I was born and raised in North Bay. My parents, Mario and Teresa gave my brothers Gerry and Vince, my sister Maria and I a wonderful childhood full of family and friends. An Italian home like ours was always full of laughter and activity, food and fun.
I attended Scollard Hall high school and then Fanshawe College, where I studied Marketing. After graduating, I was hired into the management training program with Toronto Dominion Bank and spent several years moving through numerous cities and up the management chain. I learned a lot about finance and working with a variety of people in those years. I was thrilled to be able to return to North Bay in 1993 and continue my banking career. Currently I am working as the Fundraising Coordinator for the Nipissing Serenity Hospice.
In 2003 I was elected to North Bay city council and re-elected for two additional terms. As a member of council for 11 years I had the honour of representing the people our city on numerous boards and committees.
Currently I am Chair of the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority, and KidSport North Bay.
Being on City council is a privilege. A privilege I will not take for granted.
A privilege, that will drive me every day to bring more positive change to our Community.
I bring experience, hard work, dedication, a desire to serve, a willingness to listen and a commitment to doing the job.
My 5 Key platforms are:
Safe & Healthy Community:
Federal and Provincial governments have committed 3.8 billion dollars of funding for mental health and addiction issues. As money becomes available for programming they will be looking for municipalities that have program ready plans. I successfully experienced this process while on council in 2008-2009 on three major projects.
I have been in discussions with local mental health and addiction stakeholders and, with their expertise and guidance, we will be ready with a plan when the time comes.
Business Retention, Expansion & New Job Growth:
In 2005, through the Business Retention & Expansion Strategy, we did extensive interviews with over 200 local businesses asking pertinent questions regarding business growth and expansion, jobs and red tape challenges. Re-energizing this plan will re-engage our private sector to foster economic growth.
I will work with Invest North Bay on marketing the city in the GTA to foster new investment, and I will work on expanding and promoting great development opportunities including those that exist in West Ferris.
Council’s job is to provide an environment for job creation. We need a “can-do” attitude at city hall and I have the skills to make this happen. We must listen to business needs, work closely with senior levels of government and ensure not one job opportunity is missed!
Tourism:
North Bay’s Sport Tourism Strategy was implemented in 2012 and by 2019 the city will see over 20 million dollars in economic benefit through this sector. I plan to work with Tourism North Bay with the same strategy to grow tourism as a whole.
In February 2019 the new Municipal Accommodation Fund will come into effect, generating upwards of $800,000 dollars annually. We need a plan to utilize these funds by targeting more events like the World Women's Curling Championships, and explore new ideas like Ecotourism, targeting European and Asian markets.
Arts, Culture & Entertainment:
I am dedicated to working with local groups such as Creative Industries, to find out from a grassroots level, how the city can be more supportive of this sector.
As chair of Community Services I was proud to lead the team responsible for the creation of The Culture Plan. I believe it is time to review and renew this plan. The arts, culture and entertainment industry continues to be a significant part of the local economy and plays a starring role in North Bay's quality of life.
Downtown:
Downtown is the core of our city. For 11 years on council I sat on the board of the Downtown Improvement Area (DIA). I was part of the team that successfully implemented the Downtown Community Improvement Plan. I believe we need to continue investment in the Downtown Community Improvement Plan, which will generate new business and second story housing development.
I support a greater police presence downtown, what I like to call ‘Core Cops’. More ‘Core Cops’ will provide greater safety for our citizens and security for businesses.
We need to grow our city, with job growth from existing businesses, recruiting new ones and making strategic investments within the community, if not we will continue to decline in population. I feel we are at a tipping point and the next four years are critical.
Visit votemendo.com
On October 22nd I respectfully ask you to vote Dave Mendicino.
