As the city looks toward the future, candidates for local leadership—Anthony Sernick, Rebecca Foord, and Zacch Vandenhurk—are presenting their plans to shape the community, with a strong focus on infrastructure, business support, and quality-of-life improvements.
Sernick emphasized a proactive approach, aiming to keep taxes manageable while ensuring the growth of the city's infrastructure. His vision includes pivotal projects such as the Small Modular Reactor (SMR), which he believes will provide long-term benefits, as well as ongoing support for the tech hub. He also plans to support updates to Southeast College and tap into land and water resources to attract new businesses.
“We’re going on the offense instead of being on the defense,” said Sernick. “We are going to identify opportunities, set goals, and pursue them.”
In contrast, Foord expressed her commitment to supporting both new and existing businesses. She highlighted the importance of collaboration with Southeast College to expand training opportunities, ensuring that local industries remain competitive. Foord also touched on the potential for emerging industries such as coal-to-graphite and emphasized her dedication to addressing expansion needs in the business community.
"I'm committed, just like I have been these past four years, to investing time and energy into learning what it will take to help businesses continue to grow and make this community a safe and welcoming place for new businesses and our people," said Foord.
Meanwhile, Vandenhurk voiced skepticism about the city's current investment in the TechHub, questioning whether taxpayers have seen clear returns on the project. He suggested redirecting funds to initiatives that he believes would better serve the community, including investing in the local college, repurposing old mine pits, and improving the city's overall appearance. Vandenhurk also stressed the importance of increased funding for the hospital, calling it the most critical service the city could support.
"If we have money to throw away at such costly ideas, why not invest it in the hospital, the most crucial place we could ever allocate our funds?" said Vandenhurk.
As the city continues to grow, these differing visions highlight the diverse priorities at play, with each candidate focused on ensuring a prosperous future for both current and new residents.