Councillor Shoemaker launches mayoral campaign (5 photos)

After announcing his intentions to run for mayor in late March, Matthew Shoemaker officially kicked off his campaign at Anna Marinelli Park in Jamestown Wednesday morning.

Serving in city council since 2014, the Ward 3 councillor spoke with residents and supporters at his launch to share the objectives he has for the Sault.

Among Shoemaker’s campaign promises is establishing a greater police presence downtown, building more housing through the New Foundations project like the one in Barrie, and to continue funding for improvements in Jamestown and the old west end.

Shoemaker says he has a proven record of finding savings, and pledges to oppose any budget that costs more than necessary.

“I will support projects that make sense to support,” he says. “There’s a limit to how much we can spend on any project. With the downtown plaza and the relocation of the Mill Market, all of our downtown redevelopment dollars are in one basket. If we drop that basket, we’re going to have no plan B. We should spread our dollars around to a number of initiatives to make sure we’re tackling it from all angles”

Former Sault Ste. Marie mayor Steve Butland was in attendance this morning to offer his endorsement for the mayoral hopeful.

“Over the years, he’s become a mature individual who knows the workings of city hall inside and outside,” he says. “You have to have a balanced platform, and I think that’s what he brings to the table. He has the intelligence, the foresight, and the maturity, and he’s prepared to listen to people.”

The location of Wednesday’s campaign launch is a symbolic one for Shoemaker, who says without his efforts, Jamestown and Anna Marinelli Park would not be where it is today.

“I am proud to say that since I was elected in 2014, this neighbourhood, which hadn’t seen municipal investment since the late 1970s and early 1980s, has had council and staff’s full attention as a focal point. I have spearheaded a number of efforts to improve the old west end. I do not hesitate at all in saying that without me proposing the improvements, the progress you see behind me and across the parking lot would not have happened.”

Shoemaker has served almost two full terms as a city councillor and believes his record is a strong indication of what he could achieve as mayor.

“I’ve accomplished much of what I came to council to do,” he says. “I’m eager to help and want to continue to contribute in a greater way than I have on council.”

The municipal election is on Oct. 24.