Candidate concerned about Port’s east side
Ron St. Jean makes it a three-way race for mayor in Port Colborne
A Port Colborne mayoral candidate feels the part of the city he’s lived in his entire life has been neglected by the local government.
Ron St. Jean has entered the race for the top seat on city council because, he said, the east community village hasn’t received the same attention as the west side of the city.
Also among concerns, he said a recent infrastructure project in his neighbourhood wasn’t done properly.
“The way they fixed the roads, it’s a joke,” said St. Jean in a recent interview, also claiming the municipality hasn’t addressed flooding issues in the area as thoroughly as it should.
One of three contenders in the race as of Thursday afternoon,
St. Jean claims he “couldn’t get a straight answer” from city hall when he called about flooding at one of the four properties he owns in the neighbourhood.
He believes the east side has received the short end of the stick over the last term of council when it comes to investment from the municipality.
“The west side is getting everything in Port Colborne and the east side is left to fend for themselves, pretty much,” he said.
An employee at ASW Steel Inc. in Welland, St. Jean said he attended Port Colborne council meetings when historic contamination issues at Inco were at the forefront.
He admitted he was considered a “rabble-rouser” when the matter was being dealt with at city hall.
Disappointed with the current council, St. Jean said this is also one of the main reasons he decided to enter the contest.
Also running are current Wainfleet alderman Betty Konc and former Port Colborne city councillor Bill Steele.