help for people suffering from mental health problems but that police also need ‘a place’ to bring addicts to come down from their highs so they are not roaming the streets at night making a complete mess of the city.

“The whole city is covered in dirty needles. It needs to stop and the people in power don’t seem to care.”