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Councillors elect anticipate new era of co-operation

The substantial shift in Greater Sudbury's political landscape after the Oct. 27 municipal election should be about more than who's sitting around the council table, said some of the city's new councillors.
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Deb McIntosh took 1,997 votes, or 35.26 per cent of the vote, to claim the Ward 9 council seat. She celebrated her victory with her family, husband, Ralph, and daughter, Erin. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.

The substantial shift in Greater Sudbury's political landscape after the Oct. 27 municipal election should be about more than who's sitting around the council table, said some of the city's new councillors.


Beyond Brian Bigger taking the mayor's seat, new councillors were elected in 10 of the city's 12 wards.


That includes four wards where incumbents were taken out by challengers, and another six where incumbents didn't run. Only Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac and Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann retained their seats.


With the last council term marred by disagreements between Mayor Marianne Matichuk and council, several new councillors interviewed by NorthernLife.ca said they'd like to make this type of dysfunctional relationship a thing of the past.


“You know what, the mandate's been delivered,” said Fern Cormier, who, after running for council four times over the past decade, was elected as councillor for Ward 10.


“I think it's incumbent upon all of the councillors going to the table to keep an open mind and open ears and be willing to work with the office of the mayor. That is critical.


“We've seen what happens when that doesn't occur, and nobody wants a repeat of that ... Everybody was saying to me they wanted us to start working more collaboratively with each other, and that includes specifically with the mayor.”


Cormier — a local real estate agent — said he thinks Bigger's ideology aligns with that of many of the councillors who got elected. Bigger ran on a platform of openness, accountability and transparency.


“It doesn't mean we're going to agree 100 per cent of the time on everything — of course not — but when we do disagree, we can do it respectfully,” he said.


Mike Jakubo, the Garson-based accountant who took out incumbent Dave Kilgour in Ward 7, said he supports a lot of Bigger's ideas.


“Differing from how council dealt with the previous mayor Marianne (Matichuk), I think it's incumbent upon us councillors, whether we did or did not support Brian, to work with him and really work to move the city forward,” he said.


Speaking to NorthernLife.ca at her election party, Deb McIntosh, who was elected in Ward 9, said her goal is to make sure city council isn't on the front page for the wrong reasons.


“Let's make news over big things — about things that matter — not about little things and squabbles,” she said.


McIntosh, who said she's retiring as executive director of Rainbow Routes Association in the near future, said it's exciting there's so many new councillors, not to mention a new mayor.


“I think Sudbury has decided they want a fresh vision for the city,” she said. 


“I'm hoping that starting fresh, we're going to be able to build bridges between the council and mayor, and that we're working in a collaborative way to move us forward.”


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Heidi Ulrichsen

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