TimminsToday asked all candidates questions ahead of the Oct. 24 municipal election. Below are the responses from Ward 3 (Schumacher) candidate Bill Gvozdanovic.
Timmins' population is declining, with another drop reported in the most recent census. What can be done within the municipality's scope to attract and retain new residents?
First of all let's not forget that the City of Timmins is a great place to live for the most part. The homeless situation has caused some residents to lose pride as a certain radius of the downtown core has become an issue that needs immediate attention. We need to be able to help the homeless but in my opinion, this is a provincial and federal issue and they need to take leadership and fund all costs. Before we start to attract people to the area we should focus on keeping the people that live here happy and safe. That will be the job of the new mayor and council and I certainly will not shy away from this issue.
Communication and transparency have been identified as a concern by the public and by The Chamber. What does municipal transparency mean to you?
The City of Timmins is owned by the taxpayers therefore they need to be informed on what is going on and how their money is being spent. One thing I will not do is criticize the current or any other council. If elected I will engage with fellow members to see how we can get our message out to the people. We also need to listen to the people and I think at some point we need to have public meetings in each and every ward to hear directly from the people.
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SEE: Advance voting opens Oct. 11
Everyone is feeling the financial impacts of inflation and the cost of living is rising faster than most residents' salary increases. How can the municipality help residents, especially those with a low income or seniors, through this period?
We need to pressure the higher levels of government to provide additional funding to people on the lower income scale. They are the ones that have a lot more money than we do. Look at the price of gas and how we were and still are getting ripped off and the trickle-down effect of inflation just rolls downhill to local business. We also need to control costs without cutting services to keep any tax increases to a minimum. I always loved the budget procedure because I actually read the document and I am of Croatian descent and watch my money and will watch the taxpayers' money as well.
What do you want voters to know about you?
People know that I have their best interests at heart. I treat everyone the same and will always give you an honest answer. You will not see me put up a lot of election signs as I feel it junks up the city. My campaign is an investment in a nicely designed brochure which I am hand delivering to as many doors as I can so I can engage with the people. When I first served for 10 years my children were just babies and now they will accompany me to vote and that will be a special day for my family. To serve is a privilege that I take very seriously.
Read Gvozdanovic's candidate profile here.
The other Ward 3 candidates are Sylvin Lacroix and Carter Lucyk.
The municipal election is Oct. 24. Advance voting is being done online and runs Oct. 11-24. In-person polls are open on election day.
