Clarke’s bid for four more years begins
CBRM mayor wants to focus on downtown revitalization, ‘fair’ tax system if reelected
In outlining his bid for reelection Friday, Cecil Clarke highlighted the need to revitalize community downtowns while promising no property tax hikes over the next four years.
The launch of his second mayoral campaign attracted about 85 supporters and curious onlookers on what he has in store if reelected as mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
Four current municipal councillors — Lowell Cormier, George MacDonald, Jim MacLeod, and Clarence Prince — were in attendance.
Conspicuously muted in his 16-page platform document, which touches on topics such as infrastructure improvements, debt repayment and arts and culture initiatives, was Clarke’s focus of the past four years — port development.
Only one promise — of the 100 listed in the document — vaguely addresses the port of Sydney.
“The Port of Sydney will continue to develop our port’s relationship with global partners,” is listed as No. 64 in the document, “100 more positive changes for CBRM.”
Clarke said little mention was given to the port because it’s part of an ongoing effort that’s already producing dividends and will continue beyond October’s municipal election.
He said there would be forthcoming announcements on port progress over the next two months.
“And during the campaign there will be many policy statements associated with the progress that we are making with the port,” he told reporters after his brief platform announcement at the Cambridge Suites Hotel in Sydney.
Turn Head: The municipality is expected to reach a funding agreement with the federal and provincial governments on a second cruise ship berth this fall, Clarke noted.
In his speech Clarke said he would seek “fair” tax rates for residents and businesses.
He wants to implement a fiveyear phase-in of a revenue-neutral fair tax policy.
Clarke pointed to the federal gas tax revenue of approximately $4 million a year going into municipal coffers.
He said the agreement to have that money spent on remediation of closed landfills expires next year, which opens up other potential areas to spend that money.
A new partnership agreement currently being negotiated between the province and all municipalities could open another possible revenue stream for the CBRM in order to “forge a new working and funding relationship” with the Nova Scotia government, said Clarke.
While the municipality receives $15.3 million in annual equalization payments, it pays the province $16.1 million in mandatory costs for education, housing and corrections.
Underscoring the need for new investment goals to maintain basic infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, water and sewer mains, the mayor said the public works department now requires $16 million a year to maintain municipally owned streets.
The CBRM will seek “additional” cost-sharing arrangements with the senior levels of government if Clarke is reelected, he said.
More than three years after Clarke first announced his ambitious $300 million capital plan that mixed road and water line repair work with large-scale projects such as a second cruise ship berth, he said roads that qualified under the Building Canada Fund have been repaired.
“Under the federal infrastructure fund in the first round we received the maximum we could receive.”
The CBRM is currently spending $11 million this year on roadwork — half of that total is cost-shared with other levels of government.
Clarke said he’s committed to spending $12 million over four years toward a proposed $36 million downtown revitalization plan across the CBRM if costsharing with the other levels of government is in place.
He said the effort to fix the downtowns has been a “piecemeal” approach to date and he wants to change it to a “fully integrated approach.”
“It’s about getting people in the downtown core (like) getting a Sunday bus service that’ll provide an opportunity for people to get downtown,” he said.
Other initiatives Clarke plans to introduce to the next council is the elimination of the $140 a week allowance for local travel by members of council.
Despite a refusal by Clarke to move on the issue this term, he said the topic has “evolved” and it’s time for councillors to adopt the provincial rules when accruing mileage for municipal work.
He also wants to see a position created to handle the vast number of freedom of information requests coming into the municipal clerk’s office.
A public information officer would be responsible for producing expense reports, debt progress and other financial data for dissemination to the public.
It will allow the information requested get to its recipient in a “timely fashion,” Clarke said.
There are no other declared candidates for the CBRM mayoralty at this point, however Clarke’s campaign chair Manning MacDonald, a former Liberal MLA, said Clarke’s reelection team couldn’t become complacent.
“We have to be ready for whatever comes,” he said.
Municipal elections will be held across the province on Oct. 15.