Mayne announces candidacy

Chris Mayne stands in front of city hall after registering to run for council in the upcoming election in november.

Running for City Council has always been a dream of Chris Mayne’s. Monday morning he took his first step in making that dream a reality by announcing his candidacy for council.

“It’s a big 5-0 thing. I just turned 50 about a month ago, and this is always something I’ve wanted to do,” Mayne said.

Mayne explained the main issue he would like to tackle, if elected, is maintaining North Bay’s “green space.”

“The issue that got me off the couch last fall was the La Vase Portages,” Mayne said.

He believes council hesitated to protect the La Vase Portages last November, by agreeing with development on the land.

“The Portages are at the historical heart of the heritage of North Bay,” he said.

“I thought it was a shame they were going to go ahead and support the developer.”

Mayne also hopes to mend North Bay’s relationship with the Provincial Government. He says the issues that council deals with are important and challenging, but there are different methods of addressing these topics.

“We’ve drifted away from working with all levels of government,” Mayne said.

“I think in the long term, North Bay’s interest is to deal with them positively and strongly.”

However, Mayne says, for the most part, the current council has been doing a good job.

“They have made some strong decisions that have kept North Bay in a good fiscal position,” he said.

Mayne explained he chose to announce his candidacy early, so he will have enough time to prepare for November.

“I’ll have time to make some contacts, talk to people, and get a better idea of the issues,” Mayne said.

“It’s a good chance to get my name out there, and get ready for a serious campaign in the fall.”

Mayne believes his work in the community with the Rotary Club, the Titans and at the La Vase Portages is why people should vote for him.

“I just see this as another step to getting involved in the community,” he said.

“Plus I will bring a fresh perspective to council.”

Mayne is a lifelong resident of North Bay. He went to school here, and raises his family here.

“This is my home, I love this city, and I look forward to hopefully getting involved,” he said.

"And working towards keeping North Bay the great place it is to live.”