Who wants to be mayor?
Rumours begin to swirl as potential candidates consider whether to run in CBRM’s October municipal election
SYDNEY — It appears the unofficial campaign for CBRM mayor has kicked off thanks to a trial balloon floated by one potential candidate and confirmation from another.
The rumour mill began to churn earlier this week when Sydney Call Centre vice president Todd Riley posted five words on his Facebook page: “Announcement coming soon. Stay tuned.”
The post caught the attention of many, including Chris Abbass. The 58-yearold Sydney resident, who ran against longtime mayor Manning MacDonald in the 1990 mayoral election, then declared his intention to seek the mayor’s chair in the upcoming Oct. 17 municipal election.
IN THE BLOOD
For Riley’s part, the dozens of online responses left no doubt that many people expect the 47-year-old’s name to also be on the ballot for mayor. He stopped just short of fully committing himself as a mayoral candidate but admitted it’s something that’s he’s been considering for some time.
“Right now I am getting lots of support from across the municipality and it's been something I've been talking about for about a year,” said Riley, who spent time in the public spotlight in late-2018 and early-2019 when he was instrumental in saving the Sydney call centre from permanent closure after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.
“I will be having a couple of more meetings and I will be making a decision probably within the next week or so as to whether or not I will be going into politics.
“It's all about sitting down and talking with my friends and family to figure where I might be able to fit in as a solution within the municipality and then determine what the next steps will be.”
Riley said his main strength is that he‘s all about getting the job done.
“I am a results-driven person and I want to be measured on my results – people expect results and that's where the place I come from, I've been in a results-driven business and I believe people will elect you if you produce the goods,” he said, adding that his experience at a busy call centre has helped shape his perspectives.
“I know through the experience of the call centre's closing just how tough it was on the community, on our workers and on our families — it was just such a devastating time and I think it really opened up my eyes to the idea that maybe it's time to look at how we can work together to find ways and solutions.”
If he does opt to run, it won't be Riley's first trip to the rodeo. He ran for the District 6 council seat against the late Ray Paruch back in 2000, losing to the popular, longtime councillor by about 100 votes.
“That's when I got my first taste of it and it's been in my blood ever since,” he said.
CITIZEN CHALLENGE
Like Riley, Chris Abbas also has taken a previous shot at politics. And, like his possible opponent, he too was in his 20s at the time when he surprised many with a strong result against longtime mayor Manning MacDonald in 1990.
A member of the wellknown Abbass photography family, the 58-year-old north end Sydney resident said he's seen little progress since he took about one-third of the vote from MacDonald all those decades ago.
“We've been stagnating for the last 30 years and we were stagnating for probably 20 years before that when I decided to run the first time,” he said when asked why he wants to lead the CBRM. “So you can talk about it all you want, or you can stand up and do something about it, and that's what I've decided to do.”
A married father to two boys and an adult son, Abbass said one of the key planks in his platform will be the construction of what he calls a wellness centre — a recreation complex that would include an outdoor skating rink, swimming pool, curling club and eventually a golf course and harness-racing track — on the former Sydney steel plant property.
“I think we really need a place where people can come and gather. People say Cape Breton is one of the nicest places in the world, yet people come here to Cape Breton, they get to Sydney, they go down and look at the Big Fiddle, and then they head out of town.”
Abbass said high commercial and residential tax rates are also issues he wants to tackle, in part by demanding the provincial government reveal how it distributes federal transfer payments.
“If I get in there, I'll be adamantly and vigorously lobbying the provincial and federal governments to get the provincial government to show their math on these transfer payments,” said Abbass, whose resumé includes a wide range of careers, from bartender and professional photographer in Cape Breton to industrial sales and managing a large banquet hall in Edmonton.
“What I'm looking for is some live debate so we can debate the issues. That way I can portray my business acumen to the people of Cape Breton,” he said.
THE INCUMBENT
But what about Mayor Cecil Clarke? Will or will he not seek re-election for a third term? Speculation over that question has been the topic of many a conversation among political pundits
RUMOURS
Over the past couple of years, there have also been rumours involving several potential mayoral candidates, including District 8 councillor Amanda McDougall, who said family consultations are in order before she decides her own political future.
“It's very, very humbling when people have faith in you and I think that for anybody considering putting their name on a ballot, either for council or for mayor, they know it's a big responsibility and it's not something to take lightly,” she said.
“I have to take the needs of my family into consideration — it's not something that is easily decided upon.”
Other names mentioned, and these are no more than rumours, over the past couple of years as possible mayoral candidates include former mayor John Morgan, who has since committed to running provincially as a New Democrat, 2019 federal independent candidate across the municipality.
This week, Clarke's communications officer Sheilah MacDonald said the mayor has yet to decide on his political future.
“He's always said he's going to make that decision with his husband and when it's made it will make an announcement,” said MacDonald.
“Right now, with the current state of emergency and where the budget has not gone through yet, he is really just focused on the CBRM and getting us through the COVID crisis, so even those conversations about possibly running have yet to come up.” Archie MacKinnon, Nova Scotia business minister and Glace Bay MLA Geoff MacLellan and New Dawn Enterprises vice president of development Erika Shea.
THE PUNDIT
Cape Breton University political science professor Tom Urbaniak agrees that being mayor is an all-in proposition and that effective mayors are deeply compassionate people who can see inequalities and they try hard not to leave any citizens behind.
“If you want to be mayor because of status or to feel good wearing the ceremonial chain of office, you're in the wrong domain. It's hard work. It's raw,” noted Urbaniak.
“The job of mayor of CBRM has to be seen as a vocation that you live and breathe. It's not a parttime job, and there can't be much rest. And although the mayor has to be a tireless advocate for structural change and more funding, if the mayor only protests and never actually proposes or builds, then he or she is a failure.”
But no matter who runs, Urbaniak believes it will be a hotly-contested race.
Meanwhile, there will be new councillors in at least three of the chamber's 12 seats. Paruch passed away earlier this year, District 11's Kendra Coombes resigned after winning a provincial byelection and now sits as the New Democrat MLA for the riding of Cape Breton Centre.