With only three days left before the Oct. 27 municipal election, mayoral candidate Dan Melanson says his main priority is to highlight the differences between himself and Brian Bigger, who currently leads in the polls.
“From the very beginning, I have put out there all of my ideas. I have said what I would do,” Melanson said at a press conference Friday. “Mr. Bigger, on the other hand, has not answered any questions as to how he's going to have a zero-per-cent tax increase. How is he going to achieve it?
“If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
Melanson said he would provide decisive leadership as mayor, while his main opponent, Bigger, would need to consult for every decision he makes at City Hall.
“Either you're for a downtown casino or you're not,” Melanson said. “Either you're for shopping hours of you're not. He won't tell us anything.”
Melanson also used his press conference to clear the air on what he said have been misconceptions around his plan to use municipal bonds to tackle the city's $700 million infrastructure deficit.
“I've never said I would spend $700 million in a year,” Melanson said.
He said instead, he would consult with council on individual infrastructure projects, and they would determine on a case-by-case basis if municipal bonds should be issued to cover the costs.
As for the mayor's race, Melanson said he now sees it as a two-man sprint between Bigger and himself.
“We're both tapping into the same pool of voters,” he said.
Those voters, he said, make up a large group of Greater Sudburians tired of the status quo at Tom Davies Square.