Wright vows to ‘transition’ Peterborough to ‘greatness’
Northcrest Ward councillor outlines origin story during campaign launch
Coun. Stephen Wright filed his nomination papers to run for mayor on Tuesday afternoon at city hall, then launched his campaign at Sadleir House on George Street where he told a room of supporters that he can lead the way to a better city.
“We are at a pivotal time where we are going to transition Peterborough to what greatness Peterborough should be,” he said.
Wright is a councillor for Northcrest Ward, and in early March announced he’d run for mayor after Mayor Diane Therrien said she wouldn’t run for re-election.
The election is on Oct. 24, and people have until Aug. 19 to file nomination papers.
On Thursday, Coun. Henry Clarke of Monaghan Ward is expected to file his nomination papers to run for mayor and to launch his campaign at 7 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre in East City.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Wright posted footage to his social media accounts of himself speaking to his supporters at his launch. He leads with the story of his mother’s youth in Jamaica.
“Born into poverty, she made a decision that she had to do what was best for her family: she decided to take a job to work as a live-in, domestic housekeeper for a family in Moncton, N.B.,” he said.
His mother left her young children behind in the care of other relatives so she could support the family, he said: “It wasn’t until I was six years old when I really realized who my mother was.”
“She cleaned the homes of the rich, and she took her earnings to make sure her children could go to a private school. Because what she didn’t want was for us to be the ones to clean the homes continuously of the rich,” Wright added.
Living in Canada later as a young Black man, he said, opportunities were few.
However, there were those who helped him find a voice, he said, and now he wants to help others who’ve been silenced: people suffering in the opioid epidemic, he said, or those who cannot afford a home.
The end goal is “to ensure that those who are new to Peterborough can say, ‘Well, we’re happy Stephen Wright stepped up to lead,’ ” he said.
Town Ward candidate Alex Bierk was in the room of supporters on Tuesday, as was Cavan Monaghan Mayor Scott McFadden.
Wright’s platform, as explained on his campaign website, includes commitments to further develop the Peterborough Airport, reinvigorate the downtown, provide more housing options and boost creation of clean technology jobs.
Wright’s campaign website is at sawright.ca.