The list of council and mayoral hopefuls continues to grow, now that the elections office at London city hall has opened its door and is allowing candidates to officially register in the upcoming municipal election.
Six people have officially thrown their hat into the ring for the mayor’s office: former police board budget chair Paul Paolatto, outgoing Ward 13 Coun. Tanya Park, businessman Paul Cheng, former city councillor Stephen Orser, and political rookies Sean O’Connell and Jonas White.
Hours after filing his nomination papers, Cheng officially kicked off his campaign at his office on Queens Avenue on Tuesday afternoon where he vowed to attract new business and argued with a London Free Press reporter about unemployment numbers.
“Our unemployment rate, according to the London Free Press, was 6.4-per cent in January. Windsor, 4.5 Kitchener-Waterloo, 4.5, or was it 4.6? So we are two full percentage points worse off than our surrounding cities. What do you say to that?” Cheng replied, when asked why he continued to say London has an under-performing economy.
As for how he’d draw new business to the city, Cheng said he’d be “right there” when the phone rings, before going on to take a shot at the paper’s business model.
“If we looked at London Free Press yourself, if Martha Blackburn could see what you guys have done as a business model to her business, I would say she might have something to say.”
His fellow candidates, Paul Paolatto and Tanya Park both appeared on 980 CFPL’s the Craig Needles Show on Tuesday morning.
“I’ve heard very clearly people, from all areas of the city, that they want to see leadership done differently and they want to see someone in office who says what they mean,” said Park, who is in favour of the city’s $500-million bus rapid transit plan.
“Over the past four years, I’ve demonstrated that throughout most debates.”
Paolatto, on the other hand, wants to change the bus rapid transit plan. The former police services board budget chair says he will focus on jobs, helping the most vulnerable, and mobility both inside and outside of the city.
“Services around snow removal, garbage collection, pothole repair and street repair, we seem to have drifted in terms of our core responsibilities.”
Paoloatto has said he wouldn’t scrap bus rapid transit altogether, but wants to change the existing plan. But rookie Sean O’Connell, who has run for Ward 14 councillor in the past, wants to see bus rapid transit pushed through.
“I ride transit every day, I know what the shortfalls are, I know that people can’t even simply get out to work in a reasonable fashion, that’s a problem.”
With experience living and working in Europe, O’Connell — who was born in London, Ont., and has lived here since 1989 — says he knows what effective transportation can do for a city.
Jonas White is also vying to lead the city. He visited the elections office earlier on Tuesday, before getting the 25 required signations he needed to submit his nomination paperwork.
“I do really love this city, I did run a long time ago, didn’t put too much into it, just kind of warned the city about corruption. Not super happy with Mayor Matt Brown and things like that, so I’ve built a reputation the last few years of self-improvement and trying to do the right thing.”
Londoners have until July 27 to put their name on the ballot, either for ward councillor, mayor or school board trustee. The election takes place Oct. 22.
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