Taking care of the city budget will be the first thing Pat Chiocchio, and man born and raised in Welland, plans if he becomes mayor.
That's what he's heard as he campaigns, adding every dollar spent has to be examined. "I want to do a line by line, as we move forward, into this budget process, and I'm not going to take the Strong Mayor's powers... I want to do this as a team, this is how I've always approached this, as a leader."
He also wants to balance responsible development, while maintaining existing neighbourhoods. "Those are 2 main issues that people talk to me about, is with disruption in neighbourhoods with development. Even when major development changes, that character can impact traffic, and the look of areas."
He says he's hearing the same concerns... taxes, infrastructure, homelessness and cost of living. "Still have to maintain the roads, and provide the services, and invest in the community. I believe we need to be disciplined with taxpayers' dollars, and affordability consideration in every major decision we make moving forward."
He says Welland is growing. "Before we even approve thousands of new homes, and expect taxpayers to carry that infrastructure, we need to support the growth... we need a long-term planning strategy."
He also wants to work with the federal and provincial governments for safer communities.
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