'Maybe what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing'

The organizer of the Sault Association of Ratepayers is eager to get back to work and his family after placing third in his ward, narrowly missing a council seat in Monday’s municipal election.

David Poluck was running for his second time in the ward. He previously ran and placed third in the 2006 campaign.

“Yesterday, for those that didn’t win, was an after-election hangover. Not in the sense of drinking but the stress and exhaustion of the campaign. It’s a mixed bag of emotions,” said Poluck.

Poluck first became involved in the political scene during the debates around the Boxing Day shopping issue which dominated local political headlines about 10 years ago.

“Maybe what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing,” he conceded.

After two losses in Ward 3 Poluck has decided with his wife that he won’t run again.

“It was relief, in a way. That’s not to say I wouldn’t represent and have done a good job,” he said by phone on Wednesday.  

That doesn’t mean his work volunteering for the Sault Association of Ratepayers is going to stop.

“Just because I didn’t get elected doesn’t mean we’re not going to work on it. Let’s work on it!”

The intention of the Association of Ratepayers is to speak for the people of Sault Ste. Marie while lobbying local government, said Poluck.

Another group calling themselves the Sault Ste. Marie Taxpayer Federation circulated flyers throughout Sault Ste. Marie during the recent election questioning the voting records of some city councillors who were seeking re-election.

Poluck doesn’t want to be confused with them and said he has a different approach, “There’s no affiliation at all.”

Apparently the flyers were’t effective as all incumbents who were seeking to stay in office were re-elected

Poluck sees the Association of Ratepayers as supporting the needs of the community, not adversarial against councillors.

He said he tries not to vilify councillors because they are often bound by the Municipal Act.

“Sometimes you’re asking councillors to do something they cannot do,” he said.

By Wednesday morning Poluck was thinking about the future.

“I’m looking forward to the next four years. I think it’s going to be interesting. Christian (Provenzano) has some new challenges as mayor and it will be interesting to see how the old council works with a new mayor.

“I don’t think I could ever not say something about something,” he added.

Appreciative, gratified and ready to be dynamic

2014 Sault Ste. Marie Election by Village Media