Bob Maniuk wants to approach Petrolia government like a taxpayer.
Maniuk is one of three people running for the mayor’s position Oct. 22. And he says each of those people come at the position with a different view. One, he says, is “defending the administration that is there now” and the other is talking about change but comes from an administrative background. “I’m just coming in as every other person who is a taxpayer.”
Maniuk says there are a lot of good things the former council has done, but it dealt poorly with accusations of favouritism leveled by developers. He wants a more “pro-business attitude” working with developers in the hopes of attracting people to build seniors housing and high rises.
On the hustings, Maniuk has heard a lot of people talk about reopening the compost site – he favours looking at that.
But one of the big themes people are talking with him about is change.
“They just want a change of leadership…that’s going to happen,” he says noting the current mayor isn’t running.
But Maniuk says there shouldn’t just be change, but a change in tone. “If were going to have more of the same, someone who wants to defend the current administration that’s not change…not everyone is going to bring the kind of change people want.
“I run into some people who said take the whole council out….fed up with the whole thing get a whole new bunch.”
Maniuk isn’t in favour of that saying experience is valuable on council, especially as councillors try to set the 2019 budget. In the last few years, the municipality has completed its budget in December.
It was said to give the municipality a leg up with the province.
But this year, the new council will just be sworn in at that time. Maniuk thinks it is reasonable to expect the budget won’t be complete until January. He wants councillors to take a long look at what is proposed by administration.
“I want to see more scrutiny; not that we don’t trust staff, it just yes, we with confidence endorse what staff has done.”
And Maniuk wants to see the Fleming report available for the public if possible. He’d also like to look at the contracts the municipality uses.
He doesn’t believe people who have been “caught with their hand in the cookie jar” should be able to write their own exit package.