North Bay has its first Mayoral candidate and it’s Gary Gardiner, a 64-year-old general contractor who is currently the vice president of the North Bay Taxpayers Association.
“Yes, it is true that I have filed my nomination papers for the Mayor’s position,” Gardiner stated in a late Friday afternoon release.
“I did so because I believe that the City of North Bay can be so much more. To reach our true potential we need to invest in the community in creative ways. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but it takes vision, dedication to detail and a driving spirit to turn ideas into reality.
Gardiner says he is releasing his platform he calls “The Game Changer in September.
“In the meantime, I will be out and about to talk to as many people as possible that wish to share their ideas, concerns and hopes for the City of North Bay,” said Gardiner, who owns Home Design and Build in North Bay.
Gardiner says he has gradually gotten more involved in the local political scene.
“I was told, ‘You can’t just continually complain unless you are going to do something about it,’ so I did,” he continued in his release.
“I fought the inequalities in the water billing system when water meters were first introduced. I am trying to save Kings’ Landing Wharf. Most importantly, I am trying to ensure that the City of North Bay is run openly and honestly. I often present to North Bay City Council.“
Previously Gardiner was a National Team Director from 1988 to the Olympic games in 1992. He also was a wrestling coach at UBC and the University of Guelph.
Gardiner has a B.Sc. Kinesiology and Computer Science from Simon Fraser University.
We will soon find out how he grapples with the challenges of this mayoral campaign.
Nominations for mayoral, council and school board must be filed by 2 p.m. on nomination day, Friday, July 27.
