Every day this week we are featuring platform highlights from one of the five mayoral candidates in the upcoming election.  Our stations have reached out to each mayoral candidate to outline their platform for listeners.  This is Mayoral candidate Lauchlan K. MacInnes’ submitted platform.

I’d like to begin with a general reminder that every candidate is running for election because they want Timmins to be a better place. Whichever candidate wins will do a fine job administering the city.

The politics of the wider world have become more divisive and vitriolic recently and we should resist it seeping into our community. Electing one candidate over another is not the difference between riches or ruin so no one should feel the need to throw insults or attacks at candidates. Elected officials and citizens need to be able to work together to improve the city and taking cheap shots from the side lines does not help.

In order for the city to improve we have to refocus the city’s resources. Given current property taxes in the city, it isn’t a matter of insufficient revenue but instead a matter of ineffective spending.

The city needs to focus more attention on maintaining the city’s infrastructure; this includes properly cleaning our roads and more rigorous upkeep on city properties. We need to focus on making Timmins an attractive city to live in.

While giant concerts might offer a temporary distraction, we have to live with tattered roads and bursting water lines for the rest of the year. Stars and Thunder was born out of the ‘there’s nothing to do in Timmins’ mentality. It only lasts one week and draws millions out of the city budget. With that money the city could have provided funding to dozens of smaller events throughout the year.