North Bay councillor running for mayor would ‘modernize’ city business

Two northern Ontario city councillors have launched mayoral campaigns.

A first-time North Bay city councillor is throwing his name in the ring to be the city’s next mayor.

Councillor Jamie Lowery, who announced he plans to run for mayor in the municipal election Oct. 26, said Tuesday he is disappointed with how the city is being run.

“We’ve got one department that’s going to bring somebody on. I asked publicly, ‘Are they going to have goals and expectations?’ There was no clear answer there,” he said.

“When you’re bringing on assets, things and people, you should be purposeful.”

Lowery said he made his decision based on the recent budget process. He said one of the items in the budget that worries him is spending $3 million on a homeless hub idea when neither a location nor an operator to run it has been chosen.

“But what’s more concerning is long-term,” Lowery said.

“What does that do for the city? Does it help it or does it hinder? I said that publicly … It really is a complex problem.”

He also has an issue with “speculative projects,” highlighting money set aside to purchase land for parking lots.

“They haven’t completed the study, yet we’re taxing people for that,” Lowery said.

In the end, he supported the operating budget but voted against the capital budget.

He plans to run a campaign based on affordability and “modernizing” city process, whether that’s the day-to-day business within city hall or using technology to give staff and councillors better information when making decisions.

“We can modernize how we conduct ourselves in a more businesslike fashion. Being business-like isn’t a bad word because when you have those policies and processes, you can deliver services much more effectively,” Lowery said.

Backed election reforms

Lowery has been critical of this council term on several occasions. One thing he’s been critical of this council for not meeting at the beginning of the term to “decide on a direction together.”

“Let’s work out some of those things and healthy debate is really what we need,” he said.

“You have to have everybody’s voice heard.”

In the last four years, he has pushed for election reform in North Bay, wanting to introduce a ward system study for the 2026 municipal election. North Bay council ultimately turned the idea down.

He was also the lone vote against the building of the new $63 million twin-pad hockey arena and community recreation centre. Lowery was also one of three councillors in the spotlight calling for public transparency into Mayor Peter Chirico’s controversial credit card saga.

Four years ago, Lowery said, each councillor and the mayor sitting at the table ran on accountability and transparency, adding he’s proud of his “report card.”

“You have to have all of the information to make strategic decisions that will make things better,” he said.

“This is about making North Bay successful for families and businesses.”

Candidates can officially submit their paperwork for their intention to run for council or for the school board starting May 1. The deadline to submit paperwork is Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.